Prevention involves stopping domestic, family and sexual violence from occurring by addressing the drivers of violence and the structures, systems and norms which condone it. Prevention requires a comprehensive approach, addressing the gendered drivers across all parts of society, and how different institutions and individuals interact with these. It is important prevention efforts are targeted to ensure good outcomes for the cohorts or groups at most risk.

• Developing a whole of ACT domestic, family and sexual violence prevention plan which builds and improves the ACT’s prevention infrastructure.
• Engage men and boys in prevention work including to shift gendered norms and cultures of masculinity.
• Continuing to build the knowledge and skills of children and young people from early childhood through to young adults on safe, respectful and healthy relationships through implementation of best practice respectful relationships education in a phased, whole-of-setting approach.
• Building knowledge and awareness in the community about the characteristics of coercive control.
• Implementing culturally appropriate community education programs designed with, and tailored to diverse communities and groups.

Early intervention aims to identify and support people at risk of, or in the early stages of experiencing or perpetrating domestic, family and sexual violence in order to stop violence from escalating, protect victim-survivors from harm and prevent violence from reoccurring.

• Continuing to build the capability and capacity of the ACT workforce to identify and respond to risk of domestic, family and sexual violence
• Identifying and delivering targeted interventions to address domestic, family and sexual violence risk factors in high-risk groups.
• Enhancing mechanisms to identify and respond to people at risk of perpetrating domestic, family and sexual violence.

Response refers to efforts and programs used to address existing domestic, family and sexual violence. Response should be person-centred, hold perpetrators to account and support victim-survivors in a trauma-informed and culturally appropriate way. The response system captures a range of services including medical care, police responses, the civil and criminal justice responses, and family law systems, housing, child protection and men’s behaviour change program.

• Ensuring perpetrators are kept in view and perpetrator responses are targeted, prioritise victim-survivor safety and prevent further violence.
• Fostering a strong, sustainable and capable domestic, family and sexual violence specialist sector.
• Continuing to develop and implement integrated and innovative responses, such as the Multi-Disciplinary Centre, to bring services together so victim-survivors experience responsive, coordinated, seamless supports which are inclusive of people with diverse identities, experiences and backgrounds.
• Ensuring justice responses are domestic, family and sexual violence informed, and there are alternative pathways outside the criminal justice system.

Recovery is an ongoing process that enables victim-survivors to be safe and healthy. Recovery includes understanding, acknowledging and addressing the short-term, long-term and lifelong impacts for victim-survivors.

• Embedding recovery and healing services in the Multi-Disciplinary Centre to provide dedicated pathways for victim-survivors, focusing on long-term recovery.
• Developing community-led recovery and healing supports which meet the needs of different communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQ+ people and children and young people.