The WEAVERs (Women and their children who have Experienced Abuse and ViolEnce: Researchers and advisors) project was established in 2016 through a Melbourne Social Equity Institute seed funding grant. The initial project set out to develop and support a consumer panel of survivors of violence against women.
Now established and meeting regularly, the WEAVERs group now has agreed to its terms of reference agreed and a framework for co-production. At the International Conference on Safer Families in Melbourne in November 2018, the WEAVERs delivered a workshop for attendees and gave a presentation to over 400 international delegates. They also played a role in the conference’s opening and closing ceremonies.
The future activities of the WEAVERs will centre on their chosen research question which is focused on how mental health professionals respond to survivors of family violence and what training do they need to do this effectively. They are working with the Melbourne Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe) to answer this question. This work will be supported through research training and by academic mentors.