Breaking the cycle of family violence in the Riverina

In 2004 the Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation set out to develop a Regional Family Violence Model for the southern part of the Binaal Billa Region in NSW. This paper describes the development process. The aim was to: develop community action plans; provide capacity building for implementing actions; provide education to increase knowledge on the various types of violence; and develop a supportive structure for sustainability. A Regional Family Conference was planned, followed by a Regional Committee with representation from each community. The paper lists some guiding principles to working with family violence, general needs that were identified by project participants, and strategies for putting ideas and solutions into practice. It outlines the role of the Regional Family Violence Plan.