ANNUAL

REPORT

2022

CENTRE

AGAINST

VIOLENCE

OUR PURPOSE

To deliver family and sexual violence services and advocacy to support everyone in the Ovens Murray region to be safe

OUR PHILOSOPHY

At the Centre Against Violence, the principles of feminism, intersectionality and trauma informed practice underpin our work

LONG TERM VISION

For all people in the Ovens Murray region to live safer lives. To achieve this, CAV aims to be:

• The recognised provider of inclusive, quality and accessible services across the region
  
• The leading regional voice on family and sexual violence
  
• An employer of choice where our staff are safe, supported and skilled

Centre Against Violence acknowledges the traditional owners of this land on which we stand and pay our respects to the elders, past, present and future, for they hold the memories, the traditions and the culture of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We are committed to helping people of all gender identities, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, religions, faith, spiritualities, ages and diverse abilities.

This includes trans women and men, intersex people, non-binary people and gender diverse people as well as cisgendered women and men.

Centre Against Violence acknowledges victim survivors of sexual harassment, assault and abuse, family violence and relational violence. We acknowledge their resilience, strength and determination to not be defined by their experiences. We acknowledge those who have lost their lives through sexual violence and family violence.

Message from our CEO & Chair

Creating & Adapting to change

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Executive team it is our great pleasure to present the Annual Report 2021 -2022.

The last year has been one filled with both enormous change and also a sense of returning back to normal. As restrictions eased, we have gone back to providing our services face to face but have done so with a relatively new team, a new brand for our organisation, and a new approach to advocating and leading conversation in our community. We are moving into new offices in both Wodonga and Wangaratta and have welcomed new members to our Board. It has been a busy, exciting, challenging and productive year.

The Covid pandemic had a significant impact on our society and for our sector it created challenges in not just the way we could delivery our services but also in the demand and need for our support. Rates of family violence and sexual assault have increased right across the nation – for our region we have some communities now facing rates of family violence more than 80% above the state average. We continue to experience and respond to this increased demand by providing high quality services to victim survivors of family and sexual violence and their families 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Board notes the significant changes that occurred over the last year with Jaime taking on the role as CEO just before the 2021 AGM. The work undertaken at CAV, across all levels, has changed and we thank staff for their patience and enthusiasm for many new ways of working. There has been significant focus on creating an organisational structure that supports growth, innovation and excellence.

This includes significant (ongoing) building work, re-design of the financial portfolio, implementing a human service structure and re-developing a corporate structure. All of this to ensure that we create the best work environment for staff to deliver an excellent service to victim survivors of family violence and sexual assault. The Board of CAV strongly believes that a positive work environment mirrors the work undertaken in service delivery; resulting in staff that is allowed time to re-energise and recharge to continue to give their best to the work they do. This includes opportunity for professional development and career progression. The Board supports creating new collaborations that add to a renewed focus on early intervention work and we have heard a clear desire from executive and frontline staff that this is what is needed to address many complex issues in our community.

We have intentionally increased presence of CAV across social media platforms, radio, tv and newspapers, raising the profile of the agency and the important work being undertaken. The position and visibility of CAV is strong, across the region and beyond, leading to possibilities for new funding opportunities and innovation. CAV, as a leader in the field, is now becoming an ‘employer of choice’, attracting a motivated and skilled workforce in the ever changing and demanding landscape of service delivery. Strong financial performance with growth in equity strengthens our capacity to value add to funded programs and services. We want to grow our impact and ensure CAV is responding to the needs of our community in a contemporary, respectful and diverse way.

Throughout the year, our work has been supported and enhanced by many people within our partner organisations. We would like to thank everyone who works tirelessly to help support our clients, our community, and our sector. The understanding of the prevalence and impact of gender-based violence, family violence, sexual assault and gender equity continues to grow throughout our community. This occurs because of the dedication and determination of many people who are committed to ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe and has equitable access to opportunities.

We would like to acknowledge the incredible commitment and professionalism of every team member at CAV. The work we do is so important, but it can also be hard and demanding. Your ability to approach each day with such compassion and hope is testament to the strengths, passion, and skills that you bring to your role. We thank you so much for choosing to be part of the CAV team.

