The Family Domestic Abuse and Violence Working Group is a community service project of Rotary District 9455. Its aim is to promote and strengthen Rotary’s responses to domestic violence through:
- Raising awareness and promoting understanding within Rotary of FDAV
- Linking like-minded Rotarians to improve synergies between projects and initiatives
- Advocating for and promoting new initiatives
- Collaborating with other Rotary initiatives in District 9455 that have an impact on FDAV
- Building and maintaining relationships with the service sector to ensure that Rotary’s actions are appropriate and targeted to where they are needed most, both locally and across WA.
A key issue for the support groups is continuing staff development, particularly in rural and remote areas where the burden of family and domestic violence falls most heavily. Staff need development to provide informed, effective and efficient services to a very vulnerable group of people.
The Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) conference ‘Bringing Children And Young People Into View’ will be held in Fremantle September 13-15. It is designed to strengthen policy and practice responses for children and young people experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence.
“A key issue for the support groups is continuing staff development, particularly in rural and remote areas where the burden of family and domestic violence falls most heavily.”
However, this is out of reach of many FDV sector workers in funded not-for-profit services in rural and remote areas as services do not receive funding for staff development. To support the sector the FDV Collective is promoting a Rotary scholarship to support a remote area FDV worker to attend.
The Rotary Clubs of Karrinyup and North Perth have collaborated to sponsor Pilbara social worker and coordinator counsellor Fay Mcinnes from the Nintirri Centre to attend. The centre provides counselling, support and prevention programs to raise awareness and reduce incidence of family and domestic violence.
Fay, who has diverse training in community work, aged care, mental health and youth work, is based in Tom Price but works right across the South West Pilbara, an identified at-risk area. The Rotary scholarship will enable Fay to attend the conference and strengthen her capacity to serve in her vocation assisting this vulnerable community.
For further information contact Kay Durrant, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Karrinyup, via durrant@wn.com.au or 0419 931 899.