Making The Orange Door easier to find, and easier to understand

Content warning: The following information discusses child sexual abuse, exploitation, and abuse material, which may be distressing. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000 (Australia) or local emergency services. Support is available via 1800RESPECT (1800 806 292) or by visiting 1800respect.org.au.

The Orange Door was established as a network of support services across Victoria—bringing together family violence, child wellbeing, and perpetrator services into a single, accessible entry point.

But as a new and evolving system, it needed to be clearly understood by the people it was designed to support, as well as the professionals referring into it.

The Orange Door represents a complex service model with multiple entry points, integrated services, and different pathways depending on individual circumstances. Communication needed to be easy to understand in moments of stress, accessible to diverse communities, and accurate to the system’s intent and structure.

Portable partnered with Family Safety Victoria to produce a series of animations and videos explaining The Orange Door, each designed to meet different audience needs.

The storytelling focused on clarity without oversimplification.

• Animated explainers broke down how the service works, using clear visual narratives to guide people through what to expect
• Lived-context storytelling grounded the service in real scenarios, helping people recognise when and how to seek support
• Multiple formats and versions ensured the content could reach diverse audiences across digital platforms, services, and community settings

Every decision, from language to visual structure, was shaped to reduce confusion and support understanding at a critical point of need.

The animations strengthened the effectiveness of the Centre’s training by reinforcing critical messages at the point of learning.

Participants were better equipped to:

• Recognise signs of abuse
• Respond to disclosures safely and appropriately
• Act with greater confidence in high-pressure situations

The content was also designed for accessibility, ensuring it could be understood across a broad professional audience regardless of prior experience. By embedding clarity into a sensitive and often uncertain space, the work supports a more informed, responsive, and protective workforce.