Associate Professor Jocelyn Jones has been awarded a grant from Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety for a groundbreaking project titled 'Learning from the stories of young Aboriginal men and adolescents convicted of domestic, family and sexual violence'.

As a Vice-Chancellor's Associate Professorial Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University's Kurongkurl Katitjin's Maladjiny Research Centre, Associate Professor Jones will lead the research initiative, which is part of the Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) 2023–2027 Research Program. The program focuses on understanding and addressing the behaviours of those who perpetrate domestic, family and sexual violence.

Associate Professor Jones said on Wednesday that the research is crucial for "breaking the cycle of violence by providing young Aboriginal men and adolescents with the opportunity to heal from past violence and address their own harmful behaviours".

"The findings will inform health and other interventions in WA, with wider implications for national and other state and territory jurisdictions," she said.

"Our project aims to delve into the complex pathways that lead young Aboriginal men and adolescents to engage in DFSV (domestic, family and sexual violence). By capturing their lived experiences and perspectives, the research seeks to identify risk factors, evaluate existing support mechanisms and recommend culturally safe interventions tailored to this demographic."

The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, including a phenomenological research design with narrative interviews to explore participants' experiences and data collection using nationally developed standardised measures of social and emotional wellbeing, health and violent behaviours.

Participants will include young Aboriginal men and adolescents in juvenile detention or recently released, as well as stakeholders from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and relevant government services.

The project is backed by a team of researchers, including: Professor John Gilroy, University of Sydney; Robert Shaw, Curtin University; Associate Professor Hannah McGlade, Curtin University Law School; Dr Lynn Roarty, ECU and Curtin University; Devon Cuimara, Aboriginal Males Health Centre Strong Spirit Strong Families Strong Culture Inc (AMHC); and Professor Richard Chenhall, University of Melbourne.

Key research partners in this research include the Aboriginal Males Health Centre Strong Spirit Strong Families Strong Culture Inc (AMHC), Wadjak Northside Aboriginal Corporation and Carer's WA.

ANROWS is an independent, not-for-profit research organisation established to produce evidence supporting the reduction of violence against women and children. The organisation focuses on identifying moments for intervention and the most effective measures to support behaviour change and prevent domestic, family and sexual violence.