Prevention

FVREE Prevention work addresses gender inequality, which is the underlying cause of violence against women. Our approach aims to change the social conditions that excuse, justify or promote violence against women and children in our community. The FVREE Primary Prevention team work in partnership with many organisations and stakeholders, including health and community services, local government, non-government organisations, community groups, schools, early childhood services, neighbourhood houses and many more.

Our Prevention work is guided by the National Prevention of Violence against Women Change the Story Framework – an evidence-based framework and national approach to preventing violence against women. 

Prevention Projects
Prevention Training,
Education & Presentations
Prevention Resources

Prevention Projects

For Children aged 0-6, Families and Eearly Childhood Professionals

Level Playground

Level Playground is an FVREE Primary Prevention project that encourages children to develop personal identities that reflect their true selves and enable them to create healthy, safe, and respectful relationships. Level Playground values gender equity, respectful relationships, healthy childhood development and inclusivity. 

Level Playground Resources assist parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and health professionals working with children, to break down rigid gender stereotypes and gender inequalities – the drivers of violence against women. Our specialist information and resources provide lots of ideas and activities to enhance children’s learning, playing and reading. Some things you will find on the Level Playground website include: booklists, posters, lesson plans, gender audit tools, a variety of play ideas plus much more. To learn more about how you can support children’s learning and development, visit the Level Playground website and follow on social media.

Level Playground also delivers a variety of trainings and projects including; educator and parent gender equality training sessions; Ways to Play play-based education sessions for children; the Gender Equity Resource Tub for early childhood education settings; and a gender equality and respectful relationships focused playgroup, plus lots more.

Visit the
Level Playground website
Follow Level Playground
on facebook
Follow Level Playground
on instagram
Ways to Play

Ways to Play is an active play-based workshop that engages children aged 0-6 alongside their parents and caregivers in a fun and playful way to support healthy childhood development and inspire children to play free from restrictive and harmful gender stereotypes.

Gender Equity Resource Tubs

Gender Equity Resource Tubs provide early childhood educators with age-appropriate information, activities and resources to support children aged 0-6 in the day-to-day work of raising children free from gender stereotypes.

Level Playgroup

Level Playgroup supports existing and future playgroups to apply a gender lens to their programming. During Level Playgroup sessions, facilitators deliver messages about gender equality, breaking down gender stereotypes, and respectful relationships through activities, stories, songs and group discussions.

We are currently working with the Migrant Information Centre and Yarra Ranges Council to deliver their Playgroup sessions.

Purchase Book
Hope Story Book

Hope, created by Author/Publisher Jayneen Sanders in partnership with FVREE and Anglicare Victoria, addresses family violence in a way that is appropriate for children. Hope tells the story of a child experiencing family violence, and is written to provide children in family violence homes with a sense of hope and to lessen the traumatic effects of their own living situations. The book aims to reassure children that family violence is not their fault, and that they can discuss their concerns and worries about family violence with any trusted adult (e.g. teachers, carers, police, and other family members).

Hope is appropriate for all children and supports adults on how to provide a safe and supportive response when children share their experiences of family violence. The book emphasises that children are never to blame for family violence and that the accountability lies with the person choosing to use violence.

Hope includes a Safety Plan developed by FVREE which can be used by health professionals working with children, early-years educators, school teachers and family members or friends who know a child that may be experiencing family violence. 

Proceeds from the sale of Hope go towards FVREE Prevention projects and programs.

For Children, Young People and Teachers

  • Let’s Take Action for Gender Equality and Respect: Engages middle years children aged 8-12 years in the development of student voice projects that promote gender equality. This project is in partnership with Inspiro Community Health Service .
  • Youth Ambassador for Gender Equality and Respect: Engages secondary school students in the development of student voice projects that promote gender equality and respectful relationships. This project is in partnership with Inspiro Community Health Service.
  • Leaders for Change: A program that inspires young people aged 15- 24 years to become gender equality and respectful relationship ambassadors for their local community and beyond. Through a series of mentoring and capacity-building workshops, we explore topics themed around equality, respect, discrimination, family violence and taking action!
Learn more about the upcoming intake of the Leaders for change program
Download Leaders for Change Evaluation Report
  • Thai Community Stands up for Gender Equality and Respect: A project that involved developing and delivering culturally appropriate gender equality and respectful relationships education within the Thai community in partnership with teachers, students, families, and community members from Thai Education Centre of Victoria.

Prevention Training, Education & Presentations

Download Brochure
For Parents, Caregivers and Professionals working with Children ages 0-6yrs 

FVREE Prevention work aims to create environments where children can be their true selves and are free to explore all things that interest them in life. Our training builds the capacity of parents, caregivers and professionals working with children on the following topics: 

  • Gender stereotypes and how to avoid them

  • Impacts of gender stereotypes on children’s learning and development

  • Breaking down gender stereotypes in your home or workplace

  • Making your service/organisation more inclusive, respectful and equitable

  • Engaging parents and caregivers in gender equity and respectful relationships

  • Gender equity action planning

  • Building respectful relationships in the early years and schools (links to the curriculum)

  • Responding to resistance from friends, family and colleagues

  • Bystander action

  • Ways to Play (interactive workshop on play for families)

Visit the Level Playground website
Download Brochure
For Young People ages 15-24yrs

