Victorian housing minister says he was ‘shocked’ by some of the investigation’s findings

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The chief executive and senior managers of one of Australia’s largest family violence services providers, Safe Steps, have been removed by the organisation’s board effective immediately after an independent investigation revealed problems with workplace culture, according to Victorian minister for housing, Martin Foley. .

Foley told Guardian Australia on Wednesday that the final report from the investigation into Safe Steps would not be made public, citing client and staff confidentiality. But he said sweeping changes would be implemented at the organisation and that the board had agreed to all changes.

“I was certainly shocked by some of the findings and some of the concerns, particularly in regards to workplace culture and systems,” Foley said. “Safe Steps have made a decision to put an interim CEO in place and to employ a new senior management team.”

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It follows an investigation by Guardian Australia that found the CEO of Safe Steps, Annette Gillespie, had been accused by multiple staff members of promoting a toxic workplace culture. Gillespie vehemently denied the allegations.

Safe Steps, based in Victoria, is one of three organisations from around the country that won the tender to provide the specialist counselling component of the 1800RESPECT national family violence and sexual assault helpline. It is also the state’s key 24-hour family violence support service and aids women and children in urgent need, including by providing emergency safe housing.

In a letter written to the Safe Steps board, a former staff member wrote that during her 1.5 years working at the organisation, “under the leadership of Annette Gillespie, 39 staff resigned or were terminated”.

“While some staff turnover can expected under new leadership, a lot of long-term staff left and the new staff that come on board often leave after a short period,” the letter stated.

Dozens of staff contacted Guardian Australia outlining similar concerns. It triggered the Victorian government to in May announce an independent investigation into the organisation.

Safe Steps receives government funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. Government funding to the organisation has increased 121% over the past four years, and is now at $9m per year.

Foley said the investigation validated many of the concerns expressed by staff and which had been made public by Guardian Australia. Foley emphasised the report found frontline staff did excellent work, and it was not them but senior management that needed to change.

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“Even allowing for some of the leadership problems, the work of some of the frontline staff was held in high regard by colleagues and rest of the sector,” he said.

Strict performance indicators will be introduced and extra accountability measures will be put in place to ensure they are met. Suzanne Dvorak has been named interim CEO. Dvorak is the former CEO of Save the Children Australia.

In a statement, the provider said that, since the royal commission into family violence, Safe Steps “has grown significantly, which means that more women and children have received support than ever before.

“The organisation will implement a wide range of process and cultural improvements to keep pace with the growth it has experienced.”

The statement also said Gillespie had “led the organisation through substantial growth and been an active advocate for women and children facing the scourge of family violence”.

The interim CEO would “oversee the process improvement program and lead the organisation until a permanent CEO has been recruited”.



Do you know more? melissa.davey@theguardian.com