Safe from Harm: How we respond to family violence, sexual offences and child abuse

Frontline police

Frontline police are the first responders to incidents.

Family violence

  • Family Violence Liaison Officers (FVLOs) are supervisors responsible for quality assurance and ensuring a consistent and coordinated police response to family violence. FVLOs are present at 24-hour police stations.
  • The Family Violence Command Taskforce is an investigative unit that supports specialist police to manage high-risk family violence, sexual offences and child sexual exploitation cases.
  • Family Violence Investigation Units (FVIUs) respond to priority family violence victim survivors and perpetrators, manage high risk cases and provide oversight of frontline investigations. Investigators are supported by intelligence analysts who collect, triage and evaluate intelligence to assist investigations.

Sexual offences and child abuse

  • The Sexual Crimes Squad investigates unknown offender rapes and sexual-related crime.
  • The Sex Offenders Registry coordinates the registration and reporting process for registrable offenders.
  • Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCITs) are specialist teams that investigate and respond to sexual offences and child abuse by perpetrators known to the victim survivor. The specialist detectives in SOCITs receive dedicated training, with a focus on victim survivor engagement and offender management.

Training and development

  • The Centre for Family Violence provide contemporary specialist family violence training and education equipping Victoria Police staff with the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver high quality responses to family violence.
  • Family Violence Training Officers (FVTOs) provide family violence training to police across the state. FVTOs deploy a range of teaching methods, from practical one-on-one advice to formal training sessions.
  • Family Violence Command delivers strategic reforms on the policing of family violence, sexual offences and child abuse through policy development, projects, intelligence and engagement.

Prosecutions

  • Family Violence Court Liaison Officers (FVCLOs) act as a nexus between prosecutors or police lawyers, police informants, legal representatives, victim survivors, perpetrators, court staff and support agencies. This includes ensuring victim survivors are supported and all parties are kept informed of proceedings.
  • The Family Violence and Therapeutic Courts Group provides state-wide specialist legal support, training and advice to all areas of Victoria Police relating to family violence, as well as the Assessment and Referral Court, Drug Court and Koori Court.
  • The Specialist Sexual Offences Prosecution Unit is a team of experienced prosecutors who appear as advocates in complex sexual offence prosecutions, provide state-wide support to prosecutors and operational police in summary prosecutions, and provide pre-charge legal advice to investigators for both indictable and summary offences.

Professional standards

The Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit investigates family violence, sexual offences and sexual harassment perpetrated by Victoria Police employees.

Inter-agency responses

  • Multidisciplinary Centres (MDCs) co-locate a range of agencies in the one building to provide a victim-centred, integrated and holistic response to victim survivors of sexual offences and child abuse.
  • The Inter-Agency Information Sharing Service (IISS) is a centralised information sharing and record keeping service. The IISS manages requests for the release of police information under the Family Violence and Child Information Sharing Schemes, the Reportable Conduct Scheme and Child Safe Standards.
  • The Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) is a joint initiative between Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police. JACET identifies and rescues vulnerable children from further harm, targets recidivist offenders who use the internet to groom children and identifies offenders who share child abuse material.

Updated