Background
The Royal Commission into Family Violence (Royal Commission) found that victims of family violence and those who choose to use family violence were accessing organisations and services across a wide network of different sectors, including mental health services, AOD services, police, justice, maternal health and schools. It was evident that these institutions and agencies held a wide variety of information that could be used to assist keeping victim survivors safe and hold those who use violence to account. The Royal Commission also discovered that important information was not being shared effectively between organisations, which had the potential for catastrophic consequences for victims of family violence.
Aim
The aim of the FVISS is to:
- Promote the safety of victim survivors
- Hold those who use family violence accountable for their actions and behaviour
- Ensure individuals and systems are both responsible for accountability of those who choose to use violence
- Keep those who use family violence in view
Legislation
Recommendation 5 of the Royal Commission’s Report was that a family violence information sharing scheme be created. As a result, the Victorian Government amended the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) to create the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS).