NCJ Number
238278
Date Published
November 2011
Length
48 pages
Annotation
This report from the Auditor General's Office in New South Wales presents the results of a performance audit of the Territory's efforts at responding to domestic and family violence.
Abstract
This performance audit by the Auditor General's Office in New South Wales (NSW) assessed the government's efforts to respond to domestic and family violence in the Territory. The auditors examined how well government and funded non-government organizations work together to respond to domestic and family violence. The efforts by the government include a coordinated response from the police department, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services, the NSW Ministry of Health, and the NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice (DAGJ). Major findings from the audit include the following: 1) organizations in NSW generally work together to improve the safety of victims when there is an overt and serious crisis with some coordinated follow-up being conducted after the crisis has passes; 2) organizations in the Territory fail to respond to most of the domestic and family violence that occurs primarily because it is not reported; 3) except for the NSW Police and the DAGJ, government organizations in the Territory do not know how much their day to day operations are affected by domestic and family violence; and 4) government organizations do not have a strategy for working together across the Territory in response to domestic and family violence. Recommendations for improving the government's response to the problem of domestic and family violence are discussed. Figures, tables, and appendixes