1. Disability Services Division respond to violence against women with disabilities
2.
1. Assessing the evidence on violence against Women with disabilities in Victoria
2. Women with disabilities speak up on YouTube
3. Victoria’s new disability and family violence crisis response
4. Making rights reality for sexual assault survivors with a cognitive impairment
5. Violence prevention in Swedish disability settings
6. Women with disabilities invited to sow the seeds of change with DVRCV
7. Would you like more information on family violence?
8. Contributions subscriptions and feedback to this newsletter
1. Assessing the evidence on violence against Women with disabilities in Victoria
Women with Disabilities Victoria and the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) are undertaking a major research project relating to violence against women with disabilities. The project will investigate the circumstances of women with disabilities who have experienced violence.
Research participants will include women who experience physical disabilities, mental illness and cognitive impairments. We will undertake a two-year fact finding mission relating to the nature and incidence of violence against women with disabilities in Victoria.
The project, titled ‘Voices against Violence’, is funded by a research grant from the Legal Services Board. Aspects of the research include:
• An audit of OPA’s records on violence against women with disabilities
• Interviews with OPA staff and volunteers from the Community Visitors and Independent Third Person programs
• In-depth interviews with women with disabilities who have experienced violence
• Public consultations with women with disabilities
• Engaging with the disability, domestic violence, legal and service sectors
• A review of the relevant legal, policy and service sector initiatives in Victoria and beyond.
Voices Against Violence aims to address the significant gaps in knowledge that were highlighted by Women with Disabilities Victoria in the ‘Building the Evidence’ report. It will also significantly build on the work undertaken by OPA in its report ‘Violence against People with Cognitive Impairments’.
This exciting project is the first of its kind in Victoria. This data will be used by the project to devise evidence-based strategies for legal, policy and service sector reform.
If you would like to get involved in this project or if you simply want to find out more, please contact Magdalena McGuire at OPA by phone on 03 9603 9512 or email on . You can also contact Keran Howe at Women with Disabilities Victoria by phone on 03 9664 9340 or email on .
2. Women with disabilities speak up on YouTube
Members of Women with Disabilities Victoria appear in a new 5 minute YouTube video. The clip illustrates how community and systemic attitudes to women with disabilities can impact on our right to safety. The interviewing, filming and editing were done by our Information Officer (and budding media producer), Sarah Boyd. Sarah says, “I hope this resource helps to further raise awareness of the particular disadvantage experienced by women with disabilities when it comes to violence. Feel free to circulate it amongst your networks or use it as part of your work.”
You can view the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EovgP4YXjL8
3. Victoria’s new disability and family violence crisis response
The Disability and Family Violence Crisis Response Initiative is a 12 month pilot program run until December 2012 by Disability Services Division in the Department of Human Services. It aims to assist women and children with a disability who require immediate disability support to access a family violence crisis accommodation response.
Supports such as attendant care, equipment hire and transport support can be provided for up to 12 weeks while the woman or family work with Family Violence Workers to develop a plan for longer term arrangements.
How will the Crisis Response Funding be accessed?
When a Victorian woman enters the family violence system, a family violence worker will ask her a number of questions about her safety using the Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) questionnaire. She will be asked if she or her children have a disability. If she says yes, the Family Violence Worker can do a short supplementary questionnaire about disability support requirements. Eligibility will be assessed according to these requirements.
You do not have to be eligible for the Disability Support Register (DSR) to be eligible for this funding. But like the DSR, this initiative defines disability according to the Disability Act (2006). This Act does not include all situations that the community may see as disabling, such as many mental health and medical conditions. Importantly, this initiative will record instances where disability support needs did not meet eligibility criteria to map service gaps.
Once the assessment is done, the Family Violence Worker arranges the funding supports. After hours this is done by contacting or the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service (WDVCS). During business hours this is done by contacting a Disability and Family Violence Liaison Officer. These officers are based at the Eastern Metropolitan Region DHS office which is hosting the initiative.
What can be purchased?
· Attendant care support for disability related needs such as personal care, shopping assistance, meal preparation or support in providing care
· Hire of equipment (where own equipment cannot be accessed) or linkage with the State-wide Equipment Program where appropriate
· Sign/Auslan interpreting where the DHS Interpreter service is not available through the credit line
· Transport costs related to disability
Short-term funds can be provided for up to 12 weeks to a maximum of $9,000 per person. Requests for funds over $9,000 will be managed on a case by case basis.
Ongoing disability support requirements
Not all women accessing the Initiative will want or need ongoing engagement with DHS. This initiative will seek to support those who do want to explore the possibility of ongoing supports.
Contact Details
Disability Family Violence Liaison Officer (Eastern Metro Region DHS office)
or (03) 9843 6295
Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service: (03) 9322 3555 or Toll free: 1800 015 188 (country callers)
4. Making rights reality for sexual assault survivors with a cognitive impairment
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Making Rights Reality is a program to increase access to the criminal justice system for people who have been sexually assaulted and have a cognitive impairment and/or communication difficulties. It offers clients support through police investigation, prosecution and crimes compensation processes.
The service provides crisis care, counselling, advocacy, legal information and advice, and support through the justice process. Communication support, attendant care or transport is provided as needed to ensure access.
