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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


CALD Communities Leading Prevention Stream

The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Projects with Action Research (CALD PAR) initiative is funded by the Department of Social Services and continues until November 2019.

Through this initiative, ANROWS is assisting 26 organisations across Australia to apply an action research approach to their projects that work with culturally and linguistically diverse CALD communities on issues of family and domestic violence. This approach supports organisations to collect valuable information during the life of the project, evaluate the effectiveness of their activities and share findings and lessons for future practice.

Below are the project summaries of the 18 projects that are focusing on the prevention of violence against women and their children in local communities. Eight projects aim to create safer pathways for women and their children to access mainstream crisis and support services.


CALD Communities Leading Prevention Stream

  • Companion House (ACT)
    A Celebration of Culture and Respect
  • Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT (ACT)
    Men’s Outreach Workshops (MOW)
  • Asian Women at Work Sisters in Strength (NSW)
    SiSters (Sharing in Strength)
  • Boronia Multicultural Services (NSW) 
    Let’s take the Lead – Keeping our women, children and community safe
  • Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW (NSW)
    Men Against Violence
  • South West Sydney Legal Centre (NSW)
    Creating Connections in Schools to Empower CALD Communities
  • SydWest Multicultural Services
    Domestic Violence Prevention Project
  • Western Sydney Local Health District / Multicultural Health Sydney (NSW)
    “Rich cultures should have Rich relationships”: Primary prevention domestic violence project with Sudanese and Punjabi communities in Western Sydney
  • South’s Community Hub (QLD)
    Free of violence – Community to all
  • Relationships Australia South Australia (SA)
    The Good Life
  • Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health (VIC)
    Mutual Relational Respect
  • Australian Greek Welfare (Pronia) (VIC)
    Let’s make respect a reality
  • Centre for Holistic Health (VIC)
    Facilitating Responsible and Non-Stigmatising Attitudes and Practices Towards Domestic Violence in the Chinese Community
  • Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services (VIC)
    Healthy Multicultural Families
  • VICSEG New Futures (VIC)
    Cultural Playgroups in Diverse Communities – Promoting Family and Community Safety
  • Wellsprings for Women (VIC)
    Women’s Health and Safety Program
  • Women’s Health in the North (VIC)
    Side By Side
  • Save the Children (WA)
    Strength 2 Strength

A Celebration of Culture and Respect

Project Name A Celebration of Culture and Respect
Organisation Companion House
Website www.companionhouse.org.au
Key Contact Name Glenn Flanagan
Phone Number (02) 6251 4550
Email glenn.flanagan@companionhouse.org.au
CALD communities Young people from refugee backgrounds (Karen, Hazara and others).
Geographic location Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Key partnerships Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Project duration November 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raise community awareness; develop prevention messages and resources informed by community consultations; share prevention messages.
Project Summary The aim of this project is to work with young people from refugee backgrounds to create and share messages that value cultural identities, promote respectful relationships and prevent family violence.

Companion House will facilitate a series of workshops with young people (focusing on young men, and including young women) to build messages of respect and prevention of family violence. Young people will advise on creating resources using these messages and will share these resources at community events.

Action research The project’s action research activities will include observation, compiling a project story, feedback questionnaires, project worker journals and participant reflection.

Men’s Outreach Workshops (MOW)

Project Name Men’s Outreach Workshops (MOW)
Organisation Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS) of the ACT
Website www.marss.org.au
Key Contact Name Dewani Bakkum
Phone Number (02) 6248 8577
Email mss@marss.org.au
CALD communities Karen, Afghan, Iraqi, Iranian, Mon, Indian, Sri Lankan communities and communities from Sudan, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh.
Geographic location Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Key partnerships Department of Social Services (DSS); ANROWS; Domestic Violence Crisis Support (DVCS); Relationships Australia; Families ACT; Australian Federal Police (AFP); Menslink; and Everyman and Toora, Community leaders.
Project duration July 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Education; community awareness; workshops.
Project Summary The Men’s Outreach Workshop (MOW) focuses on community awareness and educational measures to prevent and combat domestic and family violence among CALD communities in Canberra. The MOW addresses the need for a gender-specific domestic and family violence (DFV) initiative in this area. The men in the workshop will be selected with the support of the community leaders from CALD communities in Canberra.

The MOW will help participants to develop knowledge and awareness of the issues to establish a context to initiate the conversation within their own communities and mainstream communities and contribute to the reduction of DFV.