The Board at CAV has provided clear and strategic guidance over a very busy year. The development of our new Strategic Plan 2022- 2025, and a number of key financial, strategic and governance decisions have helped position us for a strong future. Thank you for your time and dedication. We would especially like to thank Sandy King who is exiting the CAV Board after 8 years of service. Sandy has dedicated significant time and passion to CAV during a time of great change and fulfilled the role of treasurer for many years.

As we approach a new year, CAV does so as an ambitious organisation, outward facing with a big and compelling vision. We stand beside our community, amplify the voices of those with lived experience and be loud for those who can’t.

Our Board of Directors

Centre Against Violence is led by a board of management who contribute a diverse range of skills, experience, and interests for ensuring the efficient, effective and accountable governance of the Centre Against Violence.

Melinda Edwards

Lisa Neville - Vice Chair

Tanya Lowes

Sandy King - Treasurer

Dr Corina Modderman - Chair

Mary Reid

Adrian Johnstone

Our Executive Team

Lucy Lee

Intake & Therapeutic Community Services Manager

Brent Quill

Corporate Services

Manager

Jaime Chubb - CEO

Robin Gardner

People & Culture

Manager

Kate Robinson

Family Violence & Accommodation

Services Manager

Our Staff

We support, develop, and recruit skilled, knowledgeable, and committed professionals.

Where we

work

Our Wangaratta Office

4

6

11

Family Violence

Therapeutic & Community Services

Corporate & Administration

Our Wodonga Office

7

6

2

Family Violence

Therapeutic & Community Services

Corporate & Administration

The Orange Door

7

Family Violence

Therapeutic & Community Services

There continues to be significant demand across both our Sexual Assault Support Services and our Harmful Sexual Behaviours Program, resulting in our waitlist continuing to grow rapidly.

In January 2022, we implemented a new way of working to ensure that we were better able to meet the needs of those seeking support from our service. The new Focused Intervention (FI) model offers anyone accessing our service the option of accessing 4 initial sessions before being placed on the waitlist for longer term support, referred on to another service or even closed as their needs have been met within the 4 sessions. FI has resulted in people having their needs met when they are initially seeking support and engaging better in our services overall, whilst simultaneously reducing our waitlists.

In October 2021 our Sexual Assault Support Services and Harmful Sexual Behaviours program excitedly became paperless with our new client management system. This has reduced the administrative burden on our team and has led to more efficiency for the users of our service. In addition it has also supported our staff with more flexibility in where and how they are able to work with clients.

As we have continued to see changes to the pandemic orders as restrictions lifted we have also been able to return to some of our pre-COVID work. This has included ensuring that we have a strong presence back in Benalla at the Benalla Community Services Hub; delivering information, education and training sessions to other professionals and services; being able to facilitate more therapeutic groups and increase our presence in the community.

891

Clients accessed counselling and advocacy services

Of the 891 clients....

Reasons for accessing Sexual Assault Support Services

Harmful Sexual Behaviours Program

The HSB program is an early intervention and therapeutic program for children and young people who have displayed or have engaged in harmful or problematic sexual behaviours and is funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

89

Clients accessed the HSB program

Therapeutic Groups

Caring Dads

We work with fathers for the benefit of their children and significant others in their lives. Focus is on fathers’ accountability, countering attitudes linked to abusive and neglectful behaviours, and promoting healthy relationships between fathers and their child(ren) and other parent/carers. Program principles emphasise the need to enhance father's motivation, promote respectful and non-abusive co-parenting and recognise the children’s experience of trauma.

The program is comprised of a combination of motivation enhancement, parent education and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to improve recognition and prioritisation of child needs. The program also improves respect and support for children's relationships with other parent/carers, encourages listening and using praise, improves empathy of children's experiences of maltreatment and overall helps to identify and counter the distortions underlying the fathers' past and possibly ongoing use of family violence.

Empowered Healing

A therapeutic group for victim survivors of sexual assault who are on our waitlist or whom have just finished FI and would like to continue accessing support. This group is focused on containment and uses various approaches to strengthen emotional regulation and self care/nurturing habits.

Positive feedback from group: participants felt they were not alone in their journey and described the group as trustworthy, welcoming, friendly, helpful, relaxed and peaceful. It helped them acknowledge the important people in their lives and the mindset they needed to prioritise in order to heal. They enjoyed the topics of reporting and the law and boundaries.