Who can access the service?
Adults living in the South Eastern region of Melbourne who have been recently sexually assaulted and have a cognitive impairment and/or communication difficulties are eligible to access the service.
Who is providing the service?
Clients are supported by the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) and the Springvale Monash Legal Service. The program is assisted by involvement of Victoria Police, the Office of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Public Advocate. Communication support and Attendant Care/Support Workers will be engaged as needed.
How can the service be accessed?
In business hours contact SECASA:
Phone: 03) 9594 2289
Email:
After hours contact Sexual Assault Crisis Line:
Phone: 1800 806 292
Email:
This program is a two year pilot service in Melbourne’s South East
region. It has been made possible through contributions from
the William Buckland Foundation, the Reichstein Foundation, Portland
House Foundation, Victorian Women’s Trust, Australian Communities
Foundation, the Victorian Government and other private donors.
Information courtesy of SECASA
http://www.secasa.com.au/index.php/secasa/47/461
5. Violence prevention in Swedish disability settings
Women with Disabilities Victoria recently received a visit from representatives of Sweden’s “Double Exposure” Development Center, Ewa Fransson and Kerstin Kristensen. Their mission is to improve knowledge of violence against women with disabilities.
Double Disadvantage
The name of their Center, “Double Exposure,” echoes the 2003 Report “Double Triple Disadvantage: Out of Sight, Out of Mind” by Chris Jennings.
Women with disabilities face a double disadvantage: as women they
are discriminated against on the basis of gender, and as people they are discriminated against on the basis of their disability. p.11
Improving understandings
Ewa explained, “If we can... improve our understanding (of violence against women with disabilities), our capacity for action will also increase. This applies both to women with disabilities and to everyone who comes into contact with women who are subject to violence.”
For this reason, the Center is linking with municipal disability service providers across Sweden. They are developing training sessions and activities that will improve understandings of violence with a prevention focus.
Aims of the Center
• work prophylactically to reduce the numbers of new cases where women with disabilities are exposed to violence,
• offer further training for professionals and spearhead efforts to achieve a more holistic perspective in existing educational programs,
• support further development of the existing crisis support for women with disabilities and support other organizations for women with disabilities.
The target groups of the Development Center are women with disabilities, and personnel who work with women with disabilities in various ways (including social services, health care, research, and women shelters).
Information about the Center is at: http://www.dubbeltutsatt.se/service/english/
Thank you to Ewa Fransson and Kerstin Kristensen for visiting Women with Disabilities and sharing your work with us. Thank you to Dr Patsie Frawley for facilitating the visit.
“Double Triple Disadvantage: Out of Sight, Out of Mind”
This powerful report influenced our understanding of violence against women with disabilities.
“More often than not, women with disabilities live in a state of poverty. They are
dependent on government pensions, are offered limited access to education,
lack access to appropriate information on rights, experience a lack of choice in
housing and transport, may be dependent on others for self-care, and live
restricted social lives. It is this deprivation of experience and opportunity, and
level of social and political discrimination, that renders women with disabilities
more vulnerable to violence, rather than any actual experience of an
‘impairment’.” Chris Jennings, p12.
It features the stories of women with disabilities. This is, “A Story About Me.”
“There were occasions when I wouldn’t want to do something, so he would take
my wheelchair away so I’d have no choice. I guess that gave him a huge sense
of power. He would often leave me sitting in the car while he went into a shop
as it was ‘quicker’. I believed that he didn’t get how that made me feel, or if he
did he wanted that power.” p6.
The report can be viewed at: http://www.wwda.org.au/triple1.pdf
6. Women with disabilities invited to sow the seeds of change with DVRCV
Sowing the Seeds of Change is a project aimed at getting women with disabilities involved in examining and addressing the issue of family violence. Domestic Violence Resource Centre (DVRCV) is leading this project with funding received from the Victorian Women`s Trust.
DVRCV are looking to recruit a group of women with disabilities to develop their knowledge of family violence and its effects on women with disabilities.
Participants will be supported to enhance and develop project management and communication skills.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop and organize a forum which addresses this issue and brings together women with disabilities and community sector workers.
There will be plenty to discuss, as illustrated by this quote from a new UK publication.
“No one ever deserves it…you need to feel you`re worth something different. Say to yourself that you are worth more. That is so hard for disabled women, what with all the stuff about women being perfect and beautiful”
Thiara et al, (2012), “Disabled Women and Domestic Violence”
Workshop One:
Wednesday April 4th
10:00am to 3:00pm
@ Ross House, Flinders Street, Melbourne
Subsequent workshops in May and early June, with forum held in late June
For more information contact:
Philippa Bailey
Domestic Violence Resource Centre
9486 9866
7. Would you like more information on Family Violence?
More information and resources about family violence is available through:
Domestic Violence Victoria: http://www.dvvic.org.au/
Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria: http://www.dvirc.org.au/
8. Contributions, subscriptions and feedback to this newsletter
Contact: Jen Hargrave, Policy Officer – Violence Against Women with Disabilities
Women with Disabilities Victoria, Level 8, 255 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Subscribe via email or via the web:
Email:
Web: www.wdv.org.au
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