This report completes the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s review of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 1996 (Vic) (VOCAA) as required in response to both the first and supplementary terms of reference provided by the Attorney-General on 22 December 2016, and 7 July 2017, respectively.

This report contains the results of a mixed methods research study exploring the characteristics and activities of Department of Social Services’ funded Family and Relationship Services (FaRS) and Specialised Family Violence Services (SFVS). The results from this research will help to inform future service delivery and design.

Family and domestic violence is common and its impact is far reaching. It occurs across all ages, and socioeconomic and demographic groups, but predominantly affects women and children.

This summary outlines the major issues identified in the ANROWS research relevant to children, the factors preventing effective service delivery and the policy and practice changes recommended by the researchers. It concludes with future research directions.

The 2018 National Homelessness Conference, presenting the theme ‘Ending homelessness together’, delivered a wealth of evidence and information on ways to understand, reduce and alleviate homelessness. Over 800 delegates and more than 80 speakers participated across two very full days, exploring the underlying drivers of homelessness and the strategies to overcome it.