Staying Home Leaving Violence

How the program can help you

Leaving a violent and abusive relationship can be hard. It may mean having to move to a new area and having to start life over with a new home, new job and new school for the kids. You may also be short on money and not in a good mental health headspace. These are only some of the reasons why women stay in an abusive relationship. Leaving the situation can be pretty stressful and overwhelming, especially with little or no support.

The aim of the Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) program is to prevent you and your children becoming homeless or having to move away from your support system of family and friends, and the school and community where you live.

The program works in cooperation with NSW Police to remove the perpetrator (the violent partner) from the family home so that you and your children can stay safely where you are. It provides a range of support, such as safety planning, improving home security, help in managing finances, support for children, and helping you with the complicated legal process.

The providers of the program understand that it's the violent person - your partner or ex-partner - who is responsible for their own abusive behaviour and is committing a crime by hurting you and or your children.

SHLV allows for comprehensive assessment of risk for women and children affected by DFV. SHLV safety planning and case management strategies support a process of enabling DFV victim-survivors to:

• Remain separated from a person using violence or control by addressing common barriers to leaving violent relationships
• Have stable accommodation
• Maintain support networks
• Maintain security in employment/training for women
• Maintain security in education/childcare for their children.

Who does the program help?

The broad client group for SHLV is any adult female (or those identifying as female) victim-survivor of DFV, and their children, who has left or leaving a violent relationship. Where a victim-survivor has children under their care, the service response must take into account the impacts of the DFV on children and young people and either provide direct services or develop a strategy to address the children’s needs.

Women separated from a violent partner but who continue to experience abuse from their ex-partner are a priority for the program.

Service providers are required to provide priority access for:

• DFV victim-survivors from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background
• DFV victim-survivors affected by socio-economic disadvantage
• DFV victim-survivors from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds (including those who are from refugee, migrant or asylum-seeking backgrounds)
• DFV victim-survivors affected by social exclusion (or from rural/remote communities)
• DFV victim-survivors who have a disability or are caring for a child with a disability
• DFV Victim-survivors who are assessed at serious threat in DVSAT
• DFV Victim-survivors who have experienced domestic and family violence before
• Young people aged 16 to 18 years – who will be referred to a youth specific service that can provide support.

 

Program locations

The program helps women and their children who live in the following locations across NSW.

Region	LGAs Covered	Contact
Blue Mountains	Blue Mountains, Lithgow	1800 664 996
Central Coast	Central Coast	1800 324 924
Far West	Broken Hill, Central Darling	0429 592 205 0439 119 532
Far West	Balranald, Wentworth	1800 959 806
Hunter	Maitland, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton	02 4934 2585 Option 1
Hunter	Muswellbrook, Upper Hunter	02 4934 2585 Option 1
Hunter	Lake Macquarie	02 4943 9255
Hunter	Newcastle	02 4926 3577
Hunter	Port Stephens, partial Mid Coast	02 4980 0800
Illawarra Shoalhaven	Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama	1800 FSA 000 1800 372 000 Option 3
Illawarra Shoalhaven	Shoalhaven, Wollongong, Shellharbour	02 4421 7400
Mid North Coast	Mid Coast	02 4979 1120
Mid North Coast	Kempsey, Nambucca Valley, Port Macquarie - Hastings	02 6562 2272
Mid North Coast	Coffs Harbour, Nambucca Valley, Bellingen	02 6652 6693
Murrumbidgee	Griffith, Narrandera, Leeton, Hay, Bland, Carrathool, Murrumbidgee	02 6964 3381
Murrumbidgee	Wagga Wagga, Junee, Coolamon, Lockhart	02 6964 3381
Murrumbidgee	Albury, Greater Hume, Federation, Berrigan, Murray River, Edward River	02 6058 6200 1800 885 355
Murrumbidgee	Cootamundra, Hilltops, Temora	02 6964 3381
Murrumbidgee	Gundagai, Snowy Valleys Regional	02 6964 3381
Nepean / Blue Mountains	Penrith, Hawkesbury	02 4721 8749
New England	Moree Plains	02 6752 8027
New England	Inverell, Glenn Innes, Tenterfield	0417 858 634 0417 786 736
New England	Tamworth Regional, Liverpool Plains	1800 073 388
New England	Armidale Regional, Uralla, Walcha	1800 073 388
New England	Narrabri	02 6792 4900
New England	Gunnedah	02 6742 7038
Northern NSW	Byron, Tweed, Ballina	02 6684 4299
Northern NSW	Richmond Valley, Lismore, Kyogle, Clarence Valley	02 6662 2898
Northern Sydney	Hornsby, Ryde, Hunters Hill	02 9334 0111
Northern Sydney	Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Ku-Ring-Gai, Mosman, North Sydney, and Willoughby	1800 002 111
South Eastern Sydney	Sutherland Shire	02 9528 2933
South Eastern Sydney	Randwick, Waverly, Bayside LGAs and the following suburbs in Bayside LGA - Banksmeadow, Botany, Daceyville, Eastgardens, Eastlakes, Hillsdale, Mascot, Pagewood, Rosebery	0439 414 673
South Eastern Sydney	Sydney and Inner West LGA suburbs including: Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Camperdown, Chippendale, Darlington, Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Glebe, Lewisham, Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, Redfern, Rosebery, St Peters, Stanmore, Sydenham, Tempe, Waterloo, Zetland	02 9699 9036
South Western Sydney	Wingecarribee, Wollondilly	02 9550 9862
South Western Sydney	Liverpool, Bankstown portion of Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield	02 9602 7795
South Western Sydney	Campbelltown, Camden	1800 077 760 02 4633 3777
Southern NSW	Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional	02 6189 4808
Southern NSW	Bega Valley, Eurobodalla	02 6492 6239
Southern NSW	Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan Shire, Yass Valley	0427 466 847
Southern NSW	Snowy Monaro Regional	02 6452 3450
Sydney	Canterbury, Burwood	02 9602 7795
Sydney	Georges River	02 9319 4088
Sydney	Canada Bay and Strathfield	02 9602 7795
Western NSW	Oberon	02 6361 4742
Western NSW	Parkes, Forbes, Cowra, Cobar, Lachlan, Weddin	02 6850 1777
Western NSW	Orange, Cabonne, Blayney	1300 384 357
Western NSW	Bathurst	1300 384 357
Western NSW	Mid-Western Regional	1300 384 357
Western NSW	Walgett, Coonamble, Brewarrina, Warrumbungle, Bogan, Warren	02 6829 4352 02 6828 3570
Western NSW	Dubbo Regional, Narromine, Gilgandra	0417 384 723 0499 799 008
Western Sydney	Parramatta, Cumberland, suburbs within The Hills including Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Norwest, North Rocks and part of West Pennant Hills.	02 9636 8437
Western Sydney	Blacktown	02 9677 1962

