Family violence remains a significant social and public policy issue in Victoria and demand for family violence services continues to increase. A 2020 audit looked at whether support and safety hubs, now known as The Orange Door, provided effective and efficient support for families and those affected by family violence. Nine recommendations were made and accepted and this review assesses whether the action plan developed in response to the recommendations was implemented.  

Work still to be undertaken by the responsible department includes:

• implementing its plans to deliver the full service model including after-hours services and integration with related service systems
• updating and developing key documents related to integrated practice, demand management and performance monitoring
• rolling out a statewide tool for child wellbeing and risk assessments
• finishing its review of The Orange Door governance arrangements.

Key findings

• The responsible department has fully completed four of its nine actions and partially completed five.
• The Orange Door now operates statewide.
• The department has developed new guidance and training materials to strengthen integrated practice, Aboriginal cultural safety and its work with children and young people.
• The department has improved the quality and availability of its data, and how it reports on risk, service timeliness and outcomes.
• The department has developed a foundational performance monitoring framework and reports against some performance measures.