The WA State Government's Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Policy includes a commitment to establish two additional shelters for women. One of these shelters is the Domestic and Family Violence Women's Shelter (FDV) Kwinana (Kwinana Shelter) which will include a focus on women with. To capture further important insights into the Kwinana area and the target groups listed above, co-design activities were carried out by the Innovation Unit specific to the Kwinana shelter.
The two key activities were empathy interviews with former FDV service users and an online facilitated co-design workshop with service providers and peak body representatives. The co-design activities were limited to just one engagement with representatives of peak bodies, community service sector providers considering the impact of COVID-19 on their time and capacity, and three interviews with women with lived experience. The co-design activities for Kwinana Refuge drew on findings from the Peel Refuge co-design process to provide further insight into improving the current FDV refuge service model and service design for women with disabilities, older women, women from Aboriginal or CaLD communities and women with larger families, including older boys.
These findings represent the personal experiences of women and children who have accessed FDV refugee services. These findings represent the personal experiences of women and children who have accessed FDV refugee services.
Service User Interview Insights - Key Findings * (continued)
Service User Interview Insights - Ideas *
Enabling conditions
Cultural Intelligence
Diversity & Inclusion
Space for clients to connect with other members of the community who have been through similar circumstances would help build resilience and connection. Having someone to connect with - especially in the NDIS world is important - someone who can help people navigate the system, with an understanding of domestic violence and homelessness. Special considerations may need to be made to support women with disabilities.
With a large Sudanese population and CaLD populations, we must ensure that respect is given to other cultures, especially where older sons may assume roles within a family. Provision of translation services as required for women and children who have hearing or visual impairments. Capacity for caregivers to be on site in the refuge for women and children who need them.
Partnerships
A collaborative model that ensures that there are no barriers that allow women and their children to make a choice that meets their needs. Build on partnerships with surrounding local government areas to identify gaps and build on community assets.
Workforce
Specific support for staff in understanding the developmental needs of young people and upgrading to work with adolescents. There are Aboriginal staff working with Aboriginal women and children, including from the referral stage.
Policies & Procedures
Monitoring & Evaluation
Service components
Referral, Awareness & Access
This becomes even more complicated when the child has a trauma-based background (family violence, abuse and neglect, experience of torture and cultural displacement as a refugee) and is associated with challenging behavior or a disability and/or developmental delay. Refugee personnel do not have the required intervention and therapeutic skills to provide the necessary support. There is a lack of transitional services that provide comprehensive support and increase their confidence and resilience.
The shelters try to engage clients in services, but there are very few secondary support services available within the community and this is a challenge in itself. Many referrals involve women who have been in many shelters and have been deported or left the services. It is very difficult for a woman to access a refuge if she has recently been evicted.
Lack of beds in bed counts and other crisis referral options is a major cause or concern. Some refugees do not have funds funded for outreach or mediation to provide other forms of support. Provisions for caring for pets and systems for maintaining contact with them.
Ensure awareness and understanding of services available to those with non-English speaking backgrounds through multicultural provisions. Build more relationships in the referral system with disability services, including providing education and awareness of FDV to disability agencies. Convey a positive message to women and children with disabilities: "you are welcome, we can support you and accommodate you".
Ensure Aboriginal staff are available to work with Aboriginal women and children at the referral stage. Units must be accessible to accommodate large families to live together in a refuge, sometimes up to eight people.
Inititial Assessment
Make available a brief assessment opportunity for older women as they typically do not bring children to the shelter. Consider the timing of the assessment, assessing when is the best time to complete the assessment in response to the needs of the family. Make sure the spelling and wording written on the forms is correct, as a mistake can cause inconvenience.
Adequate time and resources must be allocated to assessing large families, taking into account the needs of all children as well as the mother.
Healing Journey to Recovery
There is a need to engage external services that can create an effective plan of engagement and connection for women and their children. Safety planning, including safety cards to be issued so that the family knows what to do in the future if they are in danger. For Aboriginal women and children who have come from another area, so that they feel welcome.
Possibility to go from supporting several small families, to supporting a small number of large families well through intensive support.
Programs & Activities
Culturally appropriate activities and programs designed by Aboriginal elders, community and women and children (where appropriate). Provide sufficient and appropriately varied programs and activities for children of different ages.
Family & Community Connection
Opportunities for a childcare component - help care for children and provide support so that the mother can remain the head of the family and have that independence. Collaborate with other agencies through the case management framework to support outreach work through transition. Looking at the entire issue upon departure, for example the safety of the living environment.
Support for Children & Young People
Ditch the 18-year-old age limit for young people – some young people will still need additional support in their early 20s.
Transition Out of the Refuge
Children who need to move to another area have a significant impact on their emotional and social connection as they move away from schools and friendships formed within their place of residence. Lack of alternative housing options in general, particularly in the private rental market, although this may be changing. A woman and her children often require long-term support if an abusive partner continues to make threats of coercive control tactics through the children and if there is a restraining order in place.
There is simply no transitional housing in remote and rural Western Australia, and often women are nominated to return to the extended family in overcrowded conditions that break down or result in violence again. A program that was piloted many years ago where a woman was set up for a year with a support worker to work with the woman on her personal development, whatever she needed, as well as the children. Access to transitional housing is very limited and challenging for women or children with disabilities.
Women should be given the choice of ongoing short to medium term support from the refuge upon departure. There should be a strong engagement model for after leaving refugee care, including housing. Engagement with transitional families should begin while the client is in shelter, and a smooth referral process to participate in social and professional networks will allow for a stronger sense of well-being and community connection.
Opportunities for inclusion in society and community participation, including place-based services for people who have been moved to a new area for security reasons. Consider creating an MOU or service level agreement with housing developments to create 'in between'. Ensure that there is a plan in place for managing the current (by April 2020) COVID-19 situation.
Consider relationships with the entire family support network - with a larger family, the housing model requires everyone's input. When considering long-term housing needs, larger families will need larger houses, so additional time and support may be required. Consider and explore the portability of the person's support plan, especially if the support services are from one region and the mother moves to another.
Beyond the Residential Component
Facilities
Further Information
