Teenage boys at risk of perpetrating family violence in adulthood could have their behaviour stamped out through a national early intervention trial.
The scheme will be backed by $23 million in federal government funding over the next three years, set to be divided between 12 organisations across states and territories from November.
Chosen organisations will be tasked with creating a new early intervention program for young men and boys aged 12 to 18 who have had adverse childhood experiences.
These factors include experience with family and domestic violence, and who are using or at risk of using family, domestic or sexual violence.
Supports will include one-on-one counselling, case management and youth mentoring along with personalised safety plans and assessments.
Each are aimed to be culturally safe and trauma-informed and support will be tailored to the individual needs and circumstances of participants.
The 12 current sites include a mix of metropolitan, regional, and remote locations across Australia with extra trial sites expected to be announced in early 2025.
In NSW, Moree Plains and Newcastle have been selected along with Hume and Greater Shepparton in Victoria and Ipswich & Logan and Rockhampton in Queensland.
Playford in South Australia will have funding from the scheme as will Joondalup and Broome in Western Australia along with Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania and the ACT.
A trial site in the Northern Territory and a second site in SA will be identified at the start of 2025 following a further round of consultations.
Social services minister Amanda Rishworth said the funding aimed to support boys and young men recover from experiences of violence before any similar behaviour presents itself in their adult relationships.
"Supporting children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right and addressing the impacts of developmental trauma to help healing and recovery will help break future cycles of violence," she said.
"There are currently only limited and inconsistent services available across Australia that specifically support children and young people who have experienced violence and are themselves using or at risk of using violence and this trial will help address this gap."
An estimated 2.7 million Australians aged 18 and over have experienced physical or sexual abuse by an adult before the age of 15, according to the ABS.
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