MAV Preventing Violence Against Women (PVAW) Network

Member Updates – September 2013

1. CENTRAL VICTORIAN PVAW CLUSTER - MT ALEXANDER SHIRE COUNCIL, MACEDON RANGES SHIRE COUNCIL & CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO

Contact name for any enquiries: Teresa Dowd Email: t.dowd@mountalexander.vic.gov.au

HIGHLIGHT FROM THE CENTRAL VICTORIAN CLUSTER

- Macedon Ranges Shire council approves Family Clause in EBA- City of Greater Bendigo develops Domestic Violence Working Group

Mount Alexander Shire - Real Men Bake CakesIn response to a Red Cross call out to raise funds through morning teas in the work place, the PVAW coordinator sent a shout out to men on staff to take part in a Real Men Bake Cakes morning tea to raise funds for Red Cross. The intent was to have an enjoyable event that would provoke discussions about traditional male roles and challenge some assertions about what men can do and what women can do. Eight men put up their hand and baked a fabulous selection of cakes for the event and approx 40 staff attended. The men went to a good deal of effort to make their cakes and to bring them along and to talk about their baking skills. Teresa addressed the group and thanked the men for taking part in a good humoured approach to addressing the serious issue of gender inequity and violence against women. $130 was raised, so all in all it was a successful event.

Leading the Change Forum Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner was the keynote speaker at a leadership Forum in Central Victoria to promote gender equity to prevent violence against women. The Forum was attended by approximately 60 people from across four shires.

The Forum bought together Senior Local government leaders, police, business leaders and senior management from the social services sector from across four local Councils: Mount Alexander Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges Shire and Central Goldfields Shire. The event provided an opportunity for leaders in the community to consider the effects and implications of gender in their workplace and possibilities for action within their sphere of influence

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The forum built on a smaller event conducted last year and provided an opportunity for participants to gain an enhanced understanding of the importance of promoting gender equity. It provided the opportunity to explore actions and strategies to progress gender equitable practices.

The format of the Forum was an overview of the achievements of the project to date by representatives of each of the three Cluster Councils, an address by the keynote speaker, followed by workshop activities that provided participants with time for discussion to enable them to identify opportunities within their own sphere of influence to progress gender equity and prevention of violence against women.

38 participants completed the evaluation. The detailed evaluation showed that on a scale from 1 to 10, 100% of responders rated the keynote speaker with 8 or above, with 22 participants rating the speaker with 10 out of 10. On a scale from 1 to 10, 95% rated the event 8 or above as an overall event.

82% reported a better understanding of gender equity and the prevention of violence against women, whilst 76% reported better understanding of the importance of providing women with a supportive workplace. 87% reported a better understanding of the important role of local government in promoting gender equity and the prevention of violence against women and more than 90% of participants reported to be motivated to do something to promote gender equity and the prevention of violence against women in their community and workplace.

84% reported that their capacity to consider gender in their day to day work had increased whilst 82% reported that their capacity to lead and engage others in considering gender in their day to day work had increased.

Potential follow-up actions reported by participants included: planning white ribbon evens, promoting the topic on the local radio station, writing articles in the local paper (Bendigo) applying a gender lens to decision-making in the workplace, walk the walk, run a forum for youth, be a champion for change, nominate as a white Ribbon ambassador, facilitate conversations with adjourning Councils on the topic and advocate for a gender lens to be emphasises in Council decision making.

The feedback and evaluation (prepared by the AIC) has revealed that the event was successful in terms of increased knowledge about the issues and preparedness to act to prevent VAW and increase Gender Equity. Immediate outcomes of the Forum include two men from Macedon Ranges Shire nominating as White Ribbon Ambassadors and the leverage gained through the event to progress the development of a Gender Equity statement in Mount Alexander Shire. Two directors reported that this event highlighted to the community the seriousness of the issue and that it more publicly placed the responsibility onto leaders to take up initiatives. It put the ‘push’ into a more public space.

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Family Violence After Natural disaster Training

The Prevention of Violence Against Women Coordinator conducted a CRAF style professional development workshop for staff and volunteers from emergency response and recovery agencies in Mount Alexander Shire.

The workshop, based in part on materials developed by Women’s Health Goulbourn North East after the Black Saturday bush fires, was designed to respond to a recognised need for emergency workers to have a basic understanding of family violence. The focus of the training was about learning to be sensitive to signs of family violence and responding appropriately. However, the bulk of the session was about awareness raising. The aim was to give emergency services workers skills to identify family violence and how to respond and refer victims appropriately. The workshop included research about the relationships between natural disaster and family violence, definitions, types and causes of family violence. It also included information about why men abuse women, identifying the warning signs and information about safety and referral pathways.

