On 13 April 2024 the Queensland Government announced the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) as the state’s new peak body for the Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) sector. A peak body is a non-government umbrella organisation that represents their members’ views.

Over 2 – 3 years from 13 April 2024, QCOSS will work with domestic and family violence services to establish an independent peak body for DFV Services (‘the DFV Peak’). The DFV Peak will be a member-based organisation, representing domestic and family violence services in Queensland.

QCOSS is currently Queensland’s DFV Peak. This includes:

• engaging with domestic and family violence services and establishing transparent mechanisms to collect the perspectives and insights of the domestic and family violence sector
• establishing and using mechanisms to share the insights of domestic and family violence services
• ensuring the perspectives of victim-survivors with diverse characteristics can be heard, collected and responded to
• establishing an independent domestic and family violence peak body that has a governance structure and membership with diverse characteristics.

The Queensland DFV Peak Advisory Group will oversee the QCOSS DFV Peak activities. The Advisory Group will be comprised of individuals endorsed by a domestic and family violence service or network in Queensland. Its function will be to provide advice and make recommendations to QCOSS in relation to QCOSS DFV Peak activities.

Domestic and family violence services include services and networks engaged in work associated with domestic and family violence, including prevention, response, recovery and perpetrator services. Working in collaboration with QCOSS, the Advisory Group will develop a Charter that includes guiding principles, dispute resolution processes and a mechanism for reporting to the QCOSS Board.

The Advisory Group will comprise of up to fifteen (15) members. Five members of the group must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Among the group there must be representatives from prevention, response and recovery (women’s health) and perpetrator services as well as representatives from urban, regional, rural and remote areas of Queensland. Services who work with people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQ+ people, people with a disability and young people should also be represented. The majority of the group should identify as female.

A member must have significant experience working or volunteering with domestic and family violence services and/or networks in Queensland. A member must demonstrate the contribution they can make to the Advisory Group including their knowledge of the sector and/or the policy landscape and systems relevant to domestic and family violence, and have several prescribed characteristics.

The nomination form and the Terms of Reference for the DFV Peak Advisory Group are available below. Applications close on Monday, 8 July.