Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment Tool

Abstract

The Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment tool is a rapid screening instrument developed within the context of the Victorian Government’s Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF). Its primary function is to facilitate preliminary Risk Assessment by frontline workers dealing with incidents of Family Violence. The tool focuses on identifying immediate risk and vulnerability factors across three key domains: the victim, the Perpetrator, and the dynamics of the relationship. Crucially, it highlights specific indicators, such as threats to kill or history of strangulation, that are correlated with a heightened risk of lethality, thereby guiding immediate safety responses and mandatory referral pathways.

Keywords

Family Violence, Risk Assessment, Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF), Domestic Violence, Lethality Risk, Perpetrator, Victim Vulnerability, Screening Tool.

Authors

Victorian Government, Department of Victorian Communities (DHS).

Purpose

The core purpose of the Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment tool is to provide a standardized, preliminary method for professionals to gauge the level of danger faced by a victim of family violence. This initial screening is essential for determining whether immediate protective measures, such as safety planning or police intervention, are required, and whether a more comprehensive assessment is warranted.

The tool ensures that critical, high-risk factors—many of which are associated with increased risk of homicide—are not overlooked during initial contact with the service system. By categorizing risk factors, it aids practitioners in developing a holistic understanding of the immediate threat landscape, moving beyond isolated incident reporting to systemic risk evaluation.

Construct

The psychological and situational construct measured is the Risk of Lethality and Serious Harm in the context of intimate partner or family violence. This construct is operationalized through observable behavioral indicators and specific situational factors that have been empirically linked to fatal outcomes.

The instrument’s structure implicitly acknowledges that risk is not static but arises from the interplay between the victim’s vulnerability (e.g., isolation, mental health issues), the perpetrator’s pattern of coercion and violence (e.g., use of weapons, Stalking), and critical relationship changes (e.g., recent separation, escalation of violence frequency or severity).

Validity

Formal psychometric validation for this preliminary checklist is generally integrated into the validity documentation of the overarching Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF). The tool relies heavily on content validity, as the included factors have been derived from extensive clinical consensus, expert consultation, and research into domestic homicide reviews conducted in Australia and internationally.

The factors marked with an asterisk (*) specifically represent items identified through research as critical danger factors, lending strong criterion validity to the instrument’s ability to differentiate between lower and higher risk situations, particularly concerning lethality.

Reliability

As a preliminary screening checklist utilizing binary (Yes/No) scoring for defined events (e.g., “Has ever tried to choke the victim”), the instrument aims for high inter-rater reliability. This reliability is fostered through mandated, standardized training programs delivered to all practitioners utilizing the CRAF framework.

The focus on objective, verifiable events (history of violence, breach of order, use of weapon) rather than subjective interpretation minimizes variance between assessors, ensuring consistent identification of immediate danger signs across different service settings.

Factor Analysis

The Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment tool is a structured checklist designed for rapid triage, not a continuous psychometric scale intended for statistical factor analysis. The organization of the items into three domains (Victim, Perpetrator, Relationship) is based on theoretical and clinical models of Family Violence risk, rather than empirical statistical clustering.

The goal is to ensure comprehensive coverage of known risk domains, rather than establishing underlying latent factors. Therefore, factor analytic studies are generally not applicable or conducted for this specific preliminary instrument.

Instrument

Test Type: Criterion-Referenced Preliminary Risk Screening Checklist

Format: Binary (Yes/No) Indicator Checklist

Language Available: Primarily English (as developed in Victoria, Australia)

Population Group: Individuals involved in or affected by family violence, focusing on risk to the victim/survivor.

Age Group: Adults (though risks related to children are included as critical factors).

Population Details: Used by mandated service providers (e.g., police, health, courts, and specialized family violence services) across the state of Victoria, Australia.

Test Methodology: Structured interview or information gathering process to determine the presence (Yes) or absence (No) of specific risk factors. High-risk factors are clearly identified using an asterisk (*).

Keywords

Lethality Assessment, Danger Assessment, Violence Risk, Suicidal Ideation, Stalking, Controlling Behavior, Sexual Assault, Intervention Order Breach.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not applicable (Government/Departmental publication)

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact managed via the relevant Victorian State Department.

Correspondence Address: Victorian Government, Melbourne, Australia.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment tool is a component of the Victorian Government’s Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) and is generally utilized by authorized agencies under governmental mandate. Use is typically free for authorized practitioners adhering to training requirements.

The foundational framework document, which includes this preliminary tool, was initially published in 2007 by the Department of Victorian Communities, with subsequent updates and practice guides released in later years.

Reference’s

Victorian Government, (2007). Family Violence: Risk Assessment and Risk Management. Melbourne: Department of Victorian Communities. The original PDF framework document (2007) can be downloaded here: Family violence – Risk assessment and risk management.

Victorian Government. (2012). Family Violence – Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Framework and Practice Guides 1-3. The manual PDF can be accessed here: Family Violence – Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Framework and Practice Guides 1-3.

Additional Practice Guide Resources (PDFs):

• Family Violence – Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Participant Handbook Practice Guide 2
• Family Violence – Risk Assessment for Specialist Family Violence Workers: Participant Handbook Practice Guide 3

Review of the Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework (CRAF) (Accessible Version): Review of the Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework (CRAF).

Items of the Family Violence – Preliminary Assessment tool

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Risk or vulnerability factor

Victim

• Pregnancy/new birth*
• Depression/ mental health issue
• Drug and/or alcohol misuse/abuse
• Has ever verbalised or had suicidal ideas or tried to commit suicide
• Isolation

Perpetrator

• Use of weapon in most recent event*
• Access to weapons*
• Has ever harmed or threatened to harm victim
• Has ever tried to choke the victim*
• Has ever threatened to kill victim*
• Has ever harmed or threatened to harm or kill children*
• Has ever harmed or threatened to harm or kill other family members
• Has ever harmed or threatened to harm or kill pets or other animals*
• Has ever threatened or tried to commit suicide*
• Stalking of victim*
• Sexual assault of victim*
• Previous or current breach of intervention order
• Drug and/or alcohol misuse/abuse*
• Obsession/jealous behaviour toward victim*
• Controlling behaviour*
• Unemployed*
• Depression/mental health issue#
• History of violent behaviour (not family violence)

Relationship

• Recent separation*
• Escalation – increase in severity and/or frequency of violence*
• Financial difficulties

* May indicate an increased risk of the victim being killed or almost killed.

# Mental health issues such as depression and paranoid psychosis‚ which focuses on the victim as hostile‚ are high risk factors when they are present in conjunction with other risk factors‚ particularly a previous history of violence.

Presence of factor: Yes‚ No