FVREE Prevention delivers a range of training and presentations suited to young people aged 15-24 years. FVREE Prevention team works with young people to support them to foster safe and respectful relationships with peers and family members. We can deliver one-off sessions and/or a series of workshops and programs with young people on the following topics:

  • Healthy vs unhealthy behaviours in a relationship

  • Gender stereotypes and expectations in a relationship i.e. addressing gender roles and responsibilities

  • Gender equality and respectful relationships

  • Responding to family violence disclosures

  • Active bystander training – calling out harmful behaviours

For organisations, services, schools or community groups who require tailored training

Our Prevention team can develop tailored training and presentations based on the needs of your organisation, service, school or community group. Our team works collaboratively with you to understand your organisation’s learning objectives and outcomes. All sessions are evidence-based, interactive and provide helpful information and resources to support individuals, communities and workplaces to build capacity in gender equality, inclusivity and prevention of violence against women. 

To learn more about other FVREE Training sessions, visit our Training page.

Find out how FVREE can work with your organisation, service, school or community group, contact contact FVREE Prevention on:

(03) 9259 4200

prevention@edvos.org.au

Prevention Resources

The Prevention team has developed a range of evidence-based resources to support individuals and organisations to undertake primary prevention work in the community that they work, play and/or live in.

Engaging Men, Reducing Resistance and Building Support

This toolkit is a practical guide to assist practitioners, educators and others working to prevent violence against women, to respond to and prevent resistance and backlash. The toolkit is a collaboration between Michael Flood from Queensland University of Technology, Josette O’Donnell and Benjamin Brewin from Eastern Health, and Brianna Myors from FVREE.

find out more

Level Playground Fact Sheets 

FVREE has developed a range of online/printable fact sheets for use in your service, classroom or at home. These fact sheets provide information about creating environments that promote equality and respect. 

find out more

Stories Beyond Stereotypes Booklist

 This booklist is suitable for children ages 7-12 years and go beyond gender stereotypes and promote healthy, equal, respectful and positive relationships. All the books are available throughout Eastern Regional Libraries. It was developed by Eastern Regional Libraries, FVREE, Level Playground, Knox City Council, Maroondah City Council, Yarra Ranges Council, Women’s Health East, Inspiro Community Health Service and EACH. 

find out more

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See – Poster Series

Developed by the Yarra Ranges Gender Equity in the Early Years Working Group, the poster series aims to promote gender equity and breakdown gender stereotypes. The posters show real people undertaking diverse career and recreation roles. These images and the embedded messages show young children and their families that they can aspire and achieve a range of work and life choices, regardless of their gender.

find out more

Take Action For Gender Equality and Respect

FVREE and Inspiro Community Health Service have created a student voice resource co-designed by young people.

It aims to support young people to reflect on what gender equality and respect means to them, engage with their peers on gender issues and take action to create change in their community.

find out more

Together for Respect at Home – social media campaign

COVID-19 pandemic presented new, unprecedented concerns and challenges for our community. In response to this complex issue, FVREE, in partnership with members from the Together for Equality and Respect (TFER) Partnership, developed a social marketing campaign promoting safe, healthy, connected and respectful relationships at home.

find out more
For more information and resources on how to promote gender equality and break down gender stereotypes in your home, organisation, early childhood service, classroom or community group visit Level Playground Resources, follow Level Playground Facebook & Level Playground Instagram. If you’d like us to create a resource for you, contact Level Playground at contact@levelplayground.org.au. 
Visit the Level Playground website
Follow Level Playground
on facebook
Follow Level Playground
on instagram
Follow FVREE
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Find out how FVREE can work with your organisation, service, school or community group, contact contact FVREE Prevention on:

(03) 9259 4200

prevention@edvos.org.au

Access to family violence services in Melbourne’s Eastern Metropolitan Region is changing.  If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence contact:
  • The Orange Door Service: To find your nearest Orange Door Service visit – The Orange Door website here.
  • The Orange Door – Inner Eastern Melbourne (Box Hill), is the main entry point for people seeking family violence support living in the LGA’s of Boroondara, Manningham, Monash and Whitehorse. Phone: 1800 354 322, Opening times: 9am -5pm Monday–Friday or Email: IEMA@orangedoor.vic.gov.au. Address: 30 – 32 Prospect Street, Box Hill, 3128.
  • The Orange Door – Outer Eastern Melbourne (Croydon), is the main entry point for people seeking family violence support living in the local government areas (LGA’s) of Maroondah, Knox and Yarra Ranges. Phone: 1800 271 150, Opening times: 9am -5pm Monday–Friday or Email: oema@orangedoor.vic.gov.au. Address: : 4 -16 Devon Street, Croydon, 3136 (Corner Pierson Drive and Railway Grove).
  • Learn more HERE. 

FVREE continues to provide family violence case management support and recovery programs for women, children and their pets, within the EMR (LGA’s of Boroondara, Manningham, Whitehorse, Monash, Maroondah, Knox and Yarra Ranges) as referred in from The Orange Door EMR Network. We work along the family violence continuum. This includes primary prevention, early-intervention, response support and recovery, which is underpinned by the current reforms led by Family Safety Victoria.

Tell someone you trust – family, friends, neighbours or your doctor.

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