The workshops will look at a variety of issues in reference to DFV. These issues include:

  • Domestic and family violence: address the drivers of domestic and family violence; inequality, gender and power relations.
  • Relationships Australia: focusing on respectful relationships and domestic violence.
  • Reframing masculinity: why reconstructing men’s lives and relations should be a key focus of violence preventative work.
  • Menslink: based on their “Silence is Deadly” program this workshop will also focus on speaking out against domestic and family violence in the community.
  • Prevention and practice: the human cost of violence and empowering non-violent men to prevent violence against women.
Action research The program will conduct community consultations to discuss the initiative, understand the specific needs in each community in relation to domestic and family violence, and agree on evaluation methods.

SiSters (Sharing in Strength)

Project Name SiSters (Sharing in Strength)
Organisation Asian Women at Work Inc
Website www.awatw.org.au
Key Contact Name Lina Cabaero
Phone Number 0407 841 010
Email Coordinator@awatw.org.au
CALD communities Chinese, Vietnamese and Filipino.
Geographic location New South Wales.
Key partnerships Philippine-Australian Community Services Inc (PACSI)
Project duration February 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raising community awareness; training; community consultations.
Project Summary SISters (Sharing In Strength) aims to support women with sponsored partner visa status by providing comprehensive, accessible information about visa status to them and the wide range of people who may have professional contacts with them, such as teachers, health and community workers, legal contacts and others.

The SISters project includes: the production of a partner visa information kit with information about partner visa rights and regulations; safe referral and reporting pathways information; participatory activities to use when working with women on sponsored partner visas; and training workshops for community workers and others working with women on sponsored partnervisas.

Action research Asian Women at Work Inc (AWAW) will use a project reference group with representatives from appropriate community organisations, such as PACSI, TAFE and health providers, to trial all aspects of the project, including the information kit, training activities and community worker workshops. The project will collect user feedback through a questionnaire to support workers and support contacts (e.g. teachers). AVAW will use this feedback from trials to adjust project content and activities.

The project will compile documentation and report on questionnaires and other feedback to contribute to an evidence base regarding the experience and needs of women on sponsored partner visas.


Let’s take the Lead – Keeping our women, children and community safe

Project Name Let’s take the Lead – Keeping our women, children and community safe
Organisation Boronia Multicultural Services Inc
Website www.bms.org.au
Key Contact Name Bernadette Agyepong
Phone Number (02) 9631 1777
Email manager@bms.org.au
CALD communities South Asian and Afghan communities.
Geographic location Cities of Parramatta and Cumberland, New South Wales.
Key partnerships Parramatta and Cumberland Domestic Violence Network.
Project duration March 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Community consultations; raising community awareness of gender inequality and healthy relationships; workshop; building links with support services.
Project Summary The project focuses on primary prevention strategies in preventing and reducing violence against women and children. The gendered nature of values, beliefs, roles and responsibilities can result in a power hierarchy within the family unit as well as the communities’ acceptance of this hierarchy as the norm. Strategies have been developed to address these set beliefs and attitudes so that gender equality can be viewed from a more level plane by both genders.

The strategies that will be implemented would empower women, men and young people with: the right information; knowledge and understanding about healthy and unhealthy relationships; positive communication and negotiation; and mutual respect between the genders.

These strategies will develop participants’ skills in discerning attitudes and behaviours that support violence against women and their confidence in taking appropriate and effective action. The project will actively engage men in organising a White Ribbon event and taking the White Ribbon pledge, and engage the community in a dialogue on sexism and rigid gender stereotypes, which encourage violence against women.

Action research We will be conducting pre- and post-workshop attitudinal surveys to gauge changes in attitude and behaviour before and after the workshops.

Men Against Violence

Project Name Men Against Violence
Organisation Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW
Website www.eccnsw.org.au
Key Contact Name Fadi Nemme
Phone Number (02) 9319 0288
Email Fadi.nemme@eccnsw.org.au
CALD communities Communities with Arabic and Punjabi speaking backgrounds.
Geographic location Auburn, Bankstown, Blacktown and Parramatta, New South Wales.
Key partnerships Health services; Domestic violence services; Legal centres; Law enforcement; Community leaders; and Faith and religious leaders.
Project duration April 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raising men’s awareness; empowering men from CALD backgrounds; establishing an advisory committee; recruiting and providing training for wellbeing connectors; providing training for wellbeing connectors (WB); developing a toolkit.
Project Summary The Men Against Violence (MAV) project aims to engage wellbeing connectors (WB) to empower men from CALD backgrounds (Arabic & Punjabi) to become the pipeline for change that will challenge current perception towards domestic violence (DV) in their community.

