New report provides recommendations to reduce violence through improvements to men’s behaviour change programs
A new study by Monash University and University of Liverpool has revealed that men’s behaviour change programs are crucial components in keeping those who use family violence accountable, and to reduce domestic, family, and sexual violence.
The report, co-authored with Dr Brittany Ralph, University of Liverpool, Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Dr Jasmine McGowan, and Dr Nicola Helps, Monash University, presents findings from Australia’s largest study of men’s engagement with behaviour change programs. These findings provide new evidence on what is needed to improve the efficacy of behaviour change programs with the goal of improving women and children’s safety.
The study interviewed and surveyed men who had participated in a behaviour change program to understand what their experiences were like. Researchers also interviewed family members of participants and practitioners who deliver these programs.
Engagement in behaviour change programs was found to be influenced by many factors, including how ready men are to change their behaviours, what referral pathways they came through, and what external support they had. Factors such as housing instability and court-mandated referrals were found to raise significant challenges to engaging men who are required to attend a behaviour change program.
These participants were often motivated primarily by self-serving outcomes, such as gaining access to children, complying with court orders, or avoiding further criminal justice interventions, rather than engaging with the content.
The research shows the current approach to working with perpetrators is missing opportunities to more effectively engage men in behaviour change and hold them to account.
Speaking of the findings, Dr Brittany Ralph, Lecturer in Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology, shared:
“Our report illustrates the complexity of engaging men in behaviour-change programs in ways that address their unique needs while still holding them accountable – particularly when the participants are court-mandated. We offer a broad set of recommendations to this end, but what is most crucial is a long-term funding model that supports the full breadth of work required to effectively deliver these interventions, as well as robust and ongoing evaluation.”
Improving current practices requires sustained funding models and a more comprehensive approach to engaging people who use violence in behaviour change. These programs are important, but they are only one part of a much-needed set of interventions to address domestic and family violence.
Access the full report: Engaging in Change (2024) - Final Report (PDF)