Research conducted after the 2009 Victorian bushfires found that family violence had increased. For some women who had previous experience of family violence, its intensity and frequency escalated − for others it was new and terrifying, coming in the wake of trauma caused by the fires. In the overwhelming aftermath of this natural disaster, professionals and volunteers often struggled to meet the needs of the many people they worked to help. Most had no training in family violence nor did they have the skills to identify it, or the knowledge of how to respond.

19 participants Males 8, females 11) attended from Corrections Victoria, Castlemaine Secondary College, SES, VFBV (Volunteer Fire Brigades Vic), Catholic Church, CFA Education, CFA Peer Support, Local CFA Brigade member , CWA , Victoria Police and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

The session had mixed reception with a number of participants wanting to really question the data that indicates that family violence is predominantly a gendered issue. There was a strong discussion disputing DHS resources during part of a quiz. The question they most debated was ‘What is the greatest risk factor for experiencing family violence?’ A large number in the group felt that poverty was the greatest first factor and not gender. A large number also wanted to blame alcohol for abuse, in spite of the Police Officer present indicating that his experiences accorded with the statement that ‘the perpetrator is sober in about half of domestic violence cases where the police are called’ (DVRCV)

The evaluation showed that as a result of the training 63% of participants had a better understanding of the prevalence of family violence, 63% had a better understanding of the types of family violence, whilst 58% reported a better understanding of the gendered nature of family violence. 74% of participants reported that they felt better skilled to take some action should they feel someone was experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, family violence, ie take an appropriate approach and make appropriate referrals.

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Given these results it was felt that this type of workshop, allowing for discussion and a sharing of beliefs, provides an excellent opportunity to begin to effect change in community attitudes.

WHAT IS PLANNED NEXT

- DVRCV Training for staff at Macedon Ranges Shire Council (Local Laws, environmental health, emergency management, admin and customer service, works staff, engineers)

- Continued work on progressing Macedon Council to a Silver 5050 Vision Gender Equity Award- Continued work with Mount Alexander Shire Council to obtain a Bronze 50 Vision Gender Equity Award- Working with Domestic Violence Working Group in City of Greater Bendigo to guide and support the role

out of Loddon Mallee Takes a Stand.- Continued work with Mount Alexander Shire to develop a Gender Equity statement- White Ribbon working groups across the three Councils

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2. MONASH CITY COUNCIL

Contact name for any enquiries: Natalie Russell / Laura WoodEmail: natalier@monash.vic.gov.au and lauraw@monash.vic.gov.au

http://www.monash.vic.gov.au/safety-women

RECENT ACTIVITY IN THE PVAW AND GENDER EQUITY SPACE

Monash City Council is implementing the Generating Equality and Respect Program in partnership with MonashLink Community Health Service and VicHealth. A recent September e-newsletter was published and is available online.

Some of the highlights over the past few months have been: Implementation of a social marketing campaign across the City of Monash, with materials carrying the

same message ‘Say NO to violence against women. Say YES to equality and respect’. Campaign materials include:

o Banners on flag poles at Clayton shopping precinct o Magnets on garbage trucks o Signage at Clayton Community Centre o Promotional material in the Civic Centre o On plasma screens at Council recreation centres o On computers at council libraries o Messaging in and around MonashLink Community Health Service.

Flagpoles

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The library The Glen

Continued engagement of teams within council for action around gender equity/ PVAW. Some activities include:

o Establishment of a council gender equity committeeo Working with libraries to develop a book list which challenges rigid gender stereotypeso Inclusion of FV clause in the EBA

More than 100 people attended the Sir John Monash public lecture, held at the Monash Gallery of Art. The event focused on the social construction of gender, and included keynote speaker Dr Leslie Cannold and was the most highly attended in the history of the event. The podcast from the event can be downloaded here.

The Generating Equality and Respect program has commenced a local community of practice for youth-practitioners (Monash Partners in Prevention Network,) to increase the capacity of youth-focused individuals and organisations to deliver respectful relationships education, such as through whole-school activities. This Network supports the broader statewide Partners in Prevention Network delivered by DVRCV. For more information downloaded the Network flyer.

WHAT IS PLANNED NEXT

The Baby Makes 3 Program – will commence in October/November as part of the new parent program delivered by Clayton Maternal and Child Health Service.

Corporate workplace – currently working to engage a male-dominated workplace in Clayton for a whole-of-workplace approach to promoting gender equality and non-violent norms in the workplace.

Evaluation framework - a program logic model and evaluation framework is being finalised for the Generating Equality and Respect Program and will be available soon.

