Starting 2026 strong and the year ahead

 

 

It has been a big, purposeful start to the year at HMA, with momentum building across practice, digital tools, and learning. We have been deep in the CQID co-design process to shape an intervention programme for Aboriginal men, grounded in community voice, cultural authority, and what safety and accountability need to look like in real-world settings. At the same time, we are excited to be launching Ake as a free resource that agencies can incorporate into their existing work, adding practical, accessible support that complements face-to-face practice and strengthens continuity between sessions. More on that below.

Training has been just as full on. We delivered Making Choices for Women Program as well as the HMA Disruption Domestic, Family and Sexualised Violence Programme with Queensland Corrective Services. Ken has been in Northern Territory delivering workshops for Catholic Care NT and induction workshops that focus on Motivational Interviewing and case management of DFSV with NT Corrective Services, supporting staff to hold safety, accountability, and engagement in the same frame from day one. Ken took the photo of the amazing artwork at the top of this blog on his commute to the training centre while in Darwin.

We have also seen strong interest in one of our speciality offerings, Motivational Interviewing in working with DFSV, which speaks to a growing appetite for practice that can hold both relational skill and clear accountability. We have a number of agencies requesting either virtual or in-room access to this learning package, and we are also exploring the possibility of running an additional Masterclass for MI and working with DFSV later in the year. If you would like to be notified of updates on this, we have a separate mailing list you can sign up for over on the previous event page. Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for updates in our monthly newsletter, as we post most updates there as well. If you are a team leader that would like to organise training specifically for a group of staff, please get in contact.

Away from the training room, we are continuing to expand our suite of self-paced eLearning modules, and our podcast series is back in the mix too, sharing practical ideas and conversations from the field. Keep an eye out in the coming months for updates on our Learning Management System for those eLearns mentioned.

Looking ahead, join a long-time colleague and HMA associate, Dr Joel Porter, for a series of in-room Motivational Interviewing workshops in Christchurch from May onwards. This foundational series will equip participants with the proficiency needed to navigate the complexities of client change with confidence. Ken has also been contracted to deliver Health Sciences Paper 430 at the University of Canterbury during the first semester and Paper 431 during the second semester.

It has been a busy and rewarding start to the year. Thanks for being part of the work. Here is more detail about what we have been up to with Ake.

 

Ake as a free resource for users of DFSV

Ake now offers free registration for everyone. Once signed up, users can access the Emotions Compass, the full content library, and a growing set of tools and resources such as posters and worksheets. The current library is designed for men who use violence and/or abuse, and focuses on common intervention touchpoints, including safety, family wellbeing, emotional regulation, habit busting, and communication in relationships. This was a natural starting point for us, drawing on Ken McMaster’s expertise and HMA’s long history in programme design and delivery. Ake can be recommended to men who are waiting for, currently in, or have exited intervention services.

We would love you to sign up for yourselves and explore Ake. If you think it could support your service users, encourage them to register and give it a go at https://akeapp.com

We have also developed some informational material that can explain what Ake is and how to use it, available here and here (PDF & Word files).

Ultimately, we want men who use domestic, family and sexualised violence (DFSV) to be better supported as they navigate the journey of change toward safety and wellbeing. Ake has been a significant investment over the last four years, and it has evolved as we have learned what works best. We want the platform to keep growing in a way that supports both practitioners and service users, and that ongoing development will continue to require investment. To support this, we have built features that enable organisations to partner with us and help fund the project while also getting more value from the platform. A snapshot of what this can include is below.

In partnership with organisations, we can:

• Deliver bespoke content for your service users. Instead of seeing the default library, your service users can access content you have created, or content developed with us, ringfenced specifically to your organisation. This can strengthen the delivery and impact of your own programmes.

• Create tailored libraries for other audiences. Ake’s content management and ringfencing functionality enables the development of libraries to serve other audiences, such as women-focused content, LGBTQI+ communities, youth, and more.

• Assign users to a “Coach” within your organisation. Practitioners can have specific users assigned to them and communicate through the app using one-way or two-way messaging. This can support between-session prompts, homework tasks, links to external resources, and other touchpoints that strengthen engagement.

• Expand the tools available in Ake. For example, we have designed and costed a Safety Plan tool. Safety planning is a core part of effective intervention, and having a plan that is accessible and editable at any time could be a real step forward for men working toward safer choices.

We have other ideas in development too, but it is a bit early to share those just yet. If you’d like to find out more about the potential Ake could offer, talk to us directly by sending us an email or get in touch.

 

 

Published on Tuesday, February 17th, 2026, under Announcements, Family violence, Learning & development, Motivational Interviewing, Practice tips and techniques

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