Men from Arabic and Punjabi speaking communities will be trained as WBs to facilitate meaningful conversations with other men in their own communities. These WBs will facilitate conversations in both small groups and with individuals. Conversations will be held during men’s activities and at meeting places that men regularly frequent for example, gathering in tea/coffee houses, sports events, social activities and at places of prayer.

Support will also be extended to NSW Police and courts through the provision of WB bilingual DV support officers for cultural expertise and assistance during charging or police interaction in court or at a police station.

Action research Action research methods will include: conversations with participants; a survey: workshops; photos; feedback from wellbeing connectors; advice and direction from the advisory committee; ANROWS workshops; and working with other partnerships.

Domestic Violence Prevention Project

Project Name Domestic Violence Prevention Project
Organisation SydWest Multicultural Services
Website www.sydwestms.org.au
Key Contact Name Maryam Zahid (CALD Domestic Violence Project Officer)
Phone Number (02) 9621 6633
Email Maryam.zahid@sydwestms.org.au
CALD communities Afghan, Indian and South Sudanese communities.
Geographic location Blacktown local government area (LGA), New South Wales.
Key partnerships Ethnic Communities Council NSW; Service for the Treatment And Rehabilitation of Trauma and Torture Survivors (STARTTS); White Ribbon; Blacktown Police; Blacktown Women’s and Girl’s Health Centre; NSW Department of Justice; Aryana Defence Lawyers; and Indian (Sub-Continental) Crisis & Support Agency.
Project duration February 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Community ambassadors.
Project Summary SydWest has been working in the Blacktown local government area (LGA) and surrounding Western Sydney area for more than 30 years. The organisation has developed deep links and knowledge to understand the needs of and to connect with the Indian, Afghan and Sudanese communities. The project will recruit and train volunteers from the target ethnic-groups to become community ambassadors (CAs) and undertake leadership and special DV training to develop their skills of advocacy, facilitation and culture change. It is expected that they will then recruit and support people in the community and contribute to behaviour-change. The project will involve 6-9 individuals as community ambassadors with 2-3 male and female ambassadors from each of the communities.

The outcomes of the project include:

  •  Outcome 1: Emerging/community leaders gain knowledge and skills to deliver prevention of violence against women (PVAW) messages and work within their communities.
  • Outcome 2: A network of Afghan, Indian and South Sudanese community leaders and organisations; and regular engagement and peer support for growth and sustainability – this outcome extends beyond the life of the project.
  • Outcome 3: Keep women and families safe and educated; help women to become empowered to act and make changes; support community leaders to change the dominant ideology; and work towards a positive and respectful community living free from violence.
Action research The action research activities will include observation by the advisory committee, feedback questionnaires, pre- and post-community workshops and analysing partnership connections.

The project will develop a resource kit based on:

  • customised community ambassadors (CA’s) training;
  • Legal Aid NSW’s Charmed & Dangerous publication, to support CA’s community engagement with culturally appropriate, translated resource (Legal Aid is about to publish this in Arabic and Dari Farsi versions).

The resource kit will include posters, brochures, AV resources and presentations. The project will translate the information into the relevant community languages.


Creating Connections in Schools to Empower CALD Communities

Project Name Creating Connections in Schools to Empower CALD Communities
Organisation South West Sydney Legal Centre
Website www.swslc.org.au
Key Contact Name Elly Raffo
Phone Number 0419 494 680
Email elly@swslc.org.au
CALD communities CALD women & children
Geographic location South West Sydney – Ingleburn & Villawood
Key partnerships 2 local public schools
Project duration March 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raise community awareness through education groups with CALD women, children and school staff to challenge attitudes and behaviours that support gender inequality and violence against women and children.
Project Summary Creating Connections in Schools to Empower CALD Communities is a partnership project between South West Sydney Legal Centre Domestic Violence Services, and two local primary school. The project aims to empower parents and students from local CALD communities to become advocates in the prevention of violence against women and children.

A Mothers as Mentors group will be established at each public school. The focus of this group will be to empower women in developing leadership and mentoring skills to become change advocates in their communities. Tailored education workshops with the Mothers as Mentors group aim to raise awareness of the attitudes, behaviours and gender stereotypes that support violence against women and children.

School staff and teachers will participate in training workshops on understanding gendered violence and the impact of trauma on child development. Age appropriate workshops will be delivered for children focusing on gender equality and respectful relationships.

Action Research The most likely method for this project ( at this time ) is feedback questionnaire from the women in the Mothers as Mentors group. This may be strengthened from observations and stories from the journey of women’s group by the facilitator.

“Rich cultures should have Rich relationships”: Primary prevention domestic violence project with Sudanese and Punjabi communities in Western Sydney

Project Name “Rich cultures should have Rich relationships”: Primary prevention domestic violence project with Sudanese and Punjabi communities in Western Sydney
Organisation Western Sydney Local Health District/Multicultural Health
Website www.wslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Multicultural-Health
Key Contact Name Dipti Zachariah
Phone Number (02) 8838 2173
Email Dipti.zachariah@health.nsw.gov.au
CALD communities Punjabi and South Sudanese communities.
Geographic location Western Sydney – Blacktown, Parramatta and Penrith, New South Wales.
Key partnerships Harman Foundation; Nuba Mountains Community Women’s Group; and Spiritual Revaluation Centre (SRS).
Project duration February 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Develop communities’ conceptual understanding of DFV; lead by communities; investing in the sustainability of project activities.
Project Summary The project is a partnership model between Multicultural Health Services Western Sydney Local Health District, the Punjabi community (Harman Foundation) and the Sudanese community (Nuba Mountains group, Spiritual Revaluation Centre). The major aim of the project is for the communities to lead the development of resources that are appropriate and sustainable in their efforts to prevent domestic violence (DV).

The project intends to:

  • develop communities’ conceptual understanding and recognition of domestic violence (DV) within the context of culture, gender, generational differences and social changes and their impact on individuals and communities;
  • build communities’ capacity in the planning, development and management of appropriate community driven DV awareness and prevention initiatives; and
  • develop culturally appropriate resources/interventions in partnership with the community.
Action Research The project will use a community based participatory action research approach (Advancement Project, 2011) in which the community is an equal partner to address DV with Sudanese and Punjabi communities in Western Sydney. Health staff have established meaningful links with both communities to secure the engagement of their leaders and members in the project. Community members will be involved at all stages of the project – from design to resource development, implementation and sustainability.

Bilingual/bicultural community members (BBCM) will conduct focus groups with community members to identify the sociocultural context for and perceptions of DV. This information will be analysed and used to design DV awareness and intervention resources based on communities’ views, these may include but are not limited to resources, programs, audio-visuals, positive behavioural mandates and tailored messages for each community.


Free of violence – Community to all

Project Name Free of violence – Community to all
Organisation South’s Community Hub Inc
Website www.schi.org.au
Key Contact Name Seblework Tadesse
Phone Number 0428 038 643
Email southcommunityhub@outlook.com
CALD communities Eritrean, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Somalian, Burundian, Congolese and Rwandan.
Geographic location Brisbane, Queensland.
Key partnerships Ethnic community associations; religious leaders (Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox church, Ethiopian, Eritrea protestant church); CLG group; MDA; RAILS; Inala community House; communify QLD; PCYC; QPAST; African Australian women associations; and Queensland Police Service.
Project duration Nov 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words 1. Raise community awareness
2. Facilitation of peer support groups for men
3. Development of community and service educational resources
4. Delivery of community forums annually
5. Delivery of cultural competency training and ongoing consultative support for service providers.
Project Summary The ‘Free of Violence – Community (FOVC) to all’ project, delivered by SCH, aims to equip the targeted community to address the culture of change that community members are experiencing following arrival in Brisbane, with a specific focus on the  presence of domestic and family violence.

Through consultation, connection and collaboration between community members and service providers the project will facilitate access to and development of mainstream programs that are culturally appropriate and targeted whilst also increasing community awareness and understanding of the attitudes and behaviors that lead to violence to facilitate community-driven and long-term change.

A project worker, based in the South Community Hub, will achieve the above objectives through the: facilitation of a peer support groups for men; development of an online video resource in different languages; delivery of community forums annually with community and religious leaders; and cultural competency training.

Action Research The program will gather information from target community through community conversations for men and women, observation, feedback questionnaires and pre- and post-project community workshops.

The Good Life

Project Name The Good Life
Organisation Relationships Australia SA (RASA)
Website https://www.rasa.org.au/
Key Contact Name Enaam Oudih
Phone Number 08) 8245 8100 or 0418 824 739
Email e.oudih@rasa.org.au
CALD communities African communities.
Geographic location Adelaide metropolitan suburbs, South Australia.
Key partnerships Ethno-specific community organisations; African Women’s Federation African Communities Council; African workers from the child protection area; migrant women; Women’s Safety Services SA; African social workers from within Government; NGOs; Education Department; FDR practitioners; White Ribbon ambassadors; Police; Faith leaders; and other community leaders where African communities gather, shop and learn about their culture and language.