3. MORELAND CITY COUNCIL

Contact name for enquiries: May Haeder Email: mhaeder@moreland.vic.gov.au

http://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/community-services/family-violence.htmlhttp://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/community-services/children/white-ribbon-day.html

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RECENT ACTIVITY IN THE PVAW AND GENDER EQUITY SPACE

Planning for Week without Violence 14-20 October with input from the Moreland Family Violence Network and Women’s Health in the North. Check out the campaign’s awesome facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melbournes-Northern-Region-Says-NO-to-Family-Violence/426961384027145

Planning for White Ribbon Day campaign underway – activities throughout November organised by cross-Council Action Team.

Busy collating evidence to submit under the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Pilot project, due 14 October.

I am doing an online training course on ‘gender mainstreaming’ provided by Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) in Boston http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=558&language_id=1 The training provides an overview of concepts/ frameworks, tools and examples to achieve gender equality in organisations, programs and services. The majority of participants work in humanitarian aid but the experiences are universal and I find it really useful for identifying gaps and how to progress in our work.

WHAT IS PLANNED NEXT

Implementation of Week without Violence activities in October and White Ribbon activities in November.Also looking at opportunities for engaging local schools, including primary schools, regarding respectful relationships education as this issue keeps coming up in our networks.

Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2011-2015 endorsed by Council, 10th April Family Violence Prevention Action Plan 2013-2014 completed and being printed Presentation by Andrew Day, Director of Social Development at the National White Ribbon Conference

in Sydney, May 2013 Moreland hosted “The North Commits to Building a Respectful Community”, May 6 th. 49 organisations

attended from local government, health and community organisations. Family Violence staff training held in May Moreland Council Domestic Animal Management Plan amended to include one week’s free housing for

animals in situations where urgent relocation is required as a result of violence. Recruitment luncheon held for White Ribbon Action Team. Very successful, 26 attendees and many

people new to the program attended.

4. OUTER EAST PVAW CLUSTER – KNOX, MAROONDAH AND YARRA RANGES COUNCILS

Contact name for any enquiries: Kate Gibson Email: kate.gibson@knox.vic.gov.au

Is there information on your website relating to this work? If so, please provide the URL: http://tinyurl.com/kk2a8q2

RECENT ACTIVITY IN THE PVAW AND GENDER EQUITY SPACE

The Outer Eastern Cluster is currently working with Women’s Health East to develop a suite of 2-hour gender equity training modules that will be targeted at specific departments across council. The training program, called Gender Matters, was originally developed and piloted at Knox Council. It aims to raise awareness of gender stereotyping and gender inequity- now recognised as a key determinant of violence against women, and demonstrates these issues through everyday life examples. We anticipate that some of the modules will be ready for inclusion within the 2014 training calendars for the three cluster councils - Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah.

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5. WHITTLESEA CITY COUNCIL

Contact name for any enquiries: Elizabeth Meade Email: Elizabeth.Meade@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

Council Plan and MPHPW Plan 2013-2017http://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/your-council/plans-strategies-and-policies/public-health-and-wellbeing-plan

RECENT ACTIVITY IN THE PVAW AND GENDER EQUITY SPACE

Council Plan and MPHWPOur MPHWP has been integrated into the Council Plan 2013-2017. Preventing violence against women and promoting gender equity continues to be one of the goals for action:5.2 Council will support action to prevent family violence and sexual assault by addressing the underlying causes of gender-based violence and promoting equal and respectful relationships in the communityACTIONS

Improve Council and partners understanding of the causes of and contributing factors to family violence in the local context

Adopt a strategic framework for whole of council action to prevent family violence and sexual assault Establish a cross-council working group to embed gender equity in Council policy Implement gender analysis training for working group and relevant staff Support the implementation and evaluation of the Whittlesea Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

Communities Family Violence Project In partnership, advocate for funding to support respectful relationships and sexual assault prevention

programs in schoolsOther

VicHealth PVAW Short Course hosted by Whittlesea in early September (3 staff attended, many local agencies)

MAV Local Laws CRAF attended by our Local Laws managers. 30+ managers trained for implementation of the Family Violence Workplace Support Policy; 10 Contact

Officers with specific training; developed flowchart resources to outline the internal processes for Contact Officers.

WHAT IS PLANNED NEXT

Currently developing a Strategic Framework that articulates Council and partners shared vision and rationale for action to address family violence and sexual assault across the continuum of responses. In addition to this we are drafting a Family Violence Strategy for Council and our Gender Equity Working Group will begin meeting this year.

White Ribbon Action Team are working on events for White Ribbon Day and 16 Days of Activism (which will incorporate 1800RESPECT ‘dunny door’ campaign).

Whittlesea Family Violence Network are planning Week Without Violence activities Communications Strategy with internal and external focus Embarking on a social marketing campaign with MCH – equitable and respectful parenting messaging More training for Managers and Contact Officers regarding implementation of the Family Violence

Workplace Support Policy via Safe At Home Safe At Work project.

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