The Walking on Eggshells Project, a joint initiative of Relationships Australia (SA) and Junction Australia, recently received a Certificate of Merit at the 2013 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards.
The annual Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards are a joint Australian Government, state and territory initiative. The awards reward good practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crimes in Australia, to encourage public initiatives and to assist governments in identifying and developing practical projects that will reduce violence and other types of crime in the community.
The Walking on Eggshells Project developed and distributed resources and training to address adolescent violence in the family. In eighteen months, 18,000 copies of parent resource books and contact cards were distributed throughout South Australia. 194 SA Police Officers and 95 community workers were also trained in adolescent family violence prevention.
Initially the Project distributed 5,000 family books and services contact cards. Due to demand, an additional 3,000 copies were printed and distributed to departments, agencies and organisations throughout South Australia, with another 10,000 ordered by SA Police to distribute to affected families. Feedback from training seminars conducted with community workers and SA Police Officers indicated over 85 per cent who attended the training found the information very useful or extremely useful.
An intervention program based on Step-Up, an evidenced-based cognitive-behaviour program, will also be delivered, initially to 10 families, working with the young person and their parents. The overall aim is to reduce adolescent family violence and protect all family members from violence.
The Project reference group has focussed heavily on engagement with stakeholders in community service agencies (e.g. in community/neighbourhood settings, domestic/family violence, youth support, homelessness, South Australian Police and local as well as regional professional networks) and continues to provide consultative support to community agencies interested in addressing this issue.
The Walking on Eggshells Project is the only project of its kind combining research and practice expertise in the design, development, delivery and training for families and community works about this issue in South Australia.
Find out more about the awards at the Australian Institute of Criminology website.
Download a copy of the Walking on Eggshells booklet.