Mainstream services within RASA, Anglicare, SHINE SA and women’s legal services will be involved to develop referral pathways and assess workers’ learning needs.

Project duration March 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words This project aims to explore the understanding of domestic and family conflict within the African communities in Adelaide. In addition, it aims to meaningfully engage with key stakeholders and leaders of the community to drive sustainable changes in community awareness, attitudes and behaviours that lead to or contribute to violence against women and their children. It will also promote existing available support services.
Project Summary This project aims to explore the understanding of domestic and family conflict within the African communities in Adelaide. In addition, it aims to meaningfully engage with key stakeholders and leaders of the community to drive sustainable changes in community awareness, attitudes and behaviours that lead to or contribute to violence against women and their children. It will also promote existing available support services.
Action Research The project will employ a number of methods depending on the purpose of the activity.

  • Focus groups will be used to identify attitudes associated with family violence. The focus groups will be managed by two people: one that facilitates the group and one that records data about the discussions and ideas. Content from discussions will be used when designing training packages.
  • Pre- and post-questionnaires will be used when training packages are delivered to positive change agents. Two focus groups following the training will examine participants’ contribution and experiences when addressing the issues within their network.
  • A photographic essay or a video will be developed to capture the feedback from members of the general African communities.

Mutual Relational Respect

Project Name Mutual Relational Respect
Organisation Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health Inc. (ACHRH)
Website www.achrh.org
Key Contact Name Dr Manjula O’Connor
Phone Number 0419 354 482
Email manjud@bigpond.com
CALD communities South Asian communities.
Geographic location Melbourne Dandenong, Point Cook and Broadmeadows.
Key partnerships Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Telegu communities; Hare Krishna Temple; Dandenong Indian Sen Citizens Association; Victoria University; and AMES skilled South Asian migrants settlement program.
Project duration January 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raise community awareness; engaging with key stakeholders and the local CALD community; sustainable changes in community awareness, attitudes and behaviours; utilising a culturally relevant approach; promoting existing support available within local CALD communities.
Project Summary Utilising a culturally responsive approach, the Mutual Relational Respect (MRR) project, aims to raise community awareness about the nature of family domestic violence and its social drivers as identified in our previous action research with the South Asian community. The methodology consists of interactive workshops that use case scenarios based on real-life stories. The participants have the opportunity to discuss and share knowledge around socially accepted boundaries between male and female friends, positive parenting and bringing up girl children in Australia. MRR respects the migrant’s previous wealth of life experiences. Participants get a chance to explore their own cultural values in relation to that of mainstream cultural values in Australia around gender relations using adult learning principles. Through recognising that a happy family is the basis of a strong community, MRR workshops help to develop the community capacity of South Asian communities with the purpose of building social cohesion and the capacity to promote respect.
Action Research The project will be evaluated by Effective Change, an independent company that has been appointed by ACHRH to evaluate MRR. A steering committee has been formed to help liaise with the six South Asian communities, and to recruit participants. All steering committee meetings have been recorded. The recruitment of facilitators from the same six communities is underway. Ten community volunteers have been recruited and have participated in five training sessions, lasting three hours each. Observation notes were prepared from each training session.

In addition, three cases have been prepared that will form the basis of discussions in interactive workshops. A short, plain English post-training questionnaire has been developed using a five-point Likert-type scale to measure instant satisfaction. A gender attitude scale has been developed and will be administered pre- and post-workshop. There will be rapid “reaction” discussions with a sample of participants directly after most training sessions, to ask about their reactions to and impressions of the session. Six post-training focus groups will be conducted. An analysis of partnerships will be conducted, with the goal of maintaining on-going relationships for further work with the same communities to help stop family and domestic violence.

Each workshop will be followed by reflections and observations by the two project leaders and discussed with Effective Change. Any change required for the project will be recorded and evaluated.


Let’s make respect a reality

Project Name Let’s make respect a reality
Organisation Pronia
Website www.pronia.com.au
Key Contact Name Dimitri Bouras
Phone Number (03) 9388 9998
Email dimitrib@gronia.com.au
CALD communities Greek speaking.
Geographic location Melbourne, Victoria.
Key partnerships Greek community schools; Alpha Childcare; and Greek Federation of Elderly Citizens.
Project duration January 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Community-based research; community education; engagement; partnerships with mainstream services; counselling; resource development
Project Summary PRONIA aims to educate the community on the nature of respectful relationships. Such relationships are the foundation of families free of any form of domestic violence. A leading organisation in the provision of CALD appropriate community education, PRONIA, aims to provide an innovative, multi-purpose project to CALD Communities, which will take the form of: community education; engagement and partnership with other established mainstream services; the development of sustainable resources; individual support; counselling; and research.

