Children and young victim-survivors of family violence in Victoria are often made to feel invisible and unheard by support services due to systemic failures, new research shows.

Reports of feeling ignored and invalidated when confiding in support services and the justice system were common among people aged 10-25 with lived experience of family violence.

The I believe you report commissioned by Monash University found responses to family violence fail some of the youngest victim-survivors as they are often left feeling overlooked and isolated when recounting abuse and trauma.

One victim-survivor Samuel recalled being constantly interrupted and invalidated when trying to get assistance, which was a common theme among other young people.

“I got the impression … they know … They’ve heard this sort of thing before, my story isn’t unique. But we – victim-survivors’ stories are unique and they’re completely different, and no one’s is the same. It’s almost invalidating … Being a victim-survivor, I don’t see myself above other people, and don’t see myself better than someone else, obviously. But it is invalidating, having someone pre-empt a story that I know better than anyone,” Samuel said.

Study lead author and director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, said family violence was a national crisis and better training and education is needed.

“This study reveals the many points of the system where child victim-survivors feel silenced and overlooked. Significant training and increased resources are needed to ensure that practitioners across the service system are equipped with the specialist knowledge needed to better respond to children as victim-survivors in their own right.”

Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre lecturer Jasmine McGowan said understanding the needs of young victim-survivors was crucial in developing system reform.

“Young victim-survivors articulated so clearly the changes required to ensure children feel heard, believed and validated. Their insights are essential to informing meaningful systems change,” Dr McGowan said.

– AAP