Opening Doors

Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services

2022

Stephanie Lusby, Gene Lim, Marina Carman, Suzanne Fraser, Matthew Parsons, Jackson Fairchild, Adam Bourne

LGBTIQ people experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) should be able to choose from and readily access a range of services that provide expert support in ways that respect and affirm their lives, bodies, identities and relationships. However, there remain significant gaps in access to safe, inclusive and affirming care for many in these communities across Australia.

Opening Doors: Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services (Opening Doors) investigates current challenges faced by LGBTIQ people in Australia when seeking help after experiencing FDSV, as well as promising moves towards safe and affirming service provision in different sectors and organisations.

The Opening Doors study was conducted by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. It included exploring the experiences and insights from LGBTQ victim-survivors as well as practitioners providing LGBTIQ community-controlled services, LGBTIQ-inclusive FDSV services, and FDSV services working towards more LGBTIQ-inclusive practice.

Opening Doors Resources

Drawing on the Centre's research expertise and policy and practice leadership from Rainbow Health Australia, this study has produced three resources:

• The Opening Doors: Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services research report details findings from a multi-phase, mixed method study which ran from 2020 to 2022, and that considers how to improve FDSV service accessibility and safety for LGBTIQ people in Australia.
  View/download Opening Doors: Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services research report (PDF, 34.8MB)
• Opening Doors: Case studies of promising practice provides a detailed exploration of the ways that LGBTIQ community-led services and other FDSV services have approached improving the safety, inclusivity and accessibility of services for LGBTIQ people and communities. These case studies are intended as a resource for organisations and practitioners to help inform their own endeavours towards improving LGBTIQ-inclusive practice.
  View/download Opening Doors: Case studies of promising practice (PDF, 9.97MB)
• Opening Doors: Guide for practitioners distills the findings of the research report and case studies to identify key implications for policy, sector-wide improvements, organisational change, LGBTIQ community engagement, workforce training and clinical governance.
  View/download Opening Doors: Guide for practitioners (PDF, 3.29MB)

Launch

Opening Doors was launched on October 13 by The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Commonwealth Minister for Social Services, and featured a panel discussion with key sector and lived experience experts discussing the implications of the findings for the sector and the community.

View the launch now on YouTube:

Funding

The Opening Doors study and resources are funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.