Respect Victoria is delighted to launch Re-shaping Attitudes: A toolkit for using the National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS) in the primary prevention of violence against women.
Developed with partners at Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and VicHealth, with support from Swinburne University of Technology, the toolkit is the first of its kind in Australia.
It aims to support professionals who are dedicated to preventing violence against women before it occurs with ten accessible, evidence-informed tools. The NCAS has been measuring Australians’ attitudes to violence against women for over three decades.
“Understanding Australians’ knowledge and attitudes to gender equality and violence against women, and how those attitudes change over time is critical for people whose work is dedicated to primary prevention,” said Respect Victoria CEO Tracey Gaudry.
“This unique toolkit will support practitioners to apply the NCAS findings directly to the important work they do and provide practical guidance on using data to prevent violence against women.”
The toolkit includes information on using the NCAS in prevention work and when evaluating projects, tools that can help practitioners deal with backlash and resistance, practical guidance on tapping into media and social media, using storytelling in prevention work, and more.
“Where the NCAS delivers the evidence on Australians’ attitudes towards violence against women, our partnership with Respect Victoria has translated and disseminated this evidence across Victoria,” said Dr Heather Nancarrow, CEO of ANROWS.
“We must continue our efforts and capitalise on the gains being made on improving knowledge and attitudes towards violence against women.”
The NCAS toolkit is designed to sit alongside Australia’s national prevention framework, Change the Story.
Change the Story has become a critical resource for those who work to prevent violence against women across the country.
VicHealth CEO Dr Sandro Demaio said: “The toolkit provides creative ways for practitioners working in gender equality and the prevention of violence against women to raise awareness of harmful attitudes and behaviours.
“We must work together to help build safer communities for women, girls and all Australians.”
You can find the full NCAS toolkit on the research section of Respect Victoria's website.