Specialist Domestic & Family Violence Risk Assessment and Treatment
✓ Specialist DFV assessment aligned with national frameworks
✓ Clear risk levels and practical safety recommendations
✓ Child-focused approach to contact, care and wellbeing
✓ Therapeutic support for victim-survivors and persons using violence
Domestic and family violence includes physical harm, coercive control, emotional abuse, economic abuse, technology-facilitated abuse and ongoing power imbalances. Children can be harmed even if they are not directly targeted. Our DFV risk assessment and treatment services help identify danger, understand how violence affects parenting and child wellbeing, and plan safe, practical pathways for ongoing care and support.
Brisbane Specialist Domestic & Family Violence Risk Assessment and Treatment Services
Purpose & Context
Domestic and family violence is not limited to isolated incidents of physical harm — it often involves coercive control, emotional/psychological abuse, economic abuse, technology-facilitated abuse and ongoing power imbalances. Children’s exposure to DFV can have adverse developmental, emotional and relational impacts even if they are not the direct target of violence.
Risk assessment and treatment services in this domain aim to:
- Identify the presence, pattern, severity and escalation potential of DFV in caregiving and relational contexts;
- Map how violence or control influences parenting capacity, contact safety and children’s wellbeing;
- Inform decisions about safe care arrangements, contact services, therapeutic pathways, and accountability for persons using violence;
- Support intervention planning (for persons using violence) and safety/support planning (for victim-survivors and children).
What We Offer
Risk Assessment Services
Our team undertakes structured and specialist risk assessments in cases involving DFV, including:
- Screening and identification of DV/DFV indicators; using validated tools and frameworks aligned with the national and state-based risk assessment principles.
- Comprehensive review of history (incident reports, interventions, protection orders, perpetrator/ victim dynamics), collateral sources, interviews and observations;
- Focused assessment of risk to children and adults, including escalation indicators (weapons, strangulation/choking, stalking, threats, separation) and the broader context (mental health, substance use, housing instability)
- Combined assessment of parenting/caregiving ability where DFV is a factor: how violence or coercive control impacts capacity to provide safe, consistent, developmentally-appropriate care.
- Clear formulation of risk level, protective factors, change potential (for the person using violence), and recommendations for risk management (e.g., supervised contact, behaviour change programmes, safety planning).
Treatment & Therapeutic Support Services
In conjunction with assessments, Magnolia House Psychology provides therapeutic services customised to DFV-affected families, including:
- Intervention for persons using violence: behaviour change programmes, individual counselling focused on accountability, relational capacities, attachment repair and parenting in the context of past violence;
- Support for victim-survivors: trauma-informed therapy, parenting support where children are involved, contact and changeover support to maximise safety and minimise retraumatisation;
- Supervised or supported parent-child contact services where DFV is present: structured contact planning, safe changeover protocols, monitoring and evaluation;
- Family therapy and reunification support when appropriate: restoring relational capacities in a safe, staged manner, taking into account the history of violence and current risks;
- Integrated safety planning for children and adults: multi-factor approach including environment, routines, triggers, support network, relational dynamics and legal/court interfaces.
Process & Time-Frame
- Referral & Briefing
- Clear referral brief or terms of engagement outlining the assessment questions, scope (risk assessment, therapeutic intervention, contact supervision), parties involved, documents to review, deadlines.
- Data Collection
- Interviews with adult(s), children (age/maturity appropriate), collateral persons; review of incident records, protection orders, past assessments; observations of family interaction or contact arrangements as needed.
- Analysis & Formulation
- Use evidence-informed frameworks (e.g., the National Risk Assessment Principles for domestic and family violence) to integrate findings, identify patterns of violence, assess risk escalation, evaluate caregiving in the context of DFV, and consider change potential and protective/supportive factors.
- Recommendations & Reporting
- Deliver a structured, clear report with: risk level, protective/probative factors, specific recommendations (e.g., supervised contact, behaviour change treatment, ongoing monitoring, safety planning) and therapeutic pathways.
- Where required for court or tribunal settings, report can include expert witness elements (methodology, limitations, clinical reasoning) suitable for tendering in proceedings.
- Therapeutic Implementation & Monitoring
- Where intervention is required, therapy or programme commences; risk management and contact arrangements are monitored over time, with review of progress and adaptation of safety/relational plans as needed.
Why Choose Keep Connected Psychology and Therapies Centre in Brisbane
- Our clinicians bring specialist expertise in DFV-informed assessment and therapy, with experience across family law, child protection, reunification and contact contexts.
- We adopt trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches: recognising the diverse ways DFV manifests, the significance of cultural/Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts, and the intersection of violence with social disadvantage.
- Our services are evidence-based and tailored: assessments aligned with national/state best practice, therapeutic work informed by current research, and strong professional judgment in high-risk and complex cases.
- Our reporting is designed for use by courts, agencies and parties: clear structure, transparency of method, integrative reasoning and defensible recommendations.
Fees & Considerations
Risk assessment and treatment services for DFV cases vary significantly in complexity. At Magnolia House Psychology, our
starting fee for a dedicated specialist DFV risk assessment or combined assessment/therapeutic package is
$3,000 + GST (note: you can edit this figure if your starting rate differs) and may increase depending on factors such as number of parties, children involved, scope of contact supervision, need for extended observations or specialist testing.
Please contact us for a tailored quote once the scope and brief are confirmed.
What This Service Is Not
- A guarantee of a particular outcome (e.g., supervised contact will always be authorised) — rather, an expert assessment and therapeutic service that assists decision-makers and families in navigating risk and change.
- A stand-alone intervention ignoring the broader system — risk assessment and treatment work must be integrated with legal, child protection, contact and therapeutic systems.
- A simplistic tick-box exercise — DFV risk assessment and treatment involve dynamic, ongoing processes of monitoring, review and adaptation.
Our Brisbane Child Family Law Assistance Team
Our goal is to provide clear, balanced, and ethically grounded assessments that will assist the Court and families in making informed, child-focused decisions.
Domestic & Family Violence Risk Assessment Frequently Asked Questions
Find clear answers to the most common questions about our Domestic & Family Violence Risk Assessments in Brisbane work before you book.
Do I need a referral to get a risk assessment?
A DFV risk assessment is usually undertaken when there is a documented history of events of family members being at risk of or having suffered DVF. The request or referral will generally come from professionals such as health workers, teachers, community workers, or DFV specialists, Child Safety, police, or multi-agency teams.
How long does it take to complete a risk assessment?
The time taken is dependent on the complexity of the assessment. Factors such as the number of parties, children involved, scope of contact supervision, and the need for extended observations or specialist testing will all affect the time frame. In most cases the assessment can be completed in 3-6 weeks.
What happens after a DFV risk assessment?
A tailored safety plan is developed for the victim-survivor and their children, addressing immediate and longer-term safety needs (e.g., emergency accommodation, secure
communication, legal protections). Victim-survivors are connected to specialist DFV services for counselling, housing, financial assistance, and legal support.
Perpetrators may be referred to intervention programs. Relevant details are shared with other agencies (police, Child Safety, health services) under Queensland’s information-sharing guidelines to ensure coordinated support.
If the case is assessed as high risk, it may be escalated to a High Risk Team for collaborative management across agencies. Risk is dynamic, so assessments are revisited regularly, especially after significant changes (e.g., separation, court orders, escalation of violence).
Where necessary, applications for Domestic Violence Orders (DVOs) or child protection interventions are initiated.
Still have a question?
Call our Brisbane clinic or send a quick message—our team replies within one business day.
