Jolene Ellat

Jolene Ellat is the founder and Director of the Domestic Abuse Resource and Training Group (DART Group) and Chief Executive Officer of DART Institute.

Jolene is a domestic family and sexual violence (DFSV) specialist with more than 15 years of industry expertise and a lived experience expert. She provides research, workforce development consultancy, professional training, and supervision for government and non-government agencies and community groups. Her expertise includes policy and practice development in primary prevention, early intervention, perpetrator response, DFV-informed supervision, and trauma recovery. She has a special interest in cultural diversity when working with families from diverse backgrounds.

During her early career, Jolene worked with family law services in coordinated response and managerial roles. She provided women’s advocacy across Western Australia, conducted clinical interviews, and wrote forensic reports to the Department of Justice.

Jolene is experienced in perpetrator intervention research and training. She facilitated and coordinated the Connect and Respect men’s behaviour change program for the Department of Justice and later went on to work with peak bodies implementing the COVID-19 response (funded through the Department of Communities) to ensure perpetrator visibility across Western Australia throughout COVID-19 and into economic recovery.

Jolene has a track record for leading multi-agency and multi-disciplinary approaches to DFSV intervention. She has a strong history in research and evaluation of projects both on a local and national level, including conducting research into supporting WA’s Family Domestic Violence Response Teams (FDVRTs) and facilitating cross-sectorial professional development with Police (WAPOL), child protection, and the Coordinated Response Service (working with eight specialist sector agencies). She has led national projects, including the evaluations and recommendations for the ACT’s Family Violence Safety Action Pilot.

As a leading Safe and Together trainer, Jolene has delivered CORE training to over 1000 practitioners across Australia. She has also designed and delivered professional training in primary prevention, early intervention, tertiary intervention, and perpetrator intervention for the Department of Communities, Justice Department, and WA Department of Health. Jolene has customised programs such as supporting children affected by DFV and DFV-informed practice supervision training.

Jolene actively contributes to academic publications and presents nationally and internationally at conferences, often as a guest speaker on live panels. She holds a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Notre Dame Australia, Bachelor of Arts in Education/Psychology from Edith Cowan University, Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Studies and Human Rights from Curtin University, and Professional Certificate in Childhood Trauma from University of South Australia.