Domestic violence hub to open in Adelaide’s north
A domestic violence prevention and recovery hub is set to open in Adelaide’s northern suburbs in April.
The Northern Multi-Agency Hub will be run by Women’s Safety Services SA and the South Australian Police, providing support to women and families in the Playford, Salisbury, Gawler, Barossa, Light, and Mallala regions.
Services to be provided in the hub include emergency and medium-term accommodation and access to police services to make reports, statements, and apply for intervention orders, or variations to existing orders.
The hub will also assist people in accessing the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, which allows those who may be at risk of domestic violence to find out if the potential perpetrator has a history of abusive or violent behaviour recorded with the police.
Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Katrine Hildyard said the government was “implementing policy, service and legislative changes across the four domains of prevention, intervention, response and recovery and healing”.
“We are determined to do all that we can to help prevent the horrific scourge of domestic violence,” she said.
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“This important collaboration and new service…has the potential to improve outcomes for women and help change and save lives.”
The hub will be accessible only by appointment or referrals, with majority of referrals expected to be from the DV Crisis Line, SA Police, DV Disclosure Scheme, and Women’s Safety Services SA.
Women’s Safety Services SA CEO Maria Hagias said the organisation was “thrilled with the opportunity for increased, regionally-specific collaboration between services”.
“We know that a collaborative approach to early intervention, recovery and prevention provides better outcomes for women, their children and the wider community,” she said.
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Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services Minister Joe Szakacs said the hub would assist in providing a “service model…to the northern areas of metropolitan Adelaide extending into the Barossa region”.
“The Commissioner of Police has provided a strong commitment to the Northern Multi-Agency Hub…hubs across South Australia are a valuable way to provide unique, supportive services to victim-survivors of domestic violence,” he said.
The northern hub makes up part of a $1 million program by the state government to establish prevention and recovery hubs in the south and north of Adelaide over two years.
Funding for the hubs was boosted by the National Partnership on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses within the Australian Government.
Two workers will be allocated, supported by a commitment from the Commonwealth Government to assist in funding frontline and community sector workers.
The first hub under the investment, Yellow Gate hub, was opened in Noarlunga last December.
Since January, 41 women have visited the Noarlunga hub and have received at least one one-on-one support session. Of these 41, 12 were referred to other services for further support.
The opening comes as the state’s Royal Commission into domestic violence remains in its early stages, with former Australian Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja early this month announced as the royal commissioner.
