The Family Domestic and Sexual Violence Integrated Data System (FDSV IDS)

What is the FDSV IDS?

The Australian Government Department of Social Services has funded the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to develop and test arrangements for a new FDSV IDS. The first version of the FDSV IDS aims to link administrative data from a range of sources where there is evidence of family, domestic or sexual violence (FDSV), to create a series of FDSV cohorts or ‘flags’ for use in analysis of linked data. 

The first version of the FDSV IDS includes anonymised person level data from community and health services. Specifically, it includes data from the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC), Data Over Multiple Individual Occurrences (DOMINO), Hospital Admitted Patient Care, the National Death Index, and Australian Government funded programs delivered by community service organisations, such as Specialised Family Violence Services and Escaping Violence Payment data (as reported in the Australian Government Department of Social Services Data Exchange, known as DEX).

Why is it important?

The FDSV IDS will enhance the evidence base for people using and experiencing family domestic and sexual violence, through the creation of a larger FDSV cohort/s than has been previously available for analysis.

The long-term vision is that the FDSV IDS will:

• enable a set of FDSV flags for use in approved projects using the National Health Data Hub (NHDH) and other linkage systems, to facilitate research into risk factors and outcomes for people who have experienced FDSV
• enhance and expand the FDSV cohort/s over time
• be available to researchers and policy analysts for approved projects
• include information for both victim-survivors, and perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence.

Who has been consulted?

During the scoping phase, there were 3 consultation workshops, which included:

• Commonwealth and state and territory government agencies
• academic bodies and researchers
• peak bodies and advocacy groups.

During the development phase, the following additional consultations have occurred with:

• The data custodians for:
  • DOMINO (Income support-crisis payment data)
  • DEX (Government funded services relating to FDSV)
  • SHSC
  • NHDH (covering hospitals and deaths).
• People with lived expertise of FDSV.

What has been achieved so far?

In December 2024, ethics approval for this project was granted by the AIHW Ethics Committee and in mid-2025 the project was approved by the NHDH Advisory Committee.

Subsequently, all data sets scheduled for inclusion in the FDSV IDS were linked to the NHDH to create version 1.0. For more information about the NHDH, including the datasets and access arrangements, see the National Health Data Hub.

Using the data within the completed version 1.0 of the FDSV IDS, FDSV flags were developed and are being tested further by AIHW within a secure environment available only to AIHW project analysts.

FDSV IDS results

As at June 2026, the FDSV IDS includes 850,014 people who have experienced or used FDSV between 2010 and 2024. Of this FDSV group, 591,591 (70%) were females and 258,423 (30%) were males (Box 4 of Health outcomes).

Proof-of-concept analysis

The FDSV IDS was used to create two cohorts for use in a proof-of-concept analysis; a sexual violence cohort, and a family and domestic violence cohort. The analysis covered emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and deaths. These analyses will be published on the AIHW website towards the end of 2026. 

A summary box of the number of suicide deaths among the FDSV cohort was published here: Health outcomes - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (see box 4).

Recommendations report

The development and testing process was documented, and a recommendations report was provided to the Department of Social Services. In this report, the AIHW recommended the FDSV IDS be established within the National Health Data Hub on an enduring basis to inform research and policy, and proposed a 5-year roadmap to achieve this.

What are the next steps?

DSS is considering the recommendations report in the context of the development of the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (the National Plan).

Where can I get more information?

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].