Coronavirus in Ballarat: Family violence rates soar during COVID-19 lockdowns

And there are fears the rate will surge even higher with support services expecting a higher than usual pre-Christmas surge in family violence referrals from police and self-referrals from victims.

During lockdown the number of year-on-year referrals to Berry Street's Central Highlands service, based in Ballarat, jumped almost 700 cases in the eight months to August.

And it has shown no signs of slowing since then according to Berry Street senior manager family violence (Western region) Denise O'Dowd.

Ms O'Dowd said financial pressure, job losses, lockdown stress, home schooling, increased alcohol and drug consumption all contributed to rising levels of family violence.

But lockdown also made it much more difficult for victims to access support services, with fears the true number of cases may never be known.

Among the increase was a big surge in first time cases where families have had no previous involvement with family violence support agencies.

With community awareness and understanding of family violence growing in Victoria, Berry Street had expected to receive more referrals every year as more people, the majority of whom are women, seek support - but the spike in numbers during and after lockdown was even higher than expected.

Ms O'Dowd said there had been an increase in neighbours reporting family violence to police, with people spending more time at home than ever before.

"Accessing our services was a barrier but they still were, and with the easing of restrictions now and children back at school we are seeing a lot more engagement which is fantastic that women are able to access our services," Ms O'Dowd said.

"We certainly saw an increase in police referrals and in a lot of those cases it was neighbours making a report. Where women couldn't make contact themselves and neighbours did it was quite vital they were making those phone calls and contacting police," she said.

Ms O'Dowd said the volume of phone calls would likely continue.

"Usually the run in to Christmas tends to be a busy period anyway," she said. "Financial pressure at the moment is massive, and coming up to Christmas is always a pressure time anyway and with job losses and this year's financial impacts that's going to be a huge factor."

Across the state Berry Street recorded increases in the complexity of cases, and a spike in child to parent family violence which often involved elderly or older mothers experiencing violence from their adult sons.

Ms O'Dowd said during lockdown and especially during the months of remote learning the lack of 'eyes on children' had been a big concern.

"During periods of tighter lockdown, children are not attending school or organised sport, and there's reduced social activity and family support," she said. "There are less eyes on children and a higher chance of them being exposed to and experiencing family violence."

Earlier this month the Orange Door opened in Ballarat - a partnership between Berry Street, Cafs, Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative and the state government - as a central point of contact for family violence services.

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Family Safety Victoria Ballarat Orange Door hub manager Angie Wickham said people referred to the service would go through an initial screening and triage process, be given priority based on the complexity of their situation and allocated to a staff member.

Staff members will work with clients on crisis interventions, safety planning and targeted referrals to the broader sector.

The Orange Door in Ballarat is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, on 1800 219 819 or cha@orangedoor.vic.gov.au. Visit orangedoor.vic.gov.au for more information.