Integrated response policy to domestic violence in rural New South Wales, 1997–2007: A critical analysis

In the last 30 years, the interest in domestic violence in rural communities has increased significantly. Australian studies have distinguished between the prevalence and nature of violence against women in geographical terms of the 'urban' and 'rural' experience (Alston 1997; Carrington 2007; Coorey 1990; Dietrich and Mason 1998; Ermacora 1998; Hogg and Carrington 1998, 2003, 2006; La Nauze and Rutherford 1997; Moore 2002; Neame and Heenan 2004; Nicholson 1998; Wendy, Taylor and Kennedy 2002; Wendt and Cheers 2002; Wendt 2009). Contemporary social policy addressing domestic violence at the Australian and NSW government levels has favoured an integrated response to service delivery. A review of literature on domestic violence in rural communities has identified some barriers facing women when accessing health and community services and protection from police in rural communities. However, limited research has examined the implementation and impact of an integrated response policy to domestic violence in rural communities. Previous international (Pruitt 2008; Griffin, O'Campo and Peak 2006; Little, Panelli and Kraack 2005; Logan et al. 2003; Logan, Shannon and Walker 2005; Shannon et al. 2006; Websdale 1998) and Australian studies (Hogg and Carrington 2006; Wendt 2009) have emphasised the lack of adequate services and barriers to access in rural settings. It has become apparent that policy intervention, specifically the implementation of an integrated response in rural communities, is neglected in this body of literature. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by: 1. critically analysing the integrated response policy by the NSW government 2. examining the implementation of an integrated response service in rural NSW 3. investigating factors shaping rural responses to domestic violence 4. developing a conceptual framework for understanding an integrated response to rural domestic violence. This study contributes to the current knowledge about domestic violence in rural communities. Importantly, it is the first Australian study to comprehensively examine the operation of an integrated response policy in a rural setting. This research was undertaken in rural NSW over three years, with the bulk of data collection taking place in 2007. The research design used mixed methods, including quantitative crime datasets (NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research 2007-2011) and qualitative analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 49 rural human service providers from twelve local government areas (LGAs) in rural NSW. A literature review of rural domestic violence studies and domestic violence policies was also undertaken. A conceptual framework was developed to analyse the data collected. This framework was informed by concepts used in contemporary literature, such as 'rural cultural discourses' (Wendt 2009), the 'architecture of rural life' (Hogg and Carrington 2006) and 'imaginary' interventions (Carlen 2008). The findings of this study support current evidence that rural domestic violence is qualitatively different from victimisation in metropolitan settings and that the trend of reported incidences of domestic violence in rural NSW is higher than in metropolitan Sydney areas. Interviews with rural service providers revealed there was consistent understanding of an integrated response to domestic violence and a belief that it is an effective approach to tackling the issue. Further examination of the operationalisation of the integrated response through inter-sector collaborations between health, welfare, police, courts and housing agencies illustrated the aspirations for an integrated response could not be effectively realised in a rural context. Rural service providers recognised that local and geo-spatial constraints influenced the effective implementation of an integrated response to domestic violence in their communities. Instead, efforts of rural service providers to demonstrate that 'effectiveness' was centred on administrative activities of counting, monitoring, reporting and compliance with funding agreements. The requirements of policy administration produced a situation in which workers recognised the seriousness of domestic violence, but at the same time, had to overlook the obstacles of rurality to demonstrate to funding agencies the effectiveness of programs. This imaginary policy intervention perpetuates urban-centric policy assumptions about providing an integrated response to domestic violence and silences alternative perspectives about addressing the issues and needs of rural communities (Carlen 2008). The concept of an imagined order (Carlen 2008) that requires workers to 'act as if' interventions or programs are effective in the face of contradictory evidence is employed in the conceptual framework for this research. The findings from this study make a significant contribution to the field by providing a critical analysis of social policy interventions into rural domestic violence. The conceptual framework used in this study has potential application for future social policy development, and, more importantly, this research extends the theoretical conceptualisation of rural domestic violence