Towards Better Practice

Welcome to the Towards Better Practice: Enhancing Collaboration Between Women's Domestic Violence Services and Mental Health Services project website.

Towards Better Practice aims to improve co-ordinated service responses for women who are experiencing, or have previously experienced, domestic violence and mental health concerns/mental illness.

The project aims to address this issue by exploring collaboration between women's domestic violence services and mental health services. Initiatives to improve collaboration, as informed by the voices of clients and pratitioners working in mental health and domestic violence services, will be trialled and evaluated in the final stage of the research.

The anticipated outcomes of the project include; increased expertise in both mental health and women's domestic violence services in responding to diverse women with complex needs, increased collaboration between the sectors (inter and intra-agency), development of referal pathways between the sectors and increased knowledge and confidence of workers in these sectors.

If you (or someone you know) require urgent and immediate assistance to ensure your safety, please contact the police via emergency services on 000 (Australian residents) or contact your local police station.

The Towards Better Practice website serves to disseminate information regarding the research project. If you require assistance or information about domestic violence issues, please follow this link to the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse's help and safety page: http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/help_and_safety2.htm