THE head of Brophy Family and Youth Services says its Men’s Behaviour Change program sends a clear message that violence against women and children will not be tolerated.
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Brophy CEO Francis Broekman said the organisation was funded through Corrections Victoria (CV) to run one 18-week Men’s Behaviour Change program per year which men complete after being mandated by a court.
He said the organisation would be more than happy to extend or expand the program if the demand was there via the courts. “There can be a wait (for the program) and obviously a long wait,” he said.
The organisation also runs a rolling Men’s Behaviour Change program which men can voluntarily complete.
Mr Broekman said the programs were effective in creating change, particularly when men with a history of family violence voluntarily did the program. “We see this as sending a message that as a community this behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said. “Men who behave like this can be assisted to change when the penny does drop.”
A spokesman for CV said the department had appointed 15 Men’s Behaviour Change program providers including the Brophy Family and Youth Services. “CV had sought more programs across the state, but the providers were not in a position to support this at that point in time,” he said.
“The Royal Commission into Family Violence found there was a need for more programs to help family-violence perpetrators change their behaviour. The increasing demand for the Men’s Behaviour Change Program, combined with specialist workforce challenges, is widely acknowledged across the sector, and these 15 providers are helping to increase access to the programs. CV will continue to work with its providers and other key stakeholders to ensure offenders assessed as appropriate for the Men’s Behaviour Change Program are referred to the program as quickly as possible.”
In 2015, the government allocated $16 million over three years so CV could establish a panel of MBCP providers across Victoria.
Mr Broekman’s comments come after a Magistrate criticised a seven-month wait for access to a program addressing domestic violence. Peter Mellas criticised CV’s provision of services after being told the program, Change About, was not available in Warrnambool until March.
