Latest news with #DVConnect
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
More than half of calls to Queensland domestic violence helpline unanswered for full month last year, report finds
More than half the calls to one of Queensland's domestic violence helplines went unanswered in one month last year, a 'damning' report has revealed. The report found that DVConnect's response rate declined after March 2023 until about December 2024, though at best its phones were only answered 87% of the time. DVConnect runs several helplines including Mensline and Womensline services. In October 2024, the busiest month of the year, just 41.9% of Womensline calls were answered, the report found. For victims of domestic violence it offers crisis counselling, safety planning, emergency transport, accommodation and pet support. An audit of DVConnect, commissioned by the LNP government, was conducted by the firm BDO and tabled in parliament last night. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The minister for the prevention of domestic and family violence, Amanda Camm, described the report as 'damning', but said the human consequences were impossible to quantify. 'We would never know who has picked up the phone and their phone call has gone unanswered – and if that has resulted in any form of injury, death or any other serious event, that would be tragedy,' Camm said. She said the service had since adopted a new triage system, which had dramatically reduced the rate of calls being abandoned, with a 73% response rate. The report also found that the actual hours staff worked 'consistently fell below' the number of hours rostered. At its worst, in December 2023, they worked just 57% of the expected hours. The report did not identify why staff failed to work hours rostered or phone calls went unanswered. Camm blamed the problem on a hiring freeze and poor rostering practices. 'There was no issue with the funding. It's not a funding shortfall. They have an adequate workforce. It was around the way in which they were utilising that workforce. It was around clarity of their role,' Camm said. DVConnect is partly funded by the state government and previously also operated a contract for Telstra's 1800RESPECT service – but the longstanding relationship between the two organisations became 'fraught' and the contract was terminated, according to the BDO report. The hiring freeze was put in place in order to shift staff from the Telstra service, according to the report. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The report found that the risk of the Telstra contract being terminated 'could have been disclosed by DVConnect to the department as part of its funding negotiations at the relevant time'. The state government 'effectively covered the lost millions of dollars' lost through the Telstra contract, parliament heard. 'The negotiations led by the former CEO of DVConnect have caused significant damage to the relationship and trust between the service and our government,' Camm told parliament on Thursday night. The report said DVConnect contended it was bound by confidentiality requirements and could not inform the department of the contract, 'but during this review acknowledged in hindsight that doing so may have been warranted'. There was no specific requirement for it to do so, the report added. The report recommends the government provide better clarity about its expectations for the service, that there be a clear agreement about adequate resourcing, and that there be a formal process for engagement between the department and DVConnect. The state government has budgeted to spend $31.3m over the next four years to double both Womensline and Mensline capacity, and on a new 24/7 crisis line and hub in North Queensland.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Report into domestic violence helpline DVConnect finds almost 4,000 calls unanswered in October 2024
Almost 60 per cent of calls to a Queensland domestic and family violence helpline went unanswered in October, a disturbing new report has revealed. A review into DVConnect, launched in December, has laid bare the pressure on the service amid a sharp rise in calls for help. More than 6,500 calls were made to its Womensline in October, and almost 4,000 of those went unanswered. Those who abandoned their call for help waited on average almost 13 minutes before hanging up, while those who waited for a responder were in the queue for more than 20 minutes. From July 2023 to March 2025, the total number of abandoned calls increased by 388 per cent, which equates to more than 2,500 calls. "The number of calls abandoned has grown steadily and has remained at a relatively high proportion of all calls," the report from BDO noted. Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Amanda Camm said the figures were "astounding and frightening". "Every victim deserves their call to be answered when they are seeking help, and in some of these circumstances, it could have been a life-threatening situation. It's not good enough. "It's why we have taken action. What I would say to victim-survivors is I want people to be calling DVConnect, whether it's the Womensline, the Mensline, or those service providers, we want a 24/7 crisis service to be operating to the highest standard." The report noted staffing issues, with actual hours worked well below employee rostered hours, from July 2023 through to October 2024. "The lowest point in total hours worked was in December 2023, when DVConnect staff only worked 57 per cent of the hours they had been rostered or expected to work." The review was launched following concerns from advocates around underfunding. But Ms Camm said there was a "more than adequate amount of funding to meet demand". "There is a failing, I believe, in the way in which those resources were allocated to meet that demand. "Over time, what we saw is that it continued to decline and the organisation did nothing different. "There has been a trust broken between my department and this government and that service." She noted that since a new triaging system had been introduced, there had been an increase in the call response rate to 73 per cent in April and June. "That's still not good enough for me. We have a long way to go," Ms Camm said. "But I want people to have confidence that this government will put victims first and that we will do everything we can to increase the standard of that service." DVConnect partnered with 1800Respect, a 24/7 confidential service for people affected by domestic and family violence service administered by Telstra Health, in 2017. The partnership was designed to deliver connections to a team of specialist practitioners for those accessing the helpline. Fronting budget estimate hearings in parliament on Thursday night, Ms Camm claimed there had been a lack of transparency by DVConnect last year. "The review also uncovered that during the contract renewal negotiations in 2024 with the former Labor government, the service and the former CEO failed to inform the department that they had lost the multimillion-dollar contract to deliver the 1800RESPECT service," she told the committee. The report found the relationship between DVConnect and Telstra Health, the helpline provider, was "fraught" in February 2023. In May 2024, Telstra Health advised DVConnect that it had terminated the