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Ask Someone is a unique innovative family violence referral pathway system that has been funded the Southern Metropolitan Region Integrated Family Violence Executive. The Ask Someone app and website have been designed to assist both practitioners in the legal and family violence support services and clients who have experienced family violence in any form, or used violence against a family member seek, free professional support and information 24/7. The App is available on iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry smart phones.
Project Commissioner
Southern Metropolitan Region Integrated Family Violence Executive Committee
Project Creator
Team
Ana-Maria Otalora - Designer,
Robin van Kuijk - Account Management,
Erik Rathmayr - Concept and Experience,
Lukas Pascha (rematic) - Programming,
Family violence is a profound problem for communities everywhere. Sadly the Southern Metropolitan Region of Victoria has some of the highest incidences of family violence in the State. Victoria police attended 45,000 incidences of family violence in the last 12 months.
In 2006 the State Government developed a new approach to family violence. The Southern Metropolitan Region Integrated Family Violence Executive has been operating since then. It is a Governance structure that developed as a result of the State Government’s reforms for the specialist DHS funded family violence services with the legal system to implement the new approach to family violence. Local partnerships are working together to provide a more integrated response that aims to improve the safety of women and children, and hold men who use violence against their family members more accountable.
Women and children experiencing family violence and men who use violence enter the welfare and legal service systems via range of pathways. It is essential to have clear, consistent referral pathways to family violence support services. The Southern Metropolitan Region Integrated Family Violence Executive is continuously working on improving and promoting these referral pathways.
The referral pathways is very clear with who to contact in an emergency or life threatening situation, crisis situation after hours, and crisis and non crisis situation in business hours. The app also shows people when they can get further family violence support services assistance in their local region.
Smart phones, iPads and computers are the norm for information seeking. Family violence and safety information is accessible to a cohort who traditionally may not seek face to face support;
Accessibility. Mobile phones are considered an essential item and generally with the owner at all times. Hence, an excellent system for police who attend incidences of family violence 24/7.
Apps are very appealing to the younger generation. Given family violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness of Victorian women aged 15 – 44 Apps are innovative way to make family violence help and support accessible to this generation.
The apps are free to download. If the phone is lost or destroyed, the App can be readily down loaded again as the App name is easy to remember. Men who use family violence can destroy or remove their victim’s phone.
The inclusion of safety planning, including and Easy English version, and the ability to download an application for an Intervention Order Form (links to the Magistrates’ courts website) are also pioneering.
Instant access and easy to navigate to help lines including address and google maps.
Project Marketing
The project marketing has been using traditional strategies, such as flyers, awareness raising at meetings, emailing contact list, newsletters etc.
This method has been used because an Ask Someone App is the first of its kind and not traditionally sought out at an App Store. It requires a cultural and attitudinal change away from paper hand out referral pathways to technology website and Apps. A common stumbling block is “what if the person does not have access to computer or phone?”
Blackberry
This category relates to the best application on the Blackberry platform.
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