 

Draft SHLV Program Specifications and stakeholder feedback

The SHLV Program Specifications have been updated to incorporate changing practice and emerging issues, including relevant legislation changes, sector updates, and alignment with current strategic objectives. 

Between September - December 2024, DCJ held consultations with SHLV providers and sector peaks on revising the draft program specifications. The draft service specifications are published below on this website. We continue to invite feedback from the sector on the draft program specifications until 3 October 2025 via a survey below: 

• Draft SHLV Program Specifications can be found here
• Survey to provide feedback can be found here

The draft program specifications detail the intended program outcomes, priority groups, activities and requirements of providers delivering SHLV services.

Key updates to the draft program specifications include:

• A review of DFV informed good practice and program guidance
• Update to culturally responsive practice informed by recent family violence codesign models and program reviews.
• Inclusion of a training matrix to support services identifying areas of need in DFV specialist practice
• Updates to relevant legislation and national and NSW DFV strategic plans.

Consultations included:

• SHLV Service providers
• DCJ Transforming Aboriginal Outcomes
• No To Violence
• DVNSW Aboriginal Steering Committee
• DVNSW Migrant and Multicultural Advisory Committee

Any questions or clarification on the process, can be sent to our mailbox on dfvprograms@dcj.nsw.gov.au

Program Evaluation 2022

In 2022 researchers from The Gendered Violence Research Network at the University of NSW were engaged by the Department of Communities and Justice to undertake a formal evaluation of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program (PDF, 1.5 MB). The report concludes that the Staying Home Leaving Violence program effectively contributes to the long-term safety and housing stability of women and children who have left a violent and abusive relationship.

Program Expansion 2024

In the 2024/25 Budget, the NSW Government committed to provide an additional $245.6 million over four years as part of an emergency package to enhance support for domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) victim-survivors and expand programs that reduce the rate of violence against women and children.

As part of this package, funding was provided to key programs including $48m to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) program state-wide, which was completed in May 2025 following a competitive tender process.

Details of the measures included can be found here. 

Expanding Aboriginal led DFV models of service delivery

Aboriginal women and children experience DFV at higher rates than non-Aboriginal women and children. NSW Government is committed to addressing the needs of Aboriginal Women and children experiencing DFV and know that this best done through the provision of Aboriginal led services.

The development and implementation of Aboriginal led DFV service models  in key locations has been prioritised to support culturally responsive DFV services. Under the DFSV emergency package funding, three place-based codesign models will take a whole of family, community and integrated service approach to increasing family safety and reducing violence prioritising women and children.

Work is underway with community consultation for delivery of these models in Walgett, Coonamble and Kempsey /Nambucca. More information about these programs will be provided as the programs progress.

Useful Resources

Other DFV Services 

• Housing assistance for domestic and family violence
• Aboriginal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Support and Initiatives 
• Integrated Domestic and Family Violence (IDFVS) Program
• Safer Pathways
• Specialist Workers for Children and Young People program
• Victims Support Scheme
• Immediate Needs Support Package
• Leaving Violence Program (DSS)

Community resources:

• Aboriginal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Support and Initiatives
• Resources for Aboriginal communities
• NSW Multicultural Centre for Women’s and Family Safety (SSI)
• Resources for Multicultural communities

Understanding domestic and family violence:

• Domestic, family and sexual violence plans and strategies
• How to safely support someone experiencing domestic violence
• Facts about domestic and family violence
• Coercive control
• Domestic violence and technology facilitated abuse