These guidelines have been developed to support disability service providers and Victoria Police to more effectively respond to people with disabilities who have been victims, witnesses or alleged perpetrators of abuse.
Victoria Police and the department have jointly developed the Responding to allegations of abuse involving people with disabilities guidelines.
These guidelines were developed as part of the response to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission report Beyond Doubt: the experiences of people with disabilities reporting crime July 2014.
The guidelines have been updated to reflect the requirements of the Client Incident Management System (CIMS).
The guidelines aim to:
- Clarify the respective roles, responsibilities, procedures and interactions involving disability service providers and Victoria Police when dealing with allegations of abuse
- Provide people with a disability, their families and carers with confidence that their needs will be addressed through a joint response from disability service providers and Victoria Police.
A quick-guide summary for reporting abuse to police has been prepared for disability service providers and Victoria Police members.