inTouch’s policy, advocacy and research activities informs government legislation, service provision and media coverage and is informed by victim-survivors and our client services team.
inTouch has a strong focus on research, policy and advocacy, to share our expertise on issues that affect migrant and refugee women who experience family violence, to build the evidence base for our work, and to influence outcomes for our clients and their communities.
Our areas of focus include issues that are primarily unique to our client cohort, such as Australia’s visa, migration and settlement systems, legal judicial and law enforcement processes, forced marriage, and financial abuse (including dowry abuse). This work is informed by the advice and expertise of inTouch’s case managers, our legal and migration specialists, our survivor-advocate advisory group, NOOR, and the lived experiences of the women we work with.
inTouch’s Policy, Advocacy and Communications unit actively consults and collaborates with government, departmental representatives, peak bodies, media outlets, academics, consultants and peer agencies in order to improve responses to family violence and positively impact state and federal policy. Similarly, we participate in several roundtables, committees and advisory groups to engage with and inform the sector, community and other stakeholders about our work and the clients we support.
Our policy and advocacy work continues to place inTouch at the forefront of family violence response and prevention and underpins our organisation’s growth and work into the future.
Policy Positions and Submission Papers
inCulture, inTouch: Integrated model of support for culturally and linguistically diverse women experiencing family violence
Published in 2016 In partnership with Jean Hailes Foundation, we conducted an evaluation into our health justice initiative. This initiative…
Temporary migration and family violence: An analysis of victimisation, vulnerabilities and support
Published in 2017 In partnership with Monash University, inTouch conducted a comprehensive review of the cases we managed that involved…
Research brief: Support options for migrant women on temporary visas experiencing family violence in Australia
Published in 2019 inTouch collaborated with the Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre at Monash University on the two research…
Forced marriage in Australia
This research brief provides an overview of forced marriage in Australia – how it’s understood, its relationship with family violence,…
Family Violence and Temporary Visa Holders During COVID-19
Published September 2020 inTouch partnered with Monash University for this study, documenting 100 inTouch clients who held temporary visas and…
Intersectionality, Family violence and the Pandemic: Perspectives from 2020
Published December 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused upheaval across the world. Whilst maintaining relatively low levels of infections of…
Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs – Dowry Abuse
inTouch partnered with Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand to provide recommendations on the practice and incidence of dowry abuse in…
Parliamentary Inquiry into a Better Family Law
We informed the Parliamentary Inquiry into a Better Family Law regarding challenges that culturally and linguistically diverse communities face when…
Submission to Royal Commission into Family Violence
inTouch provided advice to the Royal Commission into Family Violence, offering recommendations on how to reduce the incidence of family…
Position paper on dowry abuse following Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ report
A position paper on dowry abuse following the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ report into the practice…
Advocacy
inTouch regularly participates in the following working groups, committees and advisory bodies:
AWAVA
Specialist Family Violence Courts Advisory Group
Federation of Community Legal Centres Family Violence Working Group
Family Violence Justice and Advocacy Network
National Advocacy Group on Women on Temporary Visas Experiencing Violence
National Dowry Abuse Working Group
Victoria Police: Family Violence Command Stakeholder Engagement
