Alexis program spearheading transformational change
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
BY LERISSE SMITH
No community escapes family violence.
In regional areas, however, the crisis is escalating at an alarming pace.
Morwell and Wonthaggi are among the worst-affected areas in regional Victoria. The Inner Gippsland Area (IGA) is consistently recording some of the highest Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) rates in the state when adjusted for population.
Yet transformational change is happening – powered by the award-winning Salvos Alexis program.
The specialist family violence response, embedded directly within Victoria Police Family Violence Investigation Units, is closing a critical service gap and ensuring those most at risk don’t fall through the cracks.
“Postcode should never determine safety,” said Lani Kahn, Practice Leader of the Alexis Family Violence Response Program.
“Family violence is not just a metropolitan issue – it’s a regional reality, and in places like Gippsland, the impact is often more severe. Specialist, timely and coordinated intervention works – especially for the families facing the highest risk. Programs like Alexis exist to help make sure those who need support the most don’t fall through the system gaps and cracks.”
Regional rates are alarmingly high.
The most recent Crime Statistics Agency data reveals around 2157 family violence incidents per 100,000 people in regional Victoria (2023-24) compared with 1172 per 100,000 in metropolitan Melbourne. In Gippsland, rates regularly exceed 3000-4600 per 100,000 – far above the state average of 1500 per 100,000.
Yet statistics cannot capture the full picture.
They reflect Victoria Police call-outs – not presentations to hospitals, GPs, schools, child protection services, or community organisations directly.
“We know that some family violence is not reported for various reasons,” Lani emphasised. “So, what we are actually seeing in the data is likely to be only a proportion of actual incidences occurring.”
And what sets the Alexis team apart is its remarkable results.
Independent RMIT evaluations reveal Alexis significantly reduces violence and risk, with up to an 85 per cent reduction in recidivism in early evaluations, a 66 per cent decrease in risk at case closure, an 83 per cent engagement rate with people using violence (compared to around 10 per cent in mainstream intake), and zero victim-survivors reporting worsening violence due to Alexis involvement.
Alexis was born in 2014 as a partnership between The Salvation Army and Victoria Police in response to the need for a more coordinated, timely and specialist response to family violence between police and social services, particularly in instances of high risk and recidivism.
“We work with the highest risk, most complex families,” Lani said. “Often repeat police callouts, chronic risk and people who haven’t been able to engage with traditional services. We can work with victim-survivors, people using violence, or both – depending on what will best reduce risk.”
Its rollout into Morwell (Latrobe City) and Wonthaggi (Bass Coast Shire) was deliberate and data-driven.
These areas consistently record some of the highest family violence rates in Victoria when adjusted for population. The Salvation Army already had a strong footprint in Gippsland, which meant the Alexis program could roll out quickly, safely and in partnership with the community. Site selection was conducted collaboratively with Victoria Police, local councils, regional family violence networks and community organisations – focusing on high-risk areas, service gaps and readiness for partnership.
Crucially, the Alexis team is filling a critical service gap in places such as IGA.
Mainstream services have a greater focus on working with clients towards separation or once it has already occurred; however, Alexis has the capacity to work with people who are not ready or able to leave.
“We work to ensure clients are as safe as possible in whatever current circumstances they are in,” Lani explained. “We prioritise engagement before change, safety within context, and stabilisation before long-term planning – that’s particularly important in regional areas where options are limited, and risk escalates quickly.”
Regional communities also face compounding risks.
Distance and isolation make access to support and safety planning harder, while limited specialist services and long waitlists delay early intervention, resulting in repeated crises and risk situations. Furthermore, housing shortages and cost-of-living pressures increase stress and reduce coping capacity, reduced anonymity in small towns can deter disclosure, and delayed emergency responses due to geography compound risk.
“These factors don’t cause violence – violence is a choice – but they compound the situations of victim-survivors and people using violence,” remarked Lani. “leading to higher recorded incidents and more severe presentations.”
Patterns of violence in regional areas are distinct.
Violence in regional areas differs from metropolitan areas not just in frequency, but in pattern and persistence.
“We see higher rates of repeat offending, breaches of intervention orders, and serious assault in regional areas,” Lani added.
“Why? Limited access to services to help break the cycle, longer police response times due to distance and resourcing, and reduced anonymity in small communities serving as a deterrent from disclosures. Perpetrators are remaining in close proximity to victims due to housing shortages and isolation, and orders are harder to enforce across larger geographic areas, which means perpetrators may feel less surveillance and enforceable accountability.”
Women and children remain disproportionately affected.
The harsh reality is that children are present in a large proportion of incidents, too. This is driven by higher levels of entrenched family violence rather than situational conflict, the impact of intergenerational trauma, and more barriers to escaping or leaving – for example, geographical isolation means that perpetrators have greater ability to monitor and control.
Practitioners, too, face unique challenges in small towns.
They are more identifiable, confidentiality is harder to protect, and risk can extend beyond office hours. Caseloads are often high-risk and complex, with fewer services to refer into, making specialist, embedded models even more important.
“Family violence work sits at the intersection of safety, dignity, and human rights – and it’s one of the few areas where skilled, early intervention can genuinely change life trajectories for women, children, and whole families,” reflected Lani.
So, what keeps her motivated?
“I became a social worker because I wanted to work directly with people experiencing harm, inequality and injustice,” she said. “I’m particularly motivated by work that doesn’t just respond to crisis but has the possibility of reducing risk and preventing harm from repeating across generations.”
If you or someone you know needs help call:
Triple Zero (000)
1800RESPECT (1800 737 732): The national 24/7 telephone and online counselling service for domestic, family, and sexual violence.
Lifeline (13 11 14): 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention
