whw news, edition 1, 2016

8/18/2019 whw news, edition 1, 2016

1/20

whw news EDITION 1 • 2016

women’s health west – equity and justice for women in the west

Our Royal Commission into Family

Violence response

page 3

School focus on respectful

relationship education

page 12

Condom project promoting

#SafeSexintheWest

page 14

inside:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are much less likely to participate in breast screening thanwomen in the general population. This is a concern because breast cancer is also the most common cancerexperienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and the second leading cause of cancer deathafter lung cancer.

We asked Aboriginal Elders and

Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander women about barriers

they experience in accessing breast

screening services. In response to their

feedback, which talked about a lack

of understanding or misunderstanding

of cultural safety experienced at

breast screening services, the ‘Nan,

Aunty, Mum – you are a treasure to

our family’ project was developed.

The collaborative project between

BreastScreen Victoria, Women’s

Health West, Aboriginal community,

Aboriginal teams and community

members. The project is designed

to identify barriers facing Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander women in

accessing breast screening services

in Melbourne’s west and to find

solutions to overcome those barriers.

The project endeavours to respect

the principles of cultural safety and

to advocate for quality services, while

raising awareness of breast screening. It

seeks to encourage Aboriginal women

and Torres Strait Islander women

to assert what is best and preferred

by them when attending a breast

Ngahina, Health Promotion Worker

Continued on page 10

health EDITIONsexual & reproductive

Nan, Aunty, Mum – you are a treasureto our family

P H O T O :

C h r i s t

i n e

C r o s b y

Auntie Faye Van Erekem (front)

with (back l-r) Kellie Tranter,

Crystal Harris, Terori Hareko-

Samios and Lexine Solomon.


2/20

ISSN # 1834-7096

Editors: Karin Holzknecht, Christine CrosbyContributors to this edition: Alyce Vella,

Debra Wannan, Elly Taylor, Helen, Karin

Holzknecht, Maria, Melanie Sleap, Mimmie

Ngum Chi Watts, Mishelle, Nadine, Ngahina,

Nicola Harte, Nirvana Bhandary, Robyn

Gregory, Saya, Shannon Keebaugh, Sophie,

Stephanie Rich

Photographers: Christine Crosby, Nadine,

Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts

Illustrations: Isis and Pluto

Design and layout: Susan Miller,

[email protected]

Read this edition and archives of whw news

online at www.whwest.org.au/news/

newsletter/

Edition 2 deadline: 3 June 2016

Edition 1 deadline: 19 August 2016

Let’s talk sexualand reproductivehealthRobyn Gregory, CEO, Women’s Health West

Did you know that around 80,000

new chlamydia infections are

reported in Australia each year

and that chlamydia notifications

have increased over the past three

years in Melbourne’s west?

Or that the majority of these

cases are young people?

Or that only 53 per cent of sexually

active young people in Melbourne’s

west report that they practicesafe sex by using a condom?

These statistics are a small snapshot

of sexual health and reproductive

realities in Melbourne’s west and

in Australia. They do, however,

demonstrate how sexual and

reproductive health requires

strengthening in the overall public

health conversation and national

and state policy responses. And they

illustrate a need for urgent action

in Melbourne’s western region.

Women’s Health West takes a

regional approach to redressing the

social determinants that cause sexual

and reproductive ill health as part

of the Action for Equity partnership.

This is a four-year sexual health

and reproductive health promotion

plan for Melbourne’s west involving

partners from local government,

community and health sectors.

Action for Equity sees us working

in schools, prisons, workplaces,

sports centres and with health

and community services across

Melbourne’s west to educate a range

of target populations including

young women, Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander women, women living

with a disability, sex workers and

women from refugee and migrant

backgrounds to ultimately prevent

sexual and reproductive ill health.

While Action for Equity works

successfully at a regional level, it

would benefit by being part of a

state-wide and nationally-focussed

approach. The absence of a federal

and state policy framework limits

the impact of our work in sexual

and reproductive health, with

public policy largely concentrating

on prevention of infections or

unplanned pregnancy – an individual

educational or behavioural change

approach – rather than broader

systemic change to the factors that

cause poor sexual or reproductive

health, such as violence against

women, homophobic attitudes or

limited access to resources in rural

communities. The development

of a national and state-wide

policy would allow us to work

within a co-designed frameworkintegrating an overarching evidence-

based approach for research,

program and service development,

implementation and evaluation.

If we want to achieve true health

equity, we must promote more

strategic policy action on redressing

the social determinants of sexual

and reproductive health. That is one

of Women’s Health West’s goals.

Please enjoy this edition of whwnews, which highlights our

work in sexual and reproductive

health in Melbourne’s west.

Women’s Health West acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work,the people of the Kulin Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders and community members past

and present. We express solidarity with the ongoing struggle for land rights, self-determination,

sovereignty and the recognition of past injustices. We express our hope for reconciliation and justice.

health EDITION

sexual & reproductive

Women’s Health West is the women’s

health service for the western

metropolitan region of Melbourne.

Our vision is to achieve equity and

justice for women in the west.

We have two main programs that

complement each other — allowing

us to work across the continuum from

preventing problems, to responding

to problems after they occur.

Health promotion, research and

development

• Sexual and reproductive health

• Mental health and wellbeing

• Prevention of violence

and discrimination

Family violence services

• Crisis support

• Case management

• Court support

• Women and children’s counselling

Connect with

Women’s Health West

Facebook

www.facebook.com/

womenshealthwest

Twitter

www.twitter.com/whwest

LinkedIn

Instagram

www.instagram.com/

womens_health_west

About Women’s

Health West

whwnews EDITION 1 • 2016 2


3/20

On 30 March 2016 the Royal Commission intoFamily Violence released 227 recommendationsto redress the current family violence crisis inVictoria. These included recommendations to preventviolence against women before it occurs, known as‘primary prevention’.

The Commission recognised

that family violence is mostly

perpetrated by men against

women and their children, and that

the prevention of violence against

women will require tackling gender

inequality and the structures, norms,

practices and attitudes that drive it.

Women’s Health West have long

advocated the need for a whole-

of-government approach to

primary prevention in Victoria, and

welcomed recommendations for

the establishment of a bi-partisan

parliamentary committee on family

violence, and a family violence unit

in the Department of Premier and

Cabinet. This will ensure that family

violence stays on the political agenda

as a whole-of-community problem

requiring a whole-of-community and

whole-of-government solution.

An action plan for primary

prevention

While Women’s Health West had

hoped greater attention would be

given to preventing family violence, we

were pleased to see recommendations

for the

development

of a state-wide action plan for

primary prevention, and a dedicated

prevention funding stream.

Importantly, the Commission

recognised that prevention of

family violence has been largely

overlooked, and deemed coordinated

policy and sustainable funding for

prevention an immediate priority.

The Commission emphasised that

the proposed state-wide prevention

action plan should be informed

by the Gender Equality Strategy

currently being developed by the

Victorian Government. Women’s

Health West hopes to see strong

linkages between the two plans,

recognising that redressing gender

inequality will be fundamental to

ending violence against women in

Victoria, and supporting women’s

right to safety, equality and respect.

The role of women’s health

services

Women’s health services were

recognised for their long-standing

commitment to preventing violence

against women, noting their

existing expertise as essential for the

development of effective prevention

programs. The leadership provided

by women’s health services in leading

regional prevention plans across

Victoria was also noted, with the

west’s own Preventing Violence

Together regional plan, led by

Women’s Health West, referenced

as an example of a promising

coordinated prevention system.

With the commitment made by

Premier Daniel Andrews to implement

all 227 recommendations, Women’s

Health West look forward to working

with the government and our

partners in advancing the prevention

of violence against women across

Victoria, and supporting women’s

right to live free from violence

and discrimination in the west.

Find out more about the Royal

Commission into Family Violence reportrecommendations: www.rcfv.com.au

Stephanie Rich, Health Promotion Worker, Prevention of

Violence Against Women

I L L U S T R A T I O N S :

I s i s a n

d P l u t o

A whole-of-governmentcommitment topreventing violencebefore it occurs

Royal Commission into family violence

EDITION 1 • 20163 whwnews


4/20

In January 2016 Women’s Health West’s board director Dr Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts attended the GenderPre-Summit for the 8th African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mimmie writes how the African Union isleading the charge across the continent to recognise the rights and contribution of women to society.

The Gender Pre-Summit was

both inspiring and interesting,

bringing together ministers

of gender and women’s affairs, as

well as ambassadors, civil society

organisations, health professionals,

United Nations representatives,

academics, members of the Gender Is

My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC), Pan

African women’s organisations from

across the continent, and international

experts working in gender or relatedareas who are also of African heritage.

My overall impression from the pre-

summit is that Africa is NOT what the

media tells us. I am not suggesting

that the continent is problem-free, but

that many goals are being achieved

despite the odds, particularly in the

area of gender reform, with the

African Union leading the charge.

In 2016 the African Union’s 54 member

states declared 2016 the African Yearof Human Rights, with particular focus

on the rights of women, or simply the

AU 2016 Project. This follows on from

the 2015 ‘African Year of Women’s

Empowerment and Development’ and

the African Union declaring 2010–2020

as the decade of African women.

Significant progress has been made

in recognising the quality of women’s

leadership in the region, and their efforts

in carrying women’s rights forward

in Africa are to be commended.

Africa has had three recent female

heads of state: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

of Liberia, Joyce Banda of Malawi,

and Catherine Samba-Panza of the

Central African Republic. Each of these

women have stepped in (elected or

otherwise) after conflicts, crises or

simply after the ‘boys have fought’.

The current chair of the African Union

Commission is a leading woman —

Dr Dlamini Zuma. In her keynote

address at the gender pre-summit, she

spoke to key themes highlighting thestatus of women and challenges still

facing women across Africa; some of

her key points are included here.

Behind the scenes

WHW Board

Sustainable economic

development cannot

happen if over half

the population areunable to participate

fully in the economy.

Dr Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts, Women’s Health West board director

Africa’s gender dividend:

transform not conform

The Gender Pre-Summit

for the 8th African Union

delegation in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia, January 2016



5/20

P H O T O S : C o

u r t e s y

D r

M i m m

i e N g u m

C h i W a

t t s

Poverty and economic rights

An estimated 70 per cent of women

across Africa are excluded from

economic participation. It is estimated

that African women own roughly 5 to30 per cent of the land. Feminisation

of poverty has disadvantaged women,

especially widows, single mothers and

teenage mothers. However, many

countries have made significant gains in

promoting the rights of women to own

property and other assets. Sustainable

economic development cannot happen

if over half the population are unable

to participate fully in the economy.

There is increasing awareness of

this ‘gender dividend’ — womenare a latent asset that, if fully used,

would boost economic growth.

Education

In sub-Saharan Africa, only 23 per cent

of girls in rural areas will complete

primary school; at the current rate they

will not achieve equality until 2086!

We cannot wait for that. On the other

hand, 10 countries now have equal

secondary school enrolments, and

13 countries have achieved gender

parity across primary and secondary

schools. Again, improving access to

education for girls will release latent

potential for economic growth. There

are concerted efforts on the continent

to invest in the participation of girls in

STEM subjects — Sciences, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics — which

was almost unthinkable 15 years ago.

Women and conflict

Dr Zuma highlighted that women are

the main victims of conflict, pointing

out ‘no peace, no development’, and

the need to ‘engender’ the peace

process by giving women a substantial

place at the negotiating table!

In conclusion, Dr Zuma repeatedly

urged summit participants and leaders

to ‘transform, not conform’, to bring

change and be seen as agents of the

change they both desire and badly need.

Download Mimmie’s report to the

Victorian Multicultural Commission onAfrican women’s rights:

www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/

resources/news/news/306

Photos: (from top)

Mimmie at the Australian

Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Mimmie (right) with

the Western Sarahawi

Delegation.

Enjoying an Ethiopiancoffee at a wedding.



6/20

Alyce Vella

HEALTH

PROMOTION

WORKER

Before joining

Women’s Health

West, I worked

in research relating to

alcohol and drug use, sex work, young

people and technology. I’ve also had

the opportunity to conduct evaluations

of health services and campaigns, anddesign a website featuring real-life

stories from young people about the

ramifications of technology use. Career

highlights include attending AIDS

2014 (I got a selfie with Bob Geldof)

and running sexual health workshops

with students in Ireland (‘Miss, do

koalas really have chlamydia?’). While

I enjoyed research, I found it lacked

community engagement and the real-life

experiences of people, which is what

led me to explore health promotion. Ihave already learnt so much from the

WHW team and can’t wait to work on

other exciting projects in the future!

Erin

FAMILY VIOLENCE OUTREACH WORKER

My first job was as a swimming

instructor, which led to various roles

working with children who have

disabilities. After completing my first

degree in international relations, I

was fortunate enough to be giventhe opportunity to become a peer

educator with the You, Me and Us

program at WHW. This introduced me

to many inspiring young women, as

well as giving me the idea of taking

up social work as a profession. I then

completed my Master of Social Work

and things came full circle when I got

my first job as a social worker with

WHW! I am looking forward to working

at such a wonderful organisation and

learning from so many skilled women.

Behind the scenes

WHW Staff

P H O T O :

S c o u

t K o z a

k i e w

i c z

Join the Board

Do you want equity and justice for women?

Do you live, work or study in Melbourne’s West?

Women’s Health West is currently seeking nominations frominterested members to join the board of directors.

Women’s Health West works to change the conditions that

cause and maintain women’s oppression, by delivering family

violence services and health promotion activities.

As a volunteer board director you would join a diverse and

respected group of nine directors at monthly meetings in

Footscray, as well as representing the board on at least one task

group. We ask for your commitment of time and energy.

This is your opportunity to contribute:

• Recognised leadership skills

• Expertise and understanding of women’s health in a socialcontext

• Strategic leadership, financial management and compliance,strategic planning, performance management and evaluation

You will enjoy stimulating discussion and the support of a great

team as we work to achieve our ambitious goals.

If this sounds like you then we would love to hear from you.

Please phone Julie Veszpremi on (03) 9689 9588.

Our board (l-r) Maria Di Gregorio, Dr Mimmie Ngum Chi Watts, Nicola Rabot,

Lara Rafferty, Sam Merrigan, Catherine Harding. (Catherine Bateman absent)



7/20

P H O T O S :

K a r i n

H o

l z k n e c

h t

Eleni

Kyrpigikidis

HEALTH

PROMOTION

COORDINATOR

I’m a qualified

social worker

and have worked in the

human services field for twenty years.

My very first experience in the field

was doing voluntary work in order to

be accepted into a social work post-graduate degree. I worked for a little

organisation called St Anthony’s just

down the road, which is now called

MacKillop Family Services, alongside

an education worker providing

support to children with high risk and

challenging behaviours. This was my

entry into working within the family

and youth services sector, where I

worked for many years. I have worked

in various roles including counselling,

group-work facilitation, projectmanagement, mental health promotion

and management roles. The skills I

bring to this role are staff support

and supervision, project management

experience, community and stakeholder

engagement and management.

Ngahina

HEALTH PROMOTION WORKER

I am a proud Maori woman (Ngati

Whatua). Integral to me is the

importance of family and culture, fromgrowing up and raising my own family

in New Zealand. I have a background

in nursing, with further career roles

over twenty years specialising in

working with community to support

improvements in women’s health, child

health and Maori health. I travelled from

Christchurch to Melbourne in 2014 and

have held roles as a senior caseworker

for the Cradle to Kinder Program at

the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care

Agency, and as a facilitator of Sacred

Sistas workshops with the Wulumperi

team in the Indigenous Sexual Health

Unit of the Melbourne Sexual Health

Centre. I started at Women’s Health

West in October 2015, specialising in

sexual health and reproductive health,

and supporting the development of

initiatives from community consultation.

I am working on new health promotion

programs and health promotion

projects raising the profile of sexual

and reproductive health for Aboriginal

youth and Aboriginal women living

and/or working in the west.

Maria

CHILDREN’S COUNSELLOR

I am a clinical art therapist with extensive

experience working with children, youth

and Aboriginal women and community.

For the past five years, I have been

facilitating counselling and art therapy

groups in youth refuges, schools, and

for children who have experienced

homelessness and family violence.

I’m passionate about advocating for

children’s voices to be valued andrespected and find joy in supporting

the many different ways that children

communicate. I have landed my ‘dream

job’ as a Children’s Counsellor and

Group Therapist at Women’s Health

West, and am so excited to be part

of a counselling team with other art

therapists. It’s great that the team shares

knowledge and experience in how art

and play can support a child to engage

in a therapeutic process where they can

explore themselves and their experiencesof violence in a developmentally

appropriate way. When I’m not working,

I love going to the beach, visiting new

places, listening to music and having fun.

Helen

CHILDREN’S COUNSELLOR

I graduated as a social worker in 2002

and went on a ten year voyage working

across many community sectors like

homelessness, drug and alcohol, aged

care, adult and child disability, publichealth, mental health and with asylum

seekers in Melbourne and London

before discovering my passion – working

therapeutically with children who have

experienced trauma. 2014 was a big year

for me: I completed further studies in

children’s counselling, had a baby, moved

house and set up a private counselling

practice. I’m very excited to have joined

the amazing WHW children’s counselling

team and to be given the opportunity

to offer play therapy services. I

have an obsession with reading,

good coffee, my daughter, sleeping

through the night and the beach.

Claudia

FAMILY VIOLENCE PROJECT

COORDINATOR, STRENGTHENING RISK

MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

I have a passion for social justice and

working with women, as I believe that

it’s paramount that women and children

live in a violence-free environment,

where they can be their own writers

of their own stories. I have worked at

the Eastern Domestic Violence Serviceas an intensive case manager working

closely with culturally and linguistically

diverse women, which provided me

with a better understanding of the

many obstacles and struggles migrant

women experience. My last role was

at Australian Red Cross working with

asylum seekers, which was such a great

learning experience. Both groups were

rewarding to work with, witnessing their

resilience and empowerment to seek

change and independence. Outside of

work, I love crocheting, am a big fan of

Netflix and am an avid reader of fiction.



8/20

At Women’s Health West our children’s counsellors have used therapeutic creative arts

in their SPLASh program to support children who are having trouble managing their

emotions after experiencing family violence. Here we look at how a SPLASh group can

achieve positive internal or external changes in a child.

Why children may be referred

As a result of experiencing family violencemany children experience difficulty in regulatingtheir emotions. This might result in themhurting other children or not tolerating limits.They might be having trouble at school withlearning or find it difficult to negotiate inthe playground. A child may be overlookedas the ‘good child’ who is overly compliant,

helpful, always neat and organised, yetunderneath they might be feeling anxious.

The benefits of a therapeutic group can bedifferent for each child, as every child is unique.Internal or external changes in a child’s worldcan be noticed at different times both duringand following the completion of group.

‘Process goals’ and ‘outcome goals’are used to guide the planning andrunning of the group, and support thegroup’s overall aims and objectives.

Process goals are goals that facilitators holdin mind when planning group activities,and during immediate group memberinteractions. Examples of process goalsinclude maintaining group rules, educationaround feelings and defining violence.

Process goals that are upheld during groupsessions can assist with outcome goals forchildren, such as feeling safe, knowing it’s okayto feel and express feelings, learning that abuseis not okay , and we have the right to be safe.

A combination of process and outcomegoals support the overall aims andobjectives of the SPLASh group:

• To provide a safe and supportive

environment for children who haveexperienced family violence

• To build children’s understandingof their emotions and how toexpress them in healthy ways

• To build children’s social skills, confidence,self-esteem and sense of personal wellbeing

• To support mothers to enhance theirconnectedness to their children

• To build positive relationshipsoutside the family unit

• To help children understandthat they are not alone

Nadine, Maria, Helen, Saya

A creative approach tosupporting children



9/20

P H O T O

S :

N a

d i n e

Common themes

When running SPLASh groups for childrenwho have experienced family violence,

these common themes generally emerge.Expressing emotions:

• Children explore ‘all feelings are okay,but not all behaviours are okay’

• What is it like when others are unsafe inexpressing strong emotions, particularlyanger, which has generally been expresseddangerously by the person using violence?

Gender:

• Perceptions of gender, what messages are

given about acceptable behaviour, howto be strong without using violence?

Relationships:

• Disappointment/broken trust

• Conflicting feelings (loving the personusing violence, but fearing them)

Resources/strengths and safety:

• Who or what helps you tomanage strong emotions?

• Making a personal safety plan

• Strengths: what do you like,what are you good at?

For some children this might be the firsttime they have directly expressed anythingabout their experiences of family violence.When these themes arise in group, childrenhave a sense of shared experience: they’renot alone in having experienced trauma,disappointment and loss — other kidshave been through tough stuff too!

Creating a contained/ safe

environment for participants

The facilitators consider a number of aspects

in making sure that children feel comfortable,encouraged and ‘safe’ while being at, andparticipating in, the group. Consistency inresponses and environment are key. Routineand predictability are especially importantto increase a child’s feelings of safety.

The room is set up the same way eachweek, and the group is held at the sametime and place. The sessions have apredictable pattern to them, with a similaractivity at the beginning and end of each

group. A ‘chill out’ space is available ifchildren need time away from the group.

Facilitators’ responses to children are alsopredictable. They remain curious, and ‘notice’things out loud. They support children to dothings for themselves to encourage a senseof the child being capable. The facilitationteam also model positive and respectfulcommunication and everyone in the roomtakes responsibility for their mistakes.

When working using art, facilitators also:

• Avoid interpreting or offering judgementsaround children’s art work

• Communicate acceptance ofchildren’s experiences

• ‘Notice’ their process andcomment where appropriate

• Remain respectful when handling art work

• Provide the option of taking workhome, or inform children how itwill be stored if it is left behind

• Are child-led – it might be important for achild to destroy or throw their work away



10/20

screening appointment. Communityconsultation is central to this project.

Delivery of the project and what

happens during a women’s group

A number of informative women’s

groups will be held across the

west to help remove barriers to

access. Advocacy from this project

has seen the development of

group bookings for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander women being

offered in four locations: Footscray,

Sunshine, Werribee and Melton.

The project will host the women’s

groups between February and November

2016. It is anticipated that between

200-250 Aboriginal women and Torres

Strait Islander women living, and/

or working in the west will attend

one of these women’s groups.

The women’s groups generallyfollow this format:

• Transport can be provided if requiredto attend the women’s group

• Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander women meet at an

accessible community space

for a two-hour session

• An information session is held onwomen’s health and breast screening

• Previous experiences of breastscreening and what prevents women

from returning for their next breast

screen are openly discussed and

shared. This discussion also focuses

on women’s positive experiences

• A guided tour of the breast screenclinic is given, where women are

walked through what will happen

at an actual appointment

• The tour includes viewinga room where women will

go for a mammogram

• Lunch and a gift pack of healthinformation is provided

The guided tour for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander women is designed

to build rapport between community

members and breast screen services

staff, such as receptionists and

radiographers. The opportunity for

women to participate in this group prior

to attending an appointment allows

women to become familiar with theservice and so reduce anxiety about

attending a breast screen appointment.

During the group session BreastScreen

Victoria staff will assist women to

access their information from their

database and update their contact

details on BreastScreen Victoria’s online

register. Women will also be informed

of the date of their next mammogram

and given this information in a

sealed envelope to ensure privacy.

A further initiative of this project is

creating opportunities for Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander women to

participate in group breast screening

clinics. The group clinics will be trialled

in Footscray, Sunshine, Werribee

and Melton throughout 2016.

‘Nan, Aunty, Mum – you are a

treasure to our family’ will include an

evaluation form to gather feedback and

recommendations for service quality

improvements and best practice inworking with Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander women. This evaluation

will be available in either written format

or online for participants to complete.

More information: breastscreen.org.au

Want to know more? Contact

Ngahina on 9689 9588, email

[email protected], or

contact your local Aboriginal

Health Worker/team.

Continued from page 1

Nan, Aunty, Mum – you are a

treasure to our family

health EDITION


Courtesy: BreastScreen Victoria

P H O T O S : C h r i s

t i n e C r o s b y

Nan, Aunty, Mum – you are a treasure to our

family workshop at Footscray Library and

BreastScreen Victoria Footscray clinic visit.



11/20

In 2015, Women’s Health West contracted Deakin University to undertake a rigorous literature review to

investigate and determine what influences the inequities associated with sexual and reproductive health inAustralia and internationally.

Sexual and reproductive health,

like other areas of health, is

influenced by a complex interplay

of biological, physical and social

determinants. The burden of disease is

not equally distributed among Victorians.

Some population groups are more

likely to experience health inequities

because differences in their education,

income, employment status, and othersocioeconomic, political, interpersonal

and cultural factors intersect to intensify

inequity. Similarly, positive changes

to political and economic structures,

public policies, living and working

conditions, and individual lifestyle

choices can work together to bring

about health improvements. Gathering

information about the main causes of

sexual and reproductive health inequity

assists us to focus on those areas most

likely to bring about those changes.

The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

awarded a three-year grant to Women’s

Health West in 2014 to further the work

of the Action for Equity partnership. The

grant includes support for a literature

review of the social determinants of

sexual and reproductive health inequity.

This research is an international first andwill support evidence-based practice

in the west and throughout Victoria.

Deakin University recently concluded

this work and the evidence is

clear. The research report makes a

case for six social determinants of

sexual and reproductive health:

1 Gender norms

2 Cultural and societal norms

3 Violence, discrimination and stigma

4 Public policy and the law

5 Socio-economic status

6 Access to culturally appropriate,accessible healthcare and services.

It is these social determinants that

governments, organisations and

practitioners must consider when

developing public policy, programs and

practice to work towards sustainable

and equitable health outcomes for

communities throughout Victoria.

For further information about this

research or to attend its launch

contact [email protected]

Elly Taylor, Acting Manager Health Promotion, Research and Development

The social determinants of sexualand reproductive health inequities

RESEARCH REPORT

health EDITION




12/20

Women’s Health West’s

You, Me and Us program is

a multi-faceted respectful

relationships education

program that works to

redress the drivers of men’s

violence against women

by promoting equal and

respectful relationships

between young people.

Teaching young people the

importance of equal and respectful

relationships, and providing them

with the skills to enact those equitable

intimate relationships, is an evidence-

based key action in the primary

prevention of violence against women

(for more information, see the Victorian

Government Department of Education

and Early Childhood Development

publication from 2009, Respectful

relationships education: violence

prevention and respectful relationships

education in Victorian secondary schools).

Women’s Health West developed You,

Me and Us in 2011 and successfully

delivered it to over 3,500 young people

in a two year period. The program

targets young people aged 10 to 13 and

18 to 24 in schools, sporting clubs, youth

organisations and higher educational

institutions. The program uses a peer

education model where young women

aged between 18 and 24 years co-

deliver the respectful relationships

education sessions. Professional

development is also delivered to

adults in those settings to ensure

sustainability of program messages.

School Focused Youth Services HobsonsBay/Wyndham funded a partnership

between themselves, Women’s

Health West and the Smith Family in

2015 to deliver You, Me and Us: The

Wyndham Community Hub Schools

Project to three schools in Wyndham.

This iteration of the program replaced

the peer education component

with training, capacity building and

support for primary school teachers.

Teachers co-delivered the program

with the Women’s Health West healthpromotion worker. The modification

to the program was designed to

increase its long-term sustainability

in the three participating schools.

Teachers from the participating schools

commented that they had received

appropriate support and training and

consequently felt confident to deliver

the respectful relationships education

Teaching respectful relationshipsin Wyndham schools

Melanie Sleap, Health Promotion Worker

health EDITION




13/20

content into the future. Teachers also

recognised the importance of partnering

with an organisation with expertise in

respectful relationships, gender equity

and knowledge in understanding how

to apply a whole-of-school approach.

“The You, Me and Us program was

a really important program for us

at WPPS. The focus on helping

our grade 5/6 students build

respectful relationships with one

another was both engaging and

meaningful. Having [the Women’s

Health West health promotion

worker] skilfully guide staff and

students through this program at

all levels, from planning to direct

delivery of the workshops, was the

key to success. We would be the

first in line to receive this program

again, should it be offered!”

— Julia McCahon, Assistant Principal,

Wyndham Park Primary School

Program evaluation for You, Me and Us

showed positive increases for students in

knowledge and attitudes across three keyareas: respectful relationships, gender

equity and bystander action. Participants

unequivocally stated that they enjoyed

the interactive sessions and learnt:

Boys and girls can

be equal (Young

male, 2015)

Respectful relationships are about

accepting people for who they

are (Young female, 2015)

About stereotypes and how people

can judge other people for the

gender they are (Young female, 2015)

About stepping in and being an

active bystander (Young male, 2015)

The program’s professional development

for school staff, including teachers,

wellbeing staff and leadership teams,

also successfully raised awareness

of the prevalence of men’s violenceagainst women, prevention approaches,

gender equity

and bystander

intervention. For

example, when

asked what

factors lead to

gender-based

violence, 100

per cent of

participants

correctlyanswered

‘rigid

stereotypes

and gender

roles for women

and men’ after training, as opposed

to 91.7 per cent prior to training.

You, Me and Us: The Wyndham

Community Hub Schools Projectagain demonstrates the impact and

importance of respectful relationships

education and the success a program

can have if it aligns with good

practice principles, takes a whole-of-

school approach, and is underpinned

by a gender equity framework.

More information about You, Me

and Us can be found at www.

whwest.org.au/you-me-us

I L L U S T

R A T I O N S :

I s i s a n

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14/20

Using social media to educate young people

about sexual and reproductive healthAlyce Vella, Health Promotion Worker

P H O T O :

C h r i s t

i n e

C r o s b y

I M A G E S : A

l y c e

V e l

l a

Y

oung people in the west experience

higher than average rates of sexuallytransmitted infections (STIs) and

unplanned pregnancies. This is likely to

follow unsafe sexual practices, inadequate

sexual health knowledge and lack of

access to affordable contraception, such

as condoms. STIs such as chlamydia

are most commonly diagnosed among

young people. Because chlamydia does

not have any symptoms it can remain

undiagnosed, leading to lasting infections

and poor health outcomes including

pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

Redress via a retweet?

The use of social media in Australia

continues to grow, with 70 per cent

of internet users currently holding

a social media account. Facebook

remains the most commonly used

network, claiming 90 per cent of social

media users. Young Australians have

indicated that, while sexual health can

be a taboo topic to discuss, the

use of informative and humorousvideos and other novel methods

can reduce stigma about a topic.

The aim of the #SafeSexInTheWest

social media campaign was to

normalise the discussion of safe sexual

practices and sexual and reproductive

health, while tackling the often

forgotten topics of pleasure and consent.

The #SafeSexInTheWest campaign ran

across two weeks in the lead-up to and

during Sexual Health Awareness Week

(14-21 February) and focused on thekey themes of Respect, Consent, Choice

and Pleasure. Colourful infographics,

videos and links to websites were posted

across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Condom vending machines

Another aim of the campaign was to

increase the currently inadequate use

of condoms in the west by sharing

information on where to access low

cost condoms. The Condom Vending

Machine (CVM) project is a collaborative

venture of the Action for Equity

partnership, led by Women’s Health

West, designed to increase access to

affordable condoms in the west. There

are five machines currently installed in

the west through the CVM project:

• Hannah Watts Park, Melton

• Melton Library and Learning Hub

• Caroline Springs Leisure Centre

• Footscray Library

• Visy Cares Hub, Sunshine

Placing machines in central, discreet

and easily accessible locations is key to

the success of this pilot project (which

is still in progress), as well as ensuring

condoms are inexpensive. In a pre-

installation consultation conducted

by Brimbank Youth Services, young

people indicated that they were

embarrassed to buy condoms from

stores, chemists and supermarkets,

but would use the machines as long

as condoms were affordable. Condom

prices range from 20 cents each in

Sunshine to $1 for two in Footscray,

Melton and Caroline Springs.

The use of social media to promote

#SafeSexInTheWest has proven

beneficial, with a total of 127 new

followers of WHW’s Facebook page and

Instagram account. Over 20,000 people

were reached via Facebook and Twitter,

in addition to media coverage in the

local area. Women’s Health West and

YEAH (Youth Empowerment Against

HIV) also promoted the CVMs at Victoria

University on 23 February with positive

response from students. CVM sales

data for the campaign period is still to

be collected. We hope to continue to

engage with young people and reach

other community groups through

broader strategies in the near future.

For more, please visit

www.whwest.org.au/srh/wordpress/

The CVM project is proudly supported

by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.

One of the images shared during the

campaign, providing information on where to

access low cost and free condoms in the west

#SafeSexInTheWest

health EDITION


Caption: (l-r) Health Promotion

Worker Alyce Vella with

Maribyrnong City Council

Health and Wellbeing

Planner, Imke

Wittebrood and

Agent of YEAH,

Natalie Coburn

at Victoria

University’s

O-Fest.



15/20

In January, eight women from Nepal, Vietnam, Romania, Myanmar and Australia, along with a peer

educator from Ethiopia, participated in Lead On Again, a transformative leadership program for culturallydiverse young women aged 16-24 from Melbourne’s west.

Lead On Again is a six-day leadership

program that is delivered in

partnership between Women’s

Health West and Western Young People’s

Independent Network (WYPIN) with

funding from Brimbank City Council.

The program builds on participants’

interests and includes sessions on

networking, spoken word poetry,

human rights, media and influence,sexuality and yoga, as well as a

discussion on culture and faith.

The young women identified that the

networking and human rights workshop

had strengthened their capacity as

leaders, and the spoken word poetry,

and culture and faith sessions enabled

them to draw on their current strengths,

and share their stories in a personal

and creative way. Lead On Again

participant Reanna Clark said, “Lead On

Again has taught me that leadership

knows no gender, race or age”.

The final day of Lead On Again was

dedicated to learning about event

management and how to run a

community event. This assisted the

participants to successfully organise a

public screening of the film I am a Girl

for International Women’s Day at the

VisyHub in Sunshine. Over 30 people

attended the free event, which included

speeches by participants, community

artwork displays and food catered for

by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

A new opportunity

Lead On Again was an exceptionally wonderfulexperience for me. In this program I met

other young women with completely different

opinions and faith and yet with similar

determination towards leadership. I enjoyed

all the intellectual workshops, motivational

speakers and most importantly engaging with

all the participants in a friendly environment.

To anyone who wants to enhance their

leadership skills, learn a wide range of

new ideas, meet new people, make friends

and want to have fun, I highly recommend

Lead On Again, as I would like others to

have the same opportunity to experience

a program that I myself truly enjoyed.

Amrita

Stepping out of mycomfort zone

I always feel a bit anxious about trying

new things; taking that step out of my

comfort zone. The prospect of leadership,

in particular, makes me nervous due to

associations with public speaking and big

ideas. Such feelings arose in the days prior

to participating in Lead on Again, but

when I arrived at the program I realised

such fears were futile. The program

fostered a wonderfully supportive sense

of community among a group of like-

minded, inspiring young women. Any

feelings of anxiety I had were gone by the

end of the week, replaced by thoughts

of empowerment and motivation.

Shadow

Good leadership knows no gender,race or ageNirvana Bhandary, Health Promotion Worker

P H O T O S :

S a

l l y

C a m

i l l e r

i



16/20

When a mother experiences family violence, so do her children. They may have witnessed their motherbeing assaulted and/or been directly assaulted themselves, or they might live in a fearful environment with

a frightened or frightening caregiver. It is vital that women living in this situation know that they can accesssupport and provide support to their children from pregnancy and as a new mother.

Family violence has a powerful impact

on the developing infant. Even before

a baby is born they are at risk of harm

from physical violence inflicted upon their

mothers, and from prolonged exposure to

high cortisol levels (a hormone associated

with heightened levels of stress and

fear) produced by their mother when

she experiences stress or violence.

Following birth, the impact of familyviolence on an infant’s development

can include constant crying, an

inability to be soothed, feeding

problems, sleep disturbances, hyper-

arousal and hyper-vigilance, intense

distress during transitions, and

difficulty managing frustration.

Toddlers may experience problems with

emotional regulation resulting in severe

tantrums, rebellious behaviour, intense

separation anxiety, wariness of strangers,

social avoidance and withdrawal andconstrained play. Toddlers might also

regress to baby-like behaviour and

suffer physical complaints or illness.

An infant who seems to be constantly

sleeping might in fact be trying

to escape their external world, by

disappearing inside themselves in an

attempt to find safety. The ‘good’

or ‘placid’ baby who does not make

appropriate demands on their caregivers,

never crying, and avoiding initiating play

or interaction, might be emotionally

withdrawing and ‘shutting down’ as

a response to a fearful and

unpredictable environment

of family violence.

Family violence can disrupt or sever the

child-mother relationship because of

the direct undermining behaviour of

the abusive partner, or indirectly as a

woman’s capacity to parent is disabled

as a result of the severity and frequency

of the violence. Research also shows that

a woman’s parenting can significantly

improve in the first six months of leaving

when the abuse and violence ceases.Women’s Health West, in partnership

with Berry Street, has developed a

parenting kit to assist women who

experience family violence. The kit

was first developed in 2003, with

the latest edition providing new and

updated fact sheets on pregnancy

and violence, and parenting a baby

who has experienced violence from

birth to 18 months. These fact sheets

advise women where they can access

support, and information about how tosupport their child/ren and strengthen

or mend the child-mother bond.

The kit also provides tips on developing

sleeping and eating routines for

babies, emphasises the importance

of play and other activities with

babies including talking and singing

to the child, eye contact, smiling

and making faces, cuddles, peek-

a-boo and soothing activities like

massaging baby after a bath.

For more information on Choosing

Positive Paths see next page.

Strengthening the child-mother bondMishelle, Children’s Worker

‘The greatest gift we

can give children in the

aftermath of family

violence is to strengthen

the relationship with

their mothers’

— Cathy Humphreys,

Professor of Social Work,

University of Melbourne

I L L U S T R A T I O N :

I s i s a n

d P l u t o



17/20

Name:

Organisation:

Postal Address:

Postcode:

Phone: Fax:

Email:

DELIVERY DETAILS

A range of brochures and fact sheets are available from our web sitewww.whwest.org.au/resources

Women’s Health West Publications

This form may be used as a Tax Invoice for GST purposes

Order Form – Tax Invoice ABN 24 036 234 159

Description Postage fee

Single folder $5

5 x folders $18

10 x folders $20

20 x folders $30

I will pick up my order from

WHW office.Please insertquantity here:

FREE

Choosing Positive Paths parenting kits

Order by mail Communications WorkerWomen’s Health West317 – 319 Barkly Street FOOTSCRAY VIC 3011

Order by fax 03 9689 3861

Order by email [email protected]

Order by phone 03 9689 9588Payment Please send payment with your order or we can

invoice you. Cheques payable to: Women’sHealth West

Nicola Harte, Communications Manager

Nadine, Children’s Counsellor

Shannon Keebaugh, Berry Street

The Choosing Positive Paths resource kit is a joint initiative ofWomen’s Health West and Berry Street. Initially developed in2003, the resource kit has had an update and we are proud topresent the brand new version!

The parenting kit is intended to

help all primary carers – mothers,

fathers, grandparents, aunts, family

friends, foster parents – with information

on what to expect from and how to

respond to children at all ages and stages

who have experienced family violence.

The kits are also a useful resources

for professionals who work with

families, such as social workers,

counsellors, doctors, teachers, lawyers

or child protection workers.

The fact sheets are divided into age

groups ranging from pregnancy to

teenagers. They include practical

tips on how to talk to children about

feelings, worries, family changes,

safety, separation and moving house.

They also suggest trauma-informedactivities to help women and children

re-build their relationships.

The new edition incorporates

changes in legislation, policy

and practice since the kit was

originally released in 2003.

And it’s all presented using

the warm and diverse imagery

of illustrators Isis and Pluto.

You can download free

pdfs of each factsheet

or order hardcopies

of the kit from www.

whwest.org.au/resources/

choosing-positive-paths or

www.childhoodinstitute.

org.au/Resources

Please note that we

charge a fee to cover

postage costs, or you

can elect to pick uphardcopies for free from

our office – see below.

Choosing Positive Paths

FEATURED PUBLICATION

ORDER FORM


http://../Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/en_GB/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://../Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/en_GB/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://../Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/en_GB/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdfhttp://../Library/Caches/Adobe%20InDesign/Version%208.0/en_GB/InDesign%20ClipboardScrap1.pdf


18/20

NoticesEVENTSUpcoming dates

15 May International

Day of Families

17 May InternationalDay Against

Homophobia,

Bi-phobia and

Trans-phobia

21 May World Day for

Cultural Diversity

26 May National Sorry Day

27 May

– 3 June

National

Reconciliation Week

28 May International Day

of Action for

Women’s Health

1 June Global Day

of Parents

7 June Ramadan begins

19-25 June Refugee Week

20 June World Refugee Day

3-10 July NAIDOC Week

7 July Eid Al Fitr

9 August International Day

of the World’s

Indigenous Peoples

Conferences

23rd National Conference: Australian Health Promotion

Association – Connecting the Dots19–22 June 2016

Rendezvous Hotel Scarborough, Western Australia

This conference is expected to attract over 500 professionals working within and

outside the health promotion sector. The conference aims to consolidate the

diverse range of topics that are dealt with in health promotion by encouraging

presenters to ‘connect’ those topics back to the core principles of the Ottawa

Charter. This will be achieved through the integration of the five principles in

the conference sub-themes. More information at www.ahpa2016.com.au

3rd Indigenous Stop Domestic and Family Violence World

Conference14–16 September 2016

Stamford Grand, Adelaide Beach Hotel, GlenelgThis conference is held every two years and this year it will be organised

by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance

(NATSIWA) and Indigenous Conference Services (Australia). This conference

aims to reduce the incidence of family violence at all levels and bring

together men, women and organisations as a united voice against domestic

and family violence. More information at www.indigenousconferences.

com/#!2016-international-domestic-violence-/c1zpe

21st Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International

Conference 201626–28 October 2016

Intercontinental Rialto, Melbourne

This conference, presented by the Judith Lumley Centre, School of Midwifery and

Nursing at La Trobe University, brings together global researchers, health and social

service providers and advocates to exchange knowledge and ideas and generatebest practices to prevent and/or reduce the impacts of violence on women,

children and families. Sessions will focus on research, practice, innovations and

policy directions. More information can be found at www.latrobe.edu.au



19/20

MEMBERSHIP FORM

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

Individual Voting Member(woman who lives, works or studies in the western metro region)

Organisational Member(organisation in, or whose client-base includes, the region)

Associate Non-voting Member (individual or organisation outside the region)

CONTACT DETAILS

N A M E

(This person is also eligible to attend and vote at our Annual General Meeting)

O R G A N I S A T I O N

C O N T A C T P E R S O N

P O S I T I O N

A D D R E S S

S U B U R B P O S T C O D E

P H O N E ( W ) P H O N E ( H )

E M A I L A D D R E S S

S I G N A T U R E D A T E

(Individual members only)

Donor Type of Donation

Private donor Kitchenware

Salvation Army Christmas presents for

clients in refuge

Melton Owl

Branch CWA

Pamper packs and

toothbrushes

safe steps 100 New Day boxes and

Christmas puddings

Impact for Women Personal packs and ‘house

bags’ with children’s

toys and activities

Private donors Kitchenware, PJs and

underwear purchased

new, furniture and TV,

wooden horse rocker

Sea Breeze Quilters

and Footscray HospitalTheatre Staff

Quilts, toiletries, Christmas

hampers, books, toys,etc. and $905

Donor Purpose Amount

Magistrates' Court ofVictoria, Criminal Justice

Diversion program

5 x courtordered funds

$1,800

Girl Guides Association

of Victoria (HoppersCrossing)

Donation from

fundraising

$1,000

Australian Labor Party

– Victoria BranchDonationfrom raffle

$50

Women of the West Donation from

fundraiser event

$144

Private donors Donations $3,630

TOTAL $6,624

Donations are tax deductible. To donate online

www.whwest.org.au/about-us/donations

Women’s Health West extend our warmest thanks for the

following contributions from beginning October 2015 to

end of February 2016. These much-appreciated donations

and grants help us to enhance our programs and services. Everydonation goes straight to assisting women and children.

Debra Wannan, Finance Officer

Sophie, Crisis Accommodation Coordinator

donations

A big thank you out to the 70 people who joined Clare Keyes-Liley

and Anna Morrison at their fundraising event at Two Birds Brewing in

Spotswood in March 2016. Clare said they were motivated to organise

a fundraiser for Women’s Health West because, ‘We were keen to

organise an event that celebrated International Women’s Day, whilst

highlighting the fight we still have ahead of us for women’s economic

and social equality.’

Clare Keyes-Liley

and her daughter

Harriet with

Anna Morrison:ready to celebrate

International

Women’s Day

with a fundraiser

for Women’s

Health West

All women living, working or studying in the westernmetropolitan region of Melbourne are eligible formembership of WHW, as are organisations whose client

base includes the western region.

P H O T O S :

C o u r t e s y

C l a r e

K e y e s - L

i l e y

Membership is free. To apply, fill in this form and mail to: Women’s Health West317–319 Barkly Street, Footscray VIC 3011


20/20

Women’s Health West

317-319 Barkly Street

Footscray 3011

PHONE 9689 9588

FAX 9689 3861

EMAIL [email protected]

WEBSITE www.whwest.org.au

whw in the news

whw news, edition 1, 2016

Documents