Helping more women, in more places, in more languages + sooner  

OUTREACH SERVICES

Bonnie’s New Drop-In Service

In 2016 we started a drop in service at Liverpool Women’s Health Centre so more women can easily and confidentially receive guidance from expert domestic violence workers.

Expert support in the early stages of any life problem can make all the difference. Sometimes this might be as simple as a woman having the opportunity to simply talk it through to realise what’s going on and to accept that a problem exists.

Women can be reluctant to visit a domestic violence service like our refuge – sometimes because they don’t want their partner to know, or sometimes because they’re not really sure they are experiencing domestic abuse. The woman just knows that something is not right in her relationship.

Offering a drop in service at the Health Centre’s Safety Hub means we’re available in a place where women are already comfortable to go. It’s a familiar place where they feel safe and accepted.

The Health Centre is a neutral place, with GPs, health nurses, acupuncture and many other services. Care takes place on many levels and no one knows why the woman is visiting or what information she is seeking.

We welcome all women, at all stages of relationships.

Our new outreach service helps women make good choices early. Choices to keep them and their children safe and have the life they deserve.

If you have a friend or relative who is in a relationship where ‘something’s not right’, you might suggest our service as the first step to safety. No appointments necessary

Liverpool Women’s Health Centre
26 Bathurst St Liverpool NSW (across from Westfield)
Phone: 02 9601 3555
Days: Monday, Thursday and Friday (closed 1-2pm)

Multi-language services

It’s important to us that we are accessible to all women, regardless of the language she speaks.

We’re proud of our diverse staff (speaking 13 languages at last count!).

We also facilitate women’s groups in Hindi/Urdu and Vietnamese so women have the ease of communicating in their own language and accessing information and support on a whole range of well-being issues. There’s also the friendship of course and the conversation. Every woman needs her women friends, yes?

Hindi/ Urdu speaking group

This is a community care initiative from Bonnie’s, a weekly women’s health group.

All women of all ages who speak Hindi or Urdu are welcome to come along to the group for morning tea, singing, and talking about health.

Friday 10-1, Liverpool Women’s Health Centre

Vietnamese women’s group

We partner with CORE to provide this vibrant community group for Vietnamese women. It’s run by one of Bonnie’s specialists in working with women.

Rapid Response

Domestic violence doesn’t stop on the weekend and neither do we.

Thanks to the Domestic Violence Response Enhancement funding, together with Vinnies we have been able to develop Rapid Response for the South west Sydney area. This means we can now provide crisis response support for women outside of business hours.

The needs of these women are complex and their situations can be very dangerous. Now from 5pm on Friday to 9am Monday, we can make sure that women and children escaping domestic violence during these times can get immediate support.

We are working with DV Line and Link2Home to provide a response to these women and children within two hours to assess their immediate safety and needs.

We are now available any time of the day or night.

Help us to help them sooner – remember to refer

DV Line 1800 65 64 63  Link2home 1800 152 152

Early intervention, prevention + education

Often women can feel like they have no choice.  But just knowing the options and having all the information can be so empowering – that’s why we are so passionate about going out in to the community to reach women where they are.

Reaching young people is the best way to go about prevention so we partner with other organisations to coordinate events and give expert healthy relationships advice through White Ribbon activities and talking at schools.

We are also focusing on reaching CALD communities. Often women coming from a different background aren’t aware of the many supports available to them. By getting that basic information out there – what is domestic violence? What does it look like? What is the law? And providing information on what the options are, we are bringing the conversation to them and letting women know where they can turn for support or to talk. One of the organisations we’re working with now is Navitas. This is a global education provider and we’re speaking to the CALD students about domestic violence in Australia.