This project aims to engage with the Greek-speaking population of Melbourne’s northern suburbs. The project aims to deliver educational seminars and activities to community members of all ages ranging from early childhood and adolescents and upwards. It will also work to ensure prevention, awareness and intervention for parents and elderly citizens, within the two year funding period.

Action Research The project aims to have community members and stakeholders direct the process, in the sense that knowledge is produced based on their own experiences. The community members will organically define the priorities of the appraisal, as well as the collection, analysis and interpretation of data through-out the project.

Facilitating Responsible and Non-Stigmatising Attitudes and Practices Towards Domestic Violence in the Chinese Community

Project Name Facilitating Responsible and Non-Stigmatising Attitudes and Practices Towards Domestic Violence in the Chinese Community
Organisation Centre for Holistic Health
Website www.Chh.org.au
Key Contact Name Ada Poon, Service Coordinator
Phone Number (03) 8806 7532
Email Ada.poon@chh.org.au
CALD communities Chinese-speaking communities.
Geographic location Local government areas (LGAs) in the Eastern region of Victoria: Boroondara; Knox; Manningham; Monash; Whitehorse; and Maroondah.
Key partnerships Victoria Legal Aid; Victoria Police; Link Health and Community; and Relationships Australia.
Project duration November 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Raising knowledge and awareness of domestic violence (DV) and support resources; promoting and enhancing a healthy and safe family, harmonious relationship and sense of accountability for harming behaviours and consequences; enhancing families’ capacity to manage negative emotions, handle conflicts and risks; facilitate a network and partnership with key stakeholders to enhance a proactive response towards DV.
Project Summary The project adopts a 3-level Step Care Model integrating prevention, early intervention and community capacity building to promote culturally relevant understanding of domestic violence and support Chinese-speaking individuals and families who are at risk of domestic violence. Objectives include:

  1. Raising the community’s knowledge and awareness of DV and its relevant community resources.
  2. Reducing cultural stigma and encouraging help-seeking for formal services.
  3. Enhancing individuals’ and families’ capacity to manage negative emotions, conflicts and risks concerning DV.
Action Research Activities will include:

  • Pre- and post-questionnaires: to compare the differences/changes after the program inputs/intervention. The areas to be compared will include awareness, knowledge, skills, perception, attitude, confidence and relationship. Participants of seminars, workshops, groups and training will be asked to do a pre-questionnaire before they attend the program, and they will be asked to do the post-questionnaire. We will then analyse the data collected from the questionnaires and produce a report.
  • Feedback questionnaires: to collect participants, community leaders and volunteers’ feedback about the activities delivered during the program.
  • Focus groups: we will invite participants to attend focus groups to share their experience, insights and changes after attending the programs. Their feedback and comments about the project and program will inform our report and activities.

Healthy Multicultural Families

Project Name Healthy Multicultural Families
Organisation Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services (LCMS)
Website www.lcms.org.au
Key Contact Name David Hale / Rose Vincent
Phone Number (03) 5441 6644
Email dhale@lcms.org.au
CALD communities Karen and Afghani communities.
Geographic location Bendigo, Victoria.
Key partnerships Centre for Non-Violence.
Project duration November 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Community workshops.
Project Summary In partnership with newly emerging communities in Bendigo, LCMS will run workshops with parents to collectively explore questions of gender roles and approaches to dealing with conflict and stress. Through open-ended conversations, we hope to develop a shared understanding with groups of men and women from each community looking at: what works for parents and what doesn’t, and what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Workshops will be facilitated by bilingual workers trained in best practice family violence interventions.

We are seeking to work with 30-40 Karen and Afghan families over the course of this primary prevention project. We are working to increase the skills of parents to deal with difficult circumstances, and to raise awareness of the effects of violence. By doing so, we believe that together we can meaningfully increase gender equity and reduce communities’ tolerance for domestic violence.

Action Research The project is being designed in partnership with the communities we are working with. Our bilingual workers will lead our initiatives, while group discussions with community members will determine the structure and content of each workshop.

Action research will be used throughout the project to help apply lessons to steer sessions from workshop to workshop. Participants will complete pre- and post-workshop questionnaires to assess attitude changes and retention of key messages. Stories of Most Significant Change (MSC) will be used to monitor and evaluate program impact across the duration of the project.