contract. In July 2024, DVConnect renewed and signed after several negotiations with the state government. "The report also notes when reviewing the 1800Respect contract that this risk could have been disclosed by DVConnect to the department as part of its funding negotiations at the relevant time. This did not occur," Ms Camm told the estimates hearing. "Those contracts signed in July 2024 saw a significant investment by the former government, which effectively covered the lost millions of dollars when funding was pulled for the 1800Respect contract. "The negotiations led by the former CEO of DVConnect have caused significant damage to the relationship and trust between the service and our government, relationships that are crucial to helping victim-survivors of domestic and family violence," Ms Camm told the committee. The chief executive of DVConnect at that time was Beck O'Connor, who resigned from the role in June to become Queensland's Victims' Commissioner. DVConnect chief executive Joanne Jessop said the organisation would continue to work with the government. "We have already made changes as part of the review and note that every part of our DFV response system across Queensland needs to be better," she said. She said was proud of the skilled staff, who support people in times of "extreme crisis and risk". "Their actions keep people safe and save lives every day," Ms Jessop said. Ms O'Connor has been contacted for comment.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Most women who phoned helpline hung up before calls were answered
Most women who called a Queensland government-funded domestic violence helpline in October last year did not get an answer, an independent review has found. Only two in five calls to DVConnect's WomensLine were answered that month before the callers hung up. But Amanda Camm, the minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, said there had been signs of improvement, including positive results from the trial of a new peak-time triage method in May and June this year. The number of calls being abandoned by women seeking help had dropped, she said, as she commended the new chief executive, Joanne Jessop, who took on the role in April this year and had a 'a tumultuous start to her tenure'. 'Every unanswered call represents a victim-survivor that wasn't getting the support that they need,' Camm told media on Friday. 'I am committed to working with DVConnect to make sure that we improve this service for victim-survivors and ensure that when someone who needs the support of the 24/7 [helpline] that their call is answered and they receive the standard of service and response that they desperately deserve.' Loading The review, conducted by consultants BDO, was commissioned by the LNP government in the months after it took office, following concerns the service was 'potentially struggling' as demand surged. Camm said the report found no issue with the level of funding being provided by government to the service, which increased as the service began to receive more calls.
The Age
3 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Most women who phoned helpline hung up before calls were answered
Most women who called a Queensland government-funded domestic violence helpline in October last year did not get an answer, an independent review has found. Only two in five calls to DVConnect's WomensLine were answered that month before the callers hung up. But Amanda Camm, the minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, said there had been signs of improvement, including positive results from the trial of a new peak-time triage method in May and June this year. The number of calls being abandoned by women seeking help had dropped, she said, as she commended the new chief executive, Joanne Jessop, who took on the role in April this year and had a 'a tumultuous start to her tenure'. 'Every unanswered call represents a victim-survivor that wasn't getting the support that they need,' Camm told media on Friday. 'I am committed to working with DVConnect to make sure that we improve this service for victim-survivors and ensure that when someone who needs the support of the 24/7 [helpline] that their call is answered and they receive the standard of service and response that they desperately deserve.' Loading The review, conducted by consultants BDO, was commissioned by the LNP government in the months after it took office, following concerns the service was 'potentially struggling' as demand surged. Camm said the report found no issue with the level of funding being provided by government to the service, which increased as the service began to receive more calls.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Appeals for help abandoned as DV calls go unanswered
Thousands of women have abandoned their calls to a domestic violence helpline after their cries for help went unanswered. A review of Queensland's domestic violence support agency DVConnect's WomensLine has revealed the service picked up just 41 per cent of calls in October 2024. Between July 2023 and March 2025, four times as many vulnerable vulnerable people abandoned their calls to the service. "This is more than just data - each of these unanswered calls or abandoned calls represents a woman at risk and a woman who is not getting help," Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Amanda Camm said. The service has slowly been improving, with nearly three-quarters of calls being answered by the helpline between April and June 2025. But more than 4000 women still abandoned their cry for help during this time period, down from a high of 10,000 between October and December. "Over 4000 women abandoning calls when in crisis is still too high and only answering 73 per cent of calls is still too low," Ms Camm said. "I am committed to continue working on delivering better outcomes for vulnerable victims of domestic and family violence." The improvement in call response comes after DVConnect trialled a peak time triage method over two months this year, deploying more full-time workers to assist with the number of cries for help. It meant 93 per cent of calls were answered, Ms Camm said. The review called for greater clarity around the roles and responsibilities of DVConnect and to establish key performance indicators to continue improving its service. The allegations of the DVConnect service's failings to vulnerable women were uncovered in the review commissioned by the Liberal National government after it won the 2024 state election. Queensland has been hit hard by domestic violence with 19,658 offenders recorded in 2023-24, behind NSW's 34,055 offenders, national data shows. The scourge is further shown by the state's police force responding to up to 180,000 domestic and family violence calls every year. The state government has introduced new laws that will see 150 domestic violence offenders monitored by GPS monitoring under a trial program from July 1. The Sunshine State also was the second jurisdiction this year to pass laws that criminalise coercive control following Queensland became the second Australian jurisdiction to pass laws that criminalise coercive control following the horrific killing of Hannah Clarke and her children who died when her estranged husband set them on fire in a car in 2020. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
