RESPONDING TO CALD WOMEN EXPERIENCING FAMILY VIOLENCE IN A HOSPITAL CONTEXT Paula Piccinini Legal Office Manager
Formally Immigrant Women's Domestic Violence Service Established 1984 32 years ago A state-wide service NFP governed by independent board Broadened its mission six years ago - provides family violence services, programs and responses to CALD (Culturally And Linguistically Diverse) communities work with women, children and men CALD Men s behaviour change programs CALD leading the way to respectful relationships project working with four ethic communities to create awareness of gender equality and respectful relationships
InTouch Direct Service Team Ten intouch case managers: 70% first generation migrants and refugees, bi (multi) lingual and bi cultural Collectively speak 23 Languages
Direct Service Team FV Crisis Intervention Risk assessment, safety planning and case management support for up to 13 weeks to CALD women Women are allocated to case managers who speak their language and understand their cultural enabling a relationship of trust and understanding to form 14/15 Supported 1018 women and their accompanying 640 children Referral 38% from other family violence services, 31% from the courts and 15% self-referrals More than 18% required support for more than 13 weeks Top six cultural backgrounds Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, Pilipino, Iranian and Sudanese
Direct Service Team Provides intensive case management support Complex Case Support Program to Refugees, Humanitarian Entrants and Asylum Seekers in the country for less than 5 years Present with complex issues: severe physical or mental health conditions, traumatic premigration experiences or crisis events after arrival in Australia which present significant barriers to successful settlement Currently have average five clients per month in this program
Direct Service Team Court Support Program Case managers attend court one day per week at each court to assist CALD women who are the subject of a police intervention order application In 2014/2015 Dandenong Magistrates Court Sunshine Magistrate s Court Heidelberg Magistrates Court Total of 340 women supported
Direct Service Team Provided by in-house Registered Migration Agent Immigration Assistance Internal referral from Case Workers to Migration Agent, assisting women on a temporary spousal visa seeking permanent residency pursuant to family violence provisions. 16/17 tracking over 500 15/16 377 clients 13/14 251 clients 98% success rate
intouch Legal Centre Established in November 2012 First of its kind in Australia unique model In-house legal service within family violence service, case managers and lawyers working together to provide holistic service Five lawyers including a Manager Operates in Sunshine and Dandenong Magistrates Courts catchment areas and for intouch clients only Provides legal services to CALD women experiencing FV, advice, referral and on-going casework
Health Justice Partnership In 2014, InTouch received funding from the Victorian Legal Service Board to pilot a HJP with Monash Health Dandenong Hospital. One of eight HJP projects. Based on the Medical Legal Partnership model in the US. Collaboration between lawyers and health professionals to provide better health outcomes and access to justice for patients with legal issues. They take many forms. The first Medical Legal Partnership was established at the Boston Medial Centre in 1993. MLPs are established in 36 US States, 135 hospitals and 127 health centres. Breaking down the silos: Overcoming the practical and ethical barriers of Integrating legal assistance into a health-care setting Linda Gyorki. Justice Connect - online HJP tool kit step by step guide to starting a HJP and it has established a Health Justice Partnership Network with Steering Committee who you can contact In a family violence context, women are often affected by both health and legal needs at the same time and they often seek legal advice from non-legal sources, frequently from health professionals. The integration of legal and health services can identify legal issues early and prevent the escalation of legal and health problems.
Health Justice Partnership Three phases Establishment phase - MOU, referral pathways, information sharing protocols Engaged an evaluator and obtained ethics approval Established committee structures Monthly Working Party meetings at Dandenong Hospital attended by Hospital and InTouch staff Quarterly Advisory Group meetings - oversee the quality and direction of the project and is made up of stakeholders and experts in the sector representatives VLA, Monash University, Jean Hailles, Maurice Blackburn and Landers & Rogers
Health Justice Partnership Training phase over 400 Monash Health staff have received family violence and cultural competency training from InTouch taken many forms Family violence training emphasis on the risk factors particular to CALD women (limited English language skills, limited knowledge of available legal/community support, visa dependency issues, fear of authority, migration and settlement experience may involve trauma) discuss the socio-cultural factors particular to CALD communities - differing value and belief system, a high tolerance and acceptance of family violence, strong cultural beliefs forbidding separation and divorce, fear of social isolation from family and extended community if she was to leave Cultural Competency training Building trust with the women by investing in the initial engagement Show respect for the differences in culture and value system Ask permission to discuss the pre-migration pathway and settlement experience
Health Justice Partnership Third phase Establishment and operation of legal outpost Commenced 5 October 2015 InTouch lawyer attends hospital every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm Dedicated room at the hospital to see clients - Lawyer has seen the majority of clients at their bedside Referral to InTouch Legal Centre through Social Work department Further referral to InTouch Family Violence Support program for ongoing support for issues other than legal Extending service to Monash Health Refugee Clinic on Thomas Street, Dandenong
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