Why the DFV-RAMF Fails to Meet Risk Standards—and What It Means for AVOs and FVOs

When an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) or Family Violence Order (FVO) is issued, it’s meant to protect lives. But what if the tools guiding those decisions—like the ACT Goverment's Domestic and Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management Framework (DFV-RAMF)—aren’t up to standard?

Main points:

• DFV-RAMF isn’t actually a risk framework. It lacks core elements like calibrated risk scales, control measures, and auditable metrics. In short, it’s a set of practice guides pretending to be a risk management system .

• It violates the ACT Government’s own rules. The DFV-RAMF doesn’t align with the CMTEDD Risk Management Framework, which mandates compliance with ISO 31000:2018 .

• Gender bias is baked in. The DFV-RAMF includes heuristics that assume men claiming victimhood are probably abusers—undermining objectivity and violating principles of human rights and evidence-based practice .

• Why this matters for AVO/FVOs. Orders issued based on flawed frameworks risk being unfair, unreviewable, and legally questionable under the Family Law Act 1975 and Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT).

Conclusion:

A tool that shapes legal outcomes must meet the highest standards. The DFV-RAMF doesn’t. Until it’s replaced or overhauled, AVOs and FVOs based on its assessments could face serious legal and ethical challenges.