Empowering frontline domestic violence services
Local
The recommendations of the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence have been described as “a blueprint for transformative change” by Embolden, the peak body for service providers.
Embolden represents 26 organisations delivering specialist services statewide, including Centacare Catholic Community Services which is the largest provider in regional South Australia and the second largest provider overall.
Embolden CEO Mary Leaker welcomed the report by Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO and her team, including key overarching recommendations for system reform.
She also commended the State Government’s immediate acceptance of seven recommendations including a standalone ministerial portfolio for domestic, family and sexual violence; the appointment of a ‘government steward’ to lead whole-of-government implementation, and a five-year statewide strategy.
“In South Australia we have been under-investing in preventing and responding to domestic, family and sexual violence for some time,” Ms Leaker said, adding the rapid expenditure review of State Government funding was an “absolute priority”.
Megan Welsh, Centacare executive manager, Domestic Violence, Homelessness & Youth Services, was among 40 people invited to a special briefing on the Royal Commission report the morning of its official release on August 19.
Ms Welsh said it was pleasing to see a focus on frontline services and recognition of the need to strengthen a 24/7 entry point for people seeking support and emergency accommodation.
With the report identifying that one in four calls to the SA Domestic Violence Crisis Line went unanswered last year, Ms Welsh said under-funding meant the crisis line could not keep up with demand.
“If a woman from Mount Gambier rings the line then they will connect with our on-call people in Mount Gambier and we’ll support that woman after hours,” she said.
“So it’s really crucial, not only for services in the city but for regions as well.
“They’re talking about place-based integrated service responses and really developing the service with a particular focus on the regions, which is a positive thing.”
Centacare has services in the Limestone Coast, Riverland, Whyalla and Murray Mallee-Adelaide Hills regions.
“That’s a really broad geographic area, they’re all very different,” Ms Welsh said, adding that Commissioner Stott Despoja had met with the Centacare team in Mount Gambier, as part of the Commission’s listening tour of region, to look at what the “gaps” were across the region, and get some insights into what does work and should be invested in.
Centacare also made written submissions to the Royal Commission on various issues, including community awareness and early intervention programs.
“That’s what we are doing with the Port Adelaide Football Club through the Empowered program in schools – both Catholic and government,” she said.
“It’s not just targeting young men to respect women; it’s also about empowering young women to have healthy relationships, build self esteem and understand their right to safety.
“That was a good outcome, to have the Royal Commission listen to that.”
Ms Welsh said another area where Centacare contributed to the Commission was disclosure schemes, whereby someone starting or in a relationship who recognised some red flags is able to apply to SAPOL to have a history of violence or intervention orders disclosed.
The South Australian Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme is a world leading early intervention response, within a framework of rigorous privacy and legal considerations. Additionally, a third party, for example, a parent of a victim-survivor, may apply for a disclosure in a similar way.
The practitioner’s role then includes initial contact and rapport building with the victim-survivor to develop trust and explain the process, prior to agreeing to a disclosure.
In any event, the person applying for a disclosure is provided with advice and information around domestic violence and abuse, along with referrals and safety planning.
The scheme is based on ‘Clare’s law’ in the UK where a woman started a relationship with a man who had a long history of being a perpetrator of violence. After the woman lost her life, the family petitioned the government to change the law.
Centacare’s submission high-lighted the positive impact of the scheme but also noted that lack of funding meant that the support could only be provided over the telephone rather than face-to-face, thereby not allowing for the deep connection and trust building often required for victim-survivors to seek safety.
Ms Welsh said it was pleasing to see that one of the recommendations was to properly resource regional providers to enable them to meet with families and individuals in-person regardless of where they lived.
The Commission acknowledged that the development and delivery of the scheme was the result of the “hard work and close collaboration of a few individual specialist workers and police officers”.
“It is crucial to ensure that South Australia’s development of a world-leading disclosure scheme is not jeopardised as a result of ongoing lack of government investment,” the report says.
One of the most concerning issues raised by Centacare and other regional service providers was around sexual assault and the fact that currently a woman needing forensic services to prove she was raped often had to go to Adelaide for the service.
“She can’t shower or change or anything, we have to put her on a bus and get her to Adelaide for a forensic examination if she wants to prosecute the perpetrator,”
Ms Welsh said.
The Commission said it heard of “multiple cases where people who have experienced sexual violence have had to travel long distances to a metropolitan location to undergo an examination” because of the inability to perform the procedure locally.
“Examples given to the Commission included victim-survivors being transported by police, being transported by a family member or friend or having to travel by bus or ferry,” the report says.
“This is an appalling situation…”
Ms Welsh will participate in a strategic workshop being run by Embolden in November as part of a more detailed response to the Commissioner’s 136 recommendations.
The 700-page document With Courage: South Australia’s vision beyond violence and the accompanying Voices report can be found at royalcommissiondfsv.sa.gov.au
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