Service pathways and outcomes of holistic programs supporting women experiencing intimate partner violence

The impacts of family and domestic violence (FDV) affect all domains of life, including physical and mental health, housing, safety, economic participation, and, indeed, mortality. Reflecting this, many FDV services offer a range of programs (where funding can be secured) focused on immediate safety and accommodation, empowerment, and building the skills and support networks required to heal and thrive. Yet, research on the extent to which holistic FDV programs achieve their intended outcomes is limited, particularly regarding what works for whom, and how. To help build this evidence, this study examined the nature and pathways of program engagement and outcomes of 823 women who accessed an Australian FDV service between 2015 and 2020. The findings reveal that the timing of engagement and types of services accessed affect women’s service pathways, such that those who engage with wraparound services were more likely to exit the service and have fewer re-entries before exit, particularly when wraparound services are accessed earlier. Australian-born and Indigenous-identifying women were more likely than overseas-born and non-Indigenous women to engage with accommodation services. The findings highlight the importance of early access to wraparound supports for women’s recovery from FDV. IMPLICATIONS Women affected by family and domestic violence who engage with programs that provide wraparound supports (e.g., psychological support, parenting help) have fewer and shorter periods of service engagement before exit than those who just engage with crisis accommodation. Providing a holistic suite of programs and encouraging clients to engage with them as soon as possible supports women’s journeys through family and domestic violence (FDV) service pathways.