Run Against Violence has joined forces with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to help ensure that every teenager in Australia has the opportunity to learn about what healthy relationships look like for them.
RAV supports NAPCAN with funds to enhance and expand its Love Bites Program. We invest in tools and adaptations to support the effective delivery of the program, as well as a Grants program to help expand the program into communities that don’t have adequate funds to train their Love Bites facilitators.
Although NAPCAN runs Love Bites on a simple cost-recovery basis, the sustainability of the program relies heavily on the passion in the community to keep it going.
Run Against Violence has invested more than $400,000 from 4 events! This investment has expanded the Love Bites program across Australia
Listen and learn about the NAPCAN and RAV partnership in these podcast episodes.
Snapshots of 2023 RAV Recipients in Action
RAV Grant Applicant: Aboriginal Family Legal Services in Rivervale.
Location: Western Australia
Grant: $4,455
People trained: 9
RAV Grant Applicant: Lindy-Loud Badger, Manager of Family and Relationship Centre, ACCARE.
Location: Mt Gambier, SA
Grant: $6,900
Facilitators trained in Love Bites Senior: 30
Community paid to undertake the Love Bites Junior training contributing an additional $1800.
“Receiving the Run Against Violence grant to train Love Bites Facilitators in Mt Gambier was the culmination of more than 2 years planning and consultation with agencies, schools and community to address Family and Domestic Violence. During these conversations it was widely recognised that addressing Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) is “everybody’s business” and that early intervention strategies were key to reducing FDV within future generations. The Mt Gambier FDV Community Action Plan identified the need to involve youth of all genders in respectful relationship education both within and beyond the school setting.
Upon receiving the Run Against Violence grant for Love Bites Senior facilitator training, a local funds were used to provide an additional one day training in the Junior Program. Support for the Love Bites Facilitator Training has been overwhelmingly positive with 3 days of training fully booked by a mix of Teachers, Youth Professionals and key Community Members.
We feel confident that the Love Bites program will be a valuable tool for our schools, youth services and community groups to educate youth about respectful relationships and reduce Family and Domestic Violence within future families and generations.”
Updates to previous projects that RAV fully or partially funded
Community Management Platform
Phase 1: Funded by RAV $43,345
Phase 2: Funded by NSW Ministry of Health
June 2023 Update:
In December NAPCAN engaged a National IT Systems Manager to lead the project. Early in 2023 a contract was signed with Rosterfy (Volunteer Management Software) and the pilot version to support registration processes was built. In April a stakeholder pilot commenced and ran through the months of May for both Junior and Senior Love Bites training. By the end of June 2023, NAPCAN will commence all new Love Bites registrations via the Rosterfy platform. Without the initial RAV funding this project may not have gone ahead!
NAPCAN and SWSLHD Aboriginal Love Bites Adaptation
Phase 1: Funded by RAV $9,000 and SWS Aboriginal Health $35,000
Phase 2: Funded by the NSW Ministry of Health
“The LoveBites Adaptation is to be used to expel myths of a ‘deficit position’ of Aboriginal peoples. It is an act of decolonisation.” Karen Beetson, Deputy Director Aboriginal Health, SWSLHD Aboriginal Health.
Refinement and review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Respectful Relationship Love Bites training package by Dr Brenda Dobia in consultation with key community experts and stakeholders. Engagement and co-design principles have underpinned the First Nations cultural adaptation of Love Bites. This adaptation has been co-designed with Aboriginal community workers to ensure cultural safety.
June 2023 Update:
These materials are now being finalised with respectful and appropriate acknowledgement of the contribution of Aboriginal community workers to be central to this process. NAPCAN aims to have this adaptation completed by the end of June. Planning with Southwestern Sydney partners is underway for the implementation of the first training session.
NAPCAN and SWS D&FV Alliance CALD Adaptations
Phase 1: Funded by RAV $13,400 and Australian ZAKAT Foundation $2000
Phase 2: Funded by the NSW Ministry of Health
RAV funding contributed to training 20 Love Bites facilitators, enabling these workers to participate in the original scoping consultations for the effective design of these resources.
June 2023 Update:
NAPCAN CALD Love Bites Adaptation - This program has been designed to recognise the culturally and linguistically diverse communities in which the Love Bites program is being delivered. It includes an intersectional perspective of the drivers of violence and is grounded in an understanding of fundamental human rights.
NAPCAN aims to have this adaptation completed by the end of June. and available for distribution later in 2023.