Plain English ADVO Resource

The ADVO process can be complex, confusing and often daunting for victim-survivors of violence. People experiencing violence go through trauma, which can make more complex forms of information difficult to understand.

The Newcastle DV Committee identified that existing resources were often written with legal terminology and jargon, and while simple ADVO guides exist, these are usually for people subject to an ADVO - not for people attempting to get an ADVO against somebody else.

The Plain English ADVO Resource aims to support survivors to understand the process in their terms.

The ADVO resource is:

• in plain English: “what does this mean for me?”

• pocket size: when folded, the back page contains the information a police operator needs to assess a domestic violence phone call. Women may often have this information on many different pieces of paper. This guide increases the ease for locating this information.

• developed with input from survivors, sector workers, and police

• downloadable: can be printed off a home or office printer

• accessible: simple language is used, colours are compliant to WCAG 2.1 gold standard, and a plaintext is provided for accessibility purposes.

Many thanks to the local survivors and sector workers who contributed to this guide,

and to Sharon Wilkinson, Northern Region Domestic Violence Co-ordinator, NSW Police.