Men's Group - Foundations

A therapeutic group for male victim survivors of sexual abuse in childhood. The purpose of the group is to support participants to address their experiences and impacts of their past sexual abuse. The group also aims to improve personal and relational wellbeing in the present and decrease isolation they may experience.

Quote from participant...

“It gave me something to aim for to live another week”.

Family Violence Support Services

There have been a number of changes in the local family violence sector in the last 12 months. In August 2021, The Orange Door in the Ovens Murray region opened with the main office in Wangaratta and a Hub in Wodonga. The CAV intake team, along with other partner agencies, moved into these spaces to work within an integrated intake model.

Referrals for family violence support continues to grow and CAV was pleased to see the recruitment of 15 new specialist Family Violence Practitioners across the family violence programs to assist with this demand.

CAV has also focused on community education around the impacts of family violence and promoting collaborative practice across the community.

We have seen growth in the Risk Assessment and Management Panel with a 66% increase in referrals.

CAV continues the planning and building for the introduction of Core and Cluster and Safer Places (crisis accommodation) with the hope that this will be completed by May 2023.

Clients & their families Supported

471

253

Clients Supported Through Crisis

Of the 471 clients, 253 of them are supported through our crisis funding. Crisis Intervention supports the immediate and ongoing safety and stability for people who experience urgent and high level risk / danger due to family violence. This could be in the context of a homelessness crisis, health crisis or justice crisis due to the impact of family violence.

Indigenous Clients

Born overseas

Speak another language at home

218

Clients Supported through our Integrated Services

Of the 471 clients, 218 were supported by out Integrated services funding. Medium to long term intervention adopts a holistic case management approach to work toward freedom from family violence for persons who require additional specific support following their experiences of family violence.

Indigenous Clients

Born overseas

Speak another language at home

Family Violence support also included...

175

Clients at risk of immediate harm provided with emergency housing

30

Clients at risk of homelessness due to family violence provided with transitional housing

129

Clients provided with after hours crisis support

Personal Safety Initiative

A new government initiative came into play that aimed to keep families safe in their own homes.

The Personal Safety Initiative (PSI) is now in place, working closely with an approved home safety auditor our PSI coordinator can provide assistance in many ways including:

• New locks on doors & windows
  
• Fencing
• Window film
• Security screens on doors & windows
• Sensor lights
• Securing of manholes
• Scrubs removed
• Gates repaired

As well as high tech responses installs such as:

• Personal Safety Devices (PSD)
• CCTV
• Car dash cameras
• Tech bug sweep
• Forensic analysis of a device

48

12

families supported

high tech responses.

The Orange Door

The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2016 recommended that 17 Support and Safety Hubs be established state-wide, to improve the experience of people accessing family violence and child wellbeing support.

Family Safety Victoria is leading the statewide rollout of The Orange Door network. In August 2021 The Orange Door Ovens Murray was established. Locally this is supported and made up by partner agencies including The Centre Against Violence, Upper Murray Family Care, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, Gateway Health, Mungabareena Aboriginal Co-operative and DFFH.

Centre Against Violence had 7 staff based at The Orange Door locally.

The Orange Door network is the intake and assessment point for:

• adults, children and young people who are experiencing family violence
  
• families who need support with the care and wellbeing of children and young people
  
• perpetrators of family violence.
  

The Orange Door provides a safe and accessible support for people to ensure their voices are heard and their support needs and goals are responded to.

Corporate Report

We reviewed our operations and combined our asset management, finance, procurement, quality, and support functions into a new Corporate Services Team with the objective of enhancing capability and efficiency.

We embarked on process of moving to purpose designed offices in Wangaratta and Wodonga in conjunction with leading designers and builders to enable us to enhance the working environment for our staff and the quality of the service we provide to our clients. This work is scheduled to be completed in the 2022-23 Financial Year.

We remained financially viable by generating an operating surplus and maintaining a strong balance sheet. We migrated from General Purpose to Special Purpose Financial Statements and improved our corporate governance by rotating our financial auditors. A copy of our Audited Financial Report is available via the link below.

Link to financial statements

Click here....

Link to the full plan

Click here....