Cultural Playgroups in Diverse Communities – Promoting Family and Community Safety

Project Name Cultural Playgroups in Diverse Communities – Promoting Family and Community Safety
Organisation VICSEG New Futures
Website www.vicsegnewfutures.org.au
Key Contact Name Colleen Turner
Phone Number 0427 437 324
Email cturner@vicsegnewfutures.org.au
CALD communities The program will operate in 29 playgroups across the Northern and Western Suburbs of Melbourne. Some of those groups are culturally and linguistically specific, and others are multicultural. Some of the cultural groups are South Sudanese, Karen and Chin Burmese, Tamil, Indian, Arabic (including Syria), Iraqi and Vietnamese.

Participants are mothers of pre-school children primarily within 10 years of arrival in Australia.

Geographic location Northern and Western Suburbs of Melbourne including Hume, Whittlesea, Darebin, Wyndham, Maribyrnong , Brimbank and Melton.
Key partnerships Community Hub schools in Brimbank; Other primary schools hosting playgroups across the seven unicipalities; Local Governments; Best Start Partnerships, Maternal and Child Health; Kindergartens; and Family Violence networks and agencies in the northern and western Suburbs – in particular, Women’s Health West and Berry Street.

This project has supported VICSEG to further develop our relationships with family violence networks in each catchment

Project duration February 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Playgroups; family violence; respectful relationships; parenting.
Project Summary The project is providing opportunities for CALD women who are mothers or carers of preschool-aged children to gain support from their own cultural and language communities about sensitive family matters including family violence (FV). The project will implement and continue a series of facilitated conversations in playgroups that support and enable mothers to develop their understanding of respectful relationships.

The conversations will be conducted in English and a range of community languages including Hindi, Dinka, Arabic, Assyrian Chaldean and Tamil. The project refers women who disclose FV or other issues and concern to the appropriate agencies. These conversations will continue for the life of the project. Participants will choose the directions conversations take. To date, this process has supported the introduction of concepts that are new to some women including financial and emotional abuse.

Existing playgroups for diverse communities in the five targeted municipalities, currently an average of three playgroups in each municipality, will participate in the project.

Action Research The project is in the process of documenting the development of the project and the issues it raises for vulnerable CALD women. Up to half of the conversations conducted in playgroups relating to respectful relationships and parenting are being documented with the consent of participants and with the use of appropriate de–identification processes. An analysis of the documentation is an important part of the action research.

To date, a number of themes have emerged, such as the importance of holding conversations discussing, what are respectful relationships in a range of cultural contexts. Those conversations always lead to discussions about relationships that are not respectful. The playgroup participants also discuss how parenting is done and shared within their own cultural contexts.

These initial conversations have formed the basis for a second stage of the project, which will support participants to decide what information about various aspects of family violence prevention they wish to pursue. Some topics already identified include services for survivors, divorce, financial abuse and the specifics of spousal visas. The project then invites experts to present to playgroup participants on issues they have chosen.

VICSEG has found it important to empower women to choose the prevention, early intervention and intervention issues that are discussed within their playgroups.

VICSEG hopes that the documentation of cultural beliefs and values about parenting and partner relationships undertaken in this project will support and add to existing research in this under-researched area.


Women’s Health and Safety Program

Project Name Women’s Health and Safety Program
Organisation Wellsprings for Women
Website www.wellspringsforwomen.com
Key Contact Name Sandra Maudier
Phone Number (03) 9701 3740
Email sandram@wellspringsforwomen.com
CALD communities All CALD communities.
Geographic location Casey, Cardinia and Dandenong in Victoria.
Key partnerships Living & Learning Centre in Pakenham; Southern Migrant & Refugee Centre; Integrated Family Violence Partnership; Interfaith Network; Women’s Health in the South East; Enliven; Uniting Connections; InTouch; and Doveton Neighbourhood Learning Centre.
Project duration November 2017 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Developing resources; raising community awareness; referring women to culturally-appropriate services.
Project Summary The Women’s Health and Safety Program is a 2year project delivered by Wellsprings for Women in three locations across Victoria, including Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia.

The aims of the project are to:

  • develop and deliver educational workshops that raise awareness on: issues associated with gender equity, human rights and women’s rights; respectful relationships; parenting; and domestic and family violence, including early and forced marriage;
  • successfully engage with key stakeholders and local CALD communities to drive sustainable changes in attitudes and behaviours that lead to or contribute to the prevalence of violence against women and their children;
  • utilise a culturally-relevant approach to ensure that activities are appropriate and targeted; and
  • promote existing supports available within local CALD communities.

