HaiR-3R’s (Recognise, Respond and Refer) aims to promote gender equality by;

• Educating hairdressers to understand the link between gender inequality and family violence;

• Supporting hairdressers to champion and engage in conversations that challenge community attitudes that reinforce gender inequality;

• Supporting hairdressers to respond to family violence disclosures and refer to family violence services.

Research reveals women develop unique, trusting bonds with their hairdressers. This relationship can lead to sharing beliefs and knowledge about gender inequality and experience of violence. An international review in Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Puerto Rico has found high levels of success in shifting community attitudes that support gender inequality.

Eastern Domestic Violence Service (EDVOS-www.edvos.org.au) is the specialist family violence service in Melbourne’s eastern metropolitan region. EDVOS provides a broad range of integrated services to support women and children who are responding to family violence.

Pre-Post training evaluation on HaiR-3R’s provided valuable quantitative and qualitative insights on how community members can play active role in crime prevention which will result in tangible difference and link to sustainable protective behaviour. EDVOS delivered innovative and internationally evidence-informed community family violence training to over 250 salon professionals within four months therefore will present learnings on:

• How community safety is linked with community development particularly around community education and training;

• HaiR–3R’s as an innovative approach to community education and training that will curve family violence/gendered violence rate as a crime prevention activity;

• International evidence on similar programs that have been successful in crime prevention (e.g. USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and New Zealand);

• How awareness on gender inequality and family violence can link to promoting community safety (qualitative and quantitative from 250 participants that attended HaiR–3R’s training); and

• Sustainability of the program with a focus on long–term behaviour change in promoting community safety.