V
iolence &
#04 September 2010
www.wdv.org.au
D
isability Newsletter
Contents:
1.
-
Women with Disabilities Victoria: News:
VWDN has a new name
Peer mentoring program
Election strategy on violence
2. Advancing justice for sexual assault victims with a cognitive impairment
3. Staff training on recognising and responding to the family violence
experienced by women with disabilities: Getting Safe Against the Odds
4. Victoria’s response to the family violence experienced by women with
disabilities
5. Australian Human Rights Register: The Human Rights Law Resource Centre
creates a tool for human rights advocacy and documentation... with your input
6. Improve services to crime victims with a disability: The Victims Support
Agency’s new survey for people with a disability
7. Would you like more information on Family Violence?
8. Contributions and subscriptions to this newsletter
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1. Women with Disabilities Victoria: News
Victorian Network of Women with Disabilities is pleased to announce that we have a
new name - Women with Disabilities Victoria. The new name comes with a new web
address: www.wdv.org.au
Peer Mentoring Program for Women with Disabilities
Women with Disabilities Victoria invites women to participate in a peer mentoring
program that will focus on developing leadership, representation and advocacy skills.
This program is for you if you are:
 A woman with a disability
 Committed to attending six 3-hour sessions held weekly
 Willing to listen, and to be open and supportive to other participants
Please feel free to forward this information on to women who may be interested.
The program will commence in October. Due to a high level of interest, we may
create a waiting list for a 2nd round of the program. To register interest or enquire,
contact Lauren Hayes, WDV’s Project Officer for Peer Mentoring and Support Phone: 9664-9342 or Email: lauren.hayes@wdv.org.au
Election strategy on violence
Women with Disabilities Victoria has identified 5 key actions the Victorian
Government can take to address violence against women with disabilities:
∞ Develop an active protocol between Family Violence Services and
Disability Services. This would enable the co-operation required to provide an
effective service to women with disabilities.
∞ Fund initiatives for women with disabilities as part of the implementation of the
Right to Respect: Victoria’s Plan to Prevent Violence against Women 2010-2020.
∞ Fund family violence services to respond to women with disabilities through
initiatives such as; increased intensive case management, crisis support, appropriate
risk management services, and capital works for accessibility. Where such initiatives
have been funded as pilot programs, they proved to provide vital support for women
with disabilities.
∞ Improve data collection and standards of practice across family violence and
disability sectors that identify violence against women with disabilities.
∞ Fund research on the extent and prevalence of violence against women with
disabilities, and their help seeking experiences. This would inform the improvement
of services to women with disabilities who experience violence.
A full copy of our election strategy, with our 3 priority areas, will be available on the
WDV website in late September.
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2. Advancing justice for sexual assault victims with a
cognitive impairment
Hugh de Kretser, Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria)
Achieving justice for victims of sexual assault with a cognitive impairment or communication
difficulties is an enormous challenge for the justice system. People with a cognitive
impairment or communication difficulty are more targeted victims of sexual assault. The
abuse they experience is more severe and more prolonged. Yet the rates of prosecution of
sexual assault where the victim has a cognitive impairment are extremely low. In these
cases there is less engagement with criminal justice processes, and police are less likely to
believe these reports.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission concluded in 2004, “It is clear that the criminal
justice system offers people with a cognitive impairment very limited
protection against sexual assault. However, with adequate assistance many
people with a cognitive impairment can tell the police what has happened to
them and can give evidence in court.”
The Federation of Community Legal Centres has been working to provide that practical
assistance. The Federation developed a model for a pilot specialist advocacy support
service in collaboration with agencies including South Eastern Centre Against Sexual
Assault (SECASA), Springvale Monash Legal Service, Mental Health Legal Centre, Disability
Discrimination Legal Service and Women with Disabilities Victoria.
The pilot service will be based in Melbourne’s South East region. SECASA, Springvale
Monash Legal Service and disability agencies will provide victims with:
 Advocacy and support during dealings with police and prosecutors - crisis support will be
offered through a 24 hour service
 Ongoing advocacy and support during investigation, prosecution and court processes.
Victims will be helped to monitor, understand and participate in these processes
 Legal and other advice on criminal justice processes and the options and services
available
 Legal support to access crimes compensation and other compensation options
 A skilled communication support service and other disability support services where
required.
There will be a strong focus on data collection and evaluation with a view to modifying and
expanding the pilot across Victoria in the future.
The key long term outcomes of this project will be:
 increased reporting to police by victims of sexual assault with a cognitive impairment;
 increased prosecution of these crimes; and
 increased protection against sexual assault for people with a cognitive impairment
through increased prosecution and consequently increased deterrence.
The Federation is well advanced towards its goal of raising $405,864 to fund the two year
pilot. In August, the William Buckland Foundation awarded the Federation a challenge grant
of $200,000 towards the project, adding to $31,000 already raised from the Reichstein
Foundation and two other donors. The Federation is confident of raising the additional funds
and establishing the pilot service in the next 12 months. Please contact Hugh de Kretser for
any further information, executiveofficer@fclc.org.au
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3. Staff training on recognising and responding to the
family violence experienced by women with disabilities:
Getting Safe Against the Odds
Louise Sunnefors & Andrea Main, HR&SS
Housing Resource and Support Service (HR&SS) is a not-for-profit disability service
that provides statewide support to over 280 consumers per year. We have always
had a strong focus on the particular needs of women with disabilities and have
recently begun a discussion about the ways that we can better address violence
against women with disabilities.