 

This program is designed to: improve women’s understanding of their own health and safety issues; the steps to take to prevent harm to themselves and their children; maintain healthy and respectful family relationships; build resilience and positive parenting skills; increase their self-reliance and self-confidence; and learn about the services available to them and how to access them.

Action Research Some of the main action research methods that the program will be using include pre- and post-program surveys, questionnaires, observations, reflections, group evaluations, one-to-one interviews and case studies.

Side By Side

Project Name Side By Side
Organisation Women’s Health In the North (WHIN)
Website www.whin.org.au
Key Contact Name Intesar Homed and Belinda O’Connor
Phone Number (03) 9484 1666
Email intesarh@whin.org.au; belindao@whin.org.au
CALD communities Communities affected by female genital cutting (FGC).
Geographic location Northern metropolitan region (NMR) of Melbourne, Victoria.
Key partnerships January 2018 – June 2020
Project duration Prevention of violence against women; family violence; respectful relationships; promote gender equality; improve community knowledge; increase community confidence; change attitudes.
Project activities – key words Prevention of violence against women; family violence; respectful relationships; promote gender equality; improve community knowledge; increase community confidence; change attitudes.
Project Summary The Side by Side project includes the development and trial of an education module to be delivered to communities that may be affected by female genital cutting. The education modules will be designed to complement existing respectful relationships education (RRE) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programs that are delivered in secondary schools, tertiary education settings and community groups. Side by Side modules will be culturally responsive, stigma-free and strongly reinforce RRE and primary prevention of violence against women messages. The project will build on WHIN’s existing “Girls Talk Health” program

The project aims to:

  • foster positive and equal relationships between community members affected by FGC;
  • reduce tolerance of gender-based violence including family violence; and
  • contribute to the elimination of the practice of FGC in the NMR of Melbourne.

 

We aim to achieve this by:

  • positively shifting community attitudes regarding SRH, FGC and gender equality;
  • increasing community knowledge of SRH, FGC and relevant services and pathways; and
  • increasing community confidence to manage their own SRH, especially where it is affected by FGC, and to access relevant services.
Action Research A “Critical Friends Group” will be established to guide the evaluation, which will include representatives from community organisations, health services and education providers.

Evaluation plans will be developed in consultation with the Critical Friends Group and may include:

  • feedback questionnaires pre- and post-whole program delivery;
  • feedback questionnaires post-individual module delivery;
  • survey of Critical Friends Group and participating
  • organisations; and
  • qualitative feedback from the above stakeholders.

Strength 2 Strength

Project Name Strength 2 Strength
Organisation Save the Children
Website www.savethechildren.org.au
Key Contact Name Danielle Winzenried
Phone Number 0438 160 244
Email danielle.winzenried@savethechildren.org.au
CALD communities Afghan, Arabic-speaking (Syrian and Iraqi), Burundian and Congolese communities.
Geographic location City of Gosnells local government area (LGA), Western Australia.
Key partnerships White Ribbon Australia; Redeemed Care Inc.; and City of Gosnells.
Project duration May 2018 – June 2020
Project activities – key words Improving knowledge and understanding; supporting development of leadership skills; developing role models; improving perceptions of masculinity and manhood; improving understanding of gendered drivers of violence; using an ecological model.
Project Summary Violence towards women is experienced by all classes, cultures and social groups across Australia. The particular social circumstances and historical contexts experienced by different cultural group’s impact on experiences and expressions of violence towards women in unique ways.

As the rate of violence against women and their children in Australia is being described as an epidemic, it is imperative that the contexts for violence against women are better explored and leveraged to ensure primary prevention initiatives can be implemented sensitively, effectively and meaningfully across all social and cultural groups.

Engaging with male community leaders, boys and young men, from three key CALD backgrounds and school groups, Save the Children is implementing an ecological model working at three levels of the local Gosnells community to examine, discuss, confront and reframe attitudes towards manhood, masculinity and violence towards women. Program engagement will include a year-long series of primary prevention workshops delivered over six months with local cultural community leaders, school-based workshops on respectful relationships and community events.

With support and guidance through partnerships with the City of Gosnells, White Ribbon Australia and Redeemed Care Inc., Save the Children’s Strength 2 Strength project will support and mentor leaders’ at all three levels in the fight against violence towards women.

Action Research The evaluation framework for the Strength 2 Strength project will include the following key components:

  • entry and exit surveys assessing values and attitudes towards the four gendered drivers of violence against women;
  • exit focus groups;
  • observations and reflections tool following each session;
  • capturing of contributions from participants during sessions; and
  • minutes of staff partnership meetings, staff progress meetings and Advisory Group meetings.
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