Supporting families as protective partners in elder abuse prevention and early intervention
Families play a central role in the lives of older people, yet the draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024–2034 fails to adequately integrate families as key support networks. Instead, it largely views families through a risk-focused lens without recognising their potential as protective partners in prevention and early intervention.
Elder abuse is often perpetrated by family members including partners, adult children and grandchildren. However, Better Place Australia knows through practice and research that many older people do not want to report the person causing them harm despite wanting the abuse to stop. This may be due to many reasons including wanting to avoid legal consequences for their family member and keeping the family peace.
In the context of elder abuse, the family network often includes others beyond the person using violence or coercion. Family members, such as adult children, siblings or extended relatives, may want to support the older person but lack the knowledge or resources to do so effectively. They may also be concerned about being misidentified as a perpetrator by police when they are trying to protect the older person.
When families are primarily viewed as sources of harm, service responses tend to be adversarial and crisis driven. Older people and their families may be pushed towards pathways that do not align with their preferences or needs. A more nuanced approach is needed. One that recognises the complex family dynamics surrounding elder abuse, and the important role that families have in prevention, early intervention, and ongoing care.
While legal and protective interventions are necessary, particularly at crisis points, the system must also prioritise tailored support and earlier assistance. This would better equip families to identify abuse and access help before situations escalate into crises or require legal action.
The redrafting of the National Plan provided the government an opportunity to reshape the elder abuse response system. Yet, one clear gap remains: the failure to integrate elder abuse into key early intervention programs, such as the Family Relationship Support Program (FRSP). These services provide vital support for individuals and families facing conflict including mediation, counselling, and assistance for those experiencing family violence. However, older adults have not been recognised as a priority group despite elder abuse often arising from intergenerational conflict, coercion, and financial pressure within families.
This raises an important question: why is family relationship support readily available for separating couples, parents, and younger families in crisis, but not for older Australians facing similar patterns of family violence and coercion? This highlights a broader systemic oversight, where the needs of older people and their families are often invisible within family support services.
Better Place Australia’s experience demonstrates that family counselling, supporting self-determination for the older person, and financial counselling support can help resolve disputes before legal intervention is necessary, helping to preserve relationships.
As an example, financial exploitation is one of the most common forms of elder abuse. Better Place Australia’s data shows that early engagement with financial counsellors and family counselling can prevent financial coercion from escalating into legal crisis. While the National Plan focuses on legal protections, such as reforms to Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPOA), more effective and comprehensive options are possible. Education and resources can support older people’s decision-making and deepen families’ understanding of their rights. Better Place Australia recommends exploring opportunities for accessible financial education and guidance for older people and their families, along with structured supports – such as financial health check-ups when EPOAs are activated – to promote transparency and safeguard wellbeing while respecting autonomy.
These kinds of early supports show what is possible when families are engaged before harm escalates. To build on this, the National Plan must move beyond legal, crisis-driven interventions toward restorative models that engage families early. This includes equipping families with the tools to recognise and respond to abuse before it escalates, while ensuring older people remain at the centre of decision-making.
By incorporating family-inclusive models, elder mediation, and preventative education into the National Plan, the government can better support older people to access the right help at the right time – in ways that reflect their values, protect their autonomy, and maintain important family connections. Addressing this requires moving beyond the current system in which older people are largely invisible within family services, and families are only viewed through a risk-focused lens. Recognising and strengthening the role of families as protective partners may ultimately lead to more effective, compassionate, and community-driven prevention and early intervention strategies.
Click here to read Better Place Australia’s submission in response to the consultation draft on the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024–2034.
