Indigenous Counselling for Women Experiencing Violence Support Program
Eligibility
- Services are for Indigenous women, aged 16 years or older, who identify themselves as having been sexually, physically, Spiritually or emotionally abused by their partners, or significant others (could include caregiver or other immediate family/household member) and their dependent children.
Service Objectives
- To provide community-based counselling, support and referral services for women and their dependents who have experienced abuse and/or sexual assault, including historic sexual abuse in childhood in order that they may live free of violence.
- To support the development of a personal safety plan for women and their dependents, who have experienced abuse, in order to confirm their immediate safety and help them avoid further abuse.
Program Goals
- Increase the safety of women and their dependents who are fleeing violent relationships and prevent further re-victimization.
- Support women to understand their rights, and safety planning and violence prevention strategies.
- Assist caregivers in supporting their children to heal from the effects of witnessing violence.
- Assist and advocate for women and their dependents regarding their health, safety and well-being.
Services Include
- Crisis/support counselling to assist individuals seeking assistance, delivered in person, or by other means (e.g. phone, email and videoconference).
- Types of counselling services include: crisis/support counselling (includes safety planning; advocating providing rights information, referrals, follow-up support, outreach); sexual assault counselling; and long-term therapeutic counselling to assist women who have experienced abuse to gain a more in-depth understanding of woman abuse and empowerment and cope with the effects of violence.
- Short-term, goal-focused counselling for women in the community.
- Mid and long-term clinical counselling to support abused women’s emotional well-being and healing.
- Sexual assault counselling provided to women who have been sexually abused or those who have experienced sexual abuse in their childhood.
- Development of safety strategies or plans for women and their dependents.
- Provision of information on rights, options, and available services.
- Referrals or linking women to appropriate services.
- Outreach to women including promoting residential and residential services.