4529.0 - Conceptual Framework for Family and Domestic Violence. , 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 18/05/2009  First Issue
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Contents >> Risk >> OVERLAPS, DEFICIENCIES AND GAPS IN THE DATA

OVERLAPS, DEFICIENCIES AND GAPS IN THE DATA

A number of issues make it difficult to estimate the incidence and prevalence of FDV:

  • Under-reporting and under-recording;
  • Hidden reporting and the effects of counting or recording rules;
  • The amalgamation of multiple or serial victimisations in single statistics or records;
  • The loss of information about offenders in victim-based records;
  • Timing of recording;
  • False reporting;
  • Pathways of reported offences through the criminal justice system;
  • Complexities in the way referrals to child protection for FDV-related incidents are made, resulting in double-counting where information is not shared between service providers;
  • Difficulties in linking data to see patterns in offending or escalations in violence;
  • Comparability between states and territories, across different data sources, and through the use of different recording rules; and
  • A lack of data recording on specific risk factors.

Most of these issues are believed to result in significant under-estimation of levels of FDV, but some may contribute to an inflation of counts. This would be particularly the case where multiple counting of incidents across different service providers, using administrative data, could occur. It is difficult to assess the magnitude of these effects.


Potential units for analysis

Risk is primarily concerned with understanding the likelihood of involvement in FDV incidents and is therefore focussed upon analysis of:
  • People (both victims and perpetrators of FDV); and
  • Incidents (of FDV).

Investigations of risk can be focussed on particular sub-populations, such as Indigenous women, who may experience differential rates of risk. Risk can also be measured at different levels, such as population, community or individual levels (as with risk profiling).




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