Type:	Report
Title:	Women’s refuges, shelters, outreach and support services in Australia : from Sydney squat to complex services challenging domestic and family violence
Authors:	Weeks, Wendy Oberin, Julie
Keywords:	Indigenous issues;Housing;Policy;Regional rural and remote areas
Year:	2004
Publisher:	Office for Women
Notes:	This report assesses the progress made in expanding accommodation and support options to women experiencing or escaping domestic violence. Information and analysis are based on a national 2003 survey of services (137 crisis accommodation, outreach, information, support and advocacy services), a survey of key informants from all States and Territories, data analysis by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, consultations and visits to services. There are differences in how services organise their programmes and staffing, especially across States and Territories and between regional areas dependent on resources. Of the 71 relevant recommendations from previous PADV (Partnerships Against Domestic Violence) reports, more than half were reported as showing progress in implementation, but 51 recommendations from PADV reports remain urgent. The key areas include: increasing the range of types of services for women, improving accessibility and responsiveness of services, improvements in the criminal justice system and improvements in services availability. It identifies the following barriers: increase in and socio-emotional impacts of domestic and family violence; increasing needs of Indigenous women; high number of women seeking SAAP-funded services, including the increase in numbers of accompanying children; lack of funding and resource; remote area issues; lack of affordable long-term housing; State and Territory model variations and priorities; lack of culturally relevant models; lack of knowledge of the Centrelink crisis payment; and a need for funding of a peak body for the domestic violence services to facilitate sharing and collaboration. Signs of progress include: police education, the fax-back systems to the services from police, and court support programmes. Women’s and children’s support and healing programmes, and court support programmes require expansion. Outreach programmes that are systematically funded are important, especially to assist women to stay in their own homes. It suggests other government portfolios need urgent funding for additional positions in SAAP-funded services (health workers, children’s workers and counsellors for follow-up). Further research is needed on outreach programmes. Research is also needed into safe houses, including documentation of the resources needed to increase their effectiveness for Indigenous communities. It also finds a scarcity of funded service and practice evaluations based on the experience of service users, and little documentation of the processes of successful crisis accommodation work.
Contents:	Dedication Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Charts, Figures and Tables Executive Summary Summary of Recommendations 1: The Challenge of Measuring Progress in Service Delivery 2: Australian Women’s Services Responses to Domestic and Family Violence 3: The Services – Crisis Accommodation and Outreach: What Do They Do? 4: From a Simple House to Complex Service Delivery Organisations 5: Measuring Progress: The Report Card on Progress from Key Informants 6: Barriers to Service Delivery: Key Problems and Issues in 2003-2004 7: Looking Ahead Bibliography Appendix I: The Research Team and the Reference Group Appendix II: More on Method Appendix III: List of Participants in the Research Appendix IV: Measuring Progress: Key Informants Survey – State/Territory Comments Appendix V: Future Issues – State/Territory Responses Appendix VI: Plain Language Statement Appendix VII: Report Card – Consent to participate Appendix VIII: Consultation Questions
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/19057
ISBN:	9781877042560
Physical description:	185 p.
Appears in Collections:	Reports

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