One of our first steps was to have three HR&SS workers attend the “Getting safe
against the Odds” training held by the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria
(DVRCV). The training gave those of us currently working in the family violence and
disability sectors a better understanding of the needs of women with disabilities who
experience violence; to give workers the opportunity to explore best practice
responses in relation to risk assessment and safety planning; and to share strategies
that will help service providers better respond to the issue.
The training also provided us with the opportunity to discuss ways of working with
our own consumers who are at risk. As a disability service provider, it is important to
understand how violence against women with disabilities - whether it be of a
physical, financial, sexual, social or emotional nature - can be the same as but also
different from other cases of family violence.
Some of the difficulties faced by women with disabilities who experience violence or
abuse is that they may not be believed and often there is not adequate support
available to them. This is of particular concern when we consider that both within
Australia and across the world women with disabilities experience violence and
abuse at a much higher rate than women without disabilities.
At the training we also discussed the importance of the disability and family violence
sectors working together to meet the needs of women. The workshop also
highlighted the need for further training to improve the ability of workers and the
agencies they work for to identify and respond effectively to women with disabilities
experiencing violence or abuse.
After the training the three workers from HR&SS who attended the workshop shared
their experience and knowledge by holding a half-day presentation and discussion
with our colleagues. All of our direct service workers talked about working with
women who were experiencing violence or who they suspected were experiencing
violence.
The “Getting Safe Against the Odds” training day at DVRCV has helped HR&SS to
become more aware of what our service can do to better support women with
disabilities experiencing violence. It has also helped us to establish links with
organisations in the family violence sector. Although there is still much progress to
be made, by working together, we can provide a better level of service and support
for these women and their families.
For details on DVRCV’s training program, refer to their website: www.dvrcv.org.au
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4. Victoria’s response to the family violence experienced by women
with disabilities
Victoria’s Family Violence and Statewide Advisory Committee (FVSAC) meets
quarterly. Discussion at the August meeting focused on the issues for women with
disabilities who experience family violence. Janine Dillon from the Office of the
Public Advocate (OPA) presented details of a project based on cases from OPA's
Advocacy / Guardianship program in which people with cognitive impairment had
experienced or were experiencing violence from intimate partners, family members,
strangers and/or carers. This project has informed a report which will be available in
early January 2011 at: http://www.publicadvocate.vic.gov.au/research
OPA's presentation was first given at a forum hosted by OPA and WDV in March
2010, at which the participants from a range of sectors collaboratively developed a
number of advocacy recommendations. The key recommendations from the forum,
along with key findings from WDV’s Building the Evidence research (available at
http://www.wdv.org.au/publications.htm#bte ), will be presented to Victoria’s Family
Violence Interdepartmental Committee (IDC). These recommendations have been
mapped against the implementation plan for Victoria’s 10 Year Family Violence
Strategic Framework. This mapping will assist government and community
stakeholders to identify key priorities.
5. Australian Human Rights Register
Information from Loren Days, Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Please encourage people within your organisation and other individuals or
organisations Australia-wide to submit entries to the Australian Human Rights
Register. Since the Register was launched in May it has received 33 entries from
NGOs around Australia. The Register needs input from your organisation to be
effective. Please provide entries to ensure your area of work is represented before
the Register closes on October 31, 2010!
Making an entry is quick and easy – The Register provides a quick and simple
opportunity for NGOs to record human rights developments. To view a sample entry,
click here: http://www.hrlrc.org.au/wp-content/themes/hrlrc/docs/sample-entry.doc
The database will provide an important tool for human rights advocacy and
documentation. The data collected from the Register will be used for the purpose of
advocating for change – through publications, submissions, public speaking and
communication with key decision-makers. The database will be maintained over the
coming years so that human rights outcomes can be measured over a period of time.
Visit the Register’s at http://www.hrlrc.org.au/australian-human-rights-register/
For further information, contact HumanRightsRegister@hrlrc.org.au.
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6. Improve services to crime victims with a disability: The Victims
Support Agency’s new survey for people with a disability
Margaret Camilleri
The Department of Justice, through the Victims Support Agency is conducting a
survey aimed at adults with a disability or multiple disabilities, carers and guardians.
The purpose of the survey is:
 To improve our knowledge of the extent and type of crimes committed against
people with disabilities.
 To help us understand the best ways of informing you about your rights
should you become a victim of crime.
 To improve the response of Justice and victim service agencies to victims of
crime who have a disability.
The survey is available in plain English and easy English. Information about the
survey is available from any of the following collection or access points. Completing
the survey is voluntary and anonymous. Surveys can be completed by:
 Going on line to www.justice.vic.gov.au/victimsofcrime (plain English version)
 Call 8684 6743 and complete the survey by phone
 Call 8684 6716 or email Margaret.camilleri@justice.vic.gov.au and request a
survey be mailed to you
The survey will be available until the end of October.
If you have any questions regarding the survey, you can call 8684 6716.
7. Would you like more information on Family Violence?
Would you like more information and resources about family violence? Good places
to go are:
DV Vic: http://www.dvvic.org.au/
DVRC: http://www.dvirc.org.au/
8. Contributions and subscriptions to this newsletter
To contribute, subscribe or provide feedback to this newsletter please contact:
Jen Hargrave, Policy Officer – Violence Against Women with Disabilities
Women with Disabilities Victoria
Level 8, 255 Bourke Street, Melbourne
ph 03 9664 9341
www.wdv.org.au
jen.hargrave@wdv.org.au
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