2017 CARAD Annual Report
Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) Inc Annual Report www.carad.org.au
Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) Inc Annual Report www.carad.org.au
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<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM<br />
REPORT FROM JOANNA JOSEPHS, VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR<br />
AND ELLIE GILNA, VOLUNTEER LIAISON OFFICER<br />
VOLUNTEERS – THE HEART AND SOUL OF<br />
<strong>CARAD</strong><br />
This year more than 150 wonderful volunteers have actively supported <strong>CARAD</strong>,<br />
ensuring our program continues to strengthen and evolve.<br />
Every month approximately 40 people attended our Volunteer Information Sessions<br />
to learn about <strong>CARAD</strong>’s valuable work and the challenges faced by people seeking<br />
asylum and refugees.<br />
It was humbling to see so many of these warm and compassionate people go on<br />
and take-up the variety of critical volunteer roles that underpin the work we do.<br />
Without their dedication, energy and sheer hard work, we simply couldn’t support<br />
the people who so desperately need our help and understanding, and <strong>CARAD</strong> is<br />
deeply grateful.<br />
Our Volunteer Program was also boosted by Ellie Gilna who joined the <strong>CARAD</strong><br />
team as Volunteer Liaison Officer in February <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
JOANNA & ELLIE<br />
Ellie’s efforts have not only improved the program’s efficiency, but increased our<br />
ability to create and sustain meaningful volunteer matches.<br />
DETENTION VISITING<br />
Our Detention Visiting Team continued to provide crucial social<br />
support and advocacy to asylum seekers in immigration detention at<br />
Yongah Hill and Perth Immigration Detention Centre over the past 12<br />
months.<br />
We had a core group of 30 dedicated detention visitors who attended<br />
the centres around ten times per month per month, supporting<br />
approximately 175 detainees.<br />
<strong>CARAD</strong> continued its important contribution to national advocacy<br />
efforts aimed at:<br />
• Reducing the number of people in detention<br />
• Improving detention conditions<br />
• Providing greater support for detainees released into the<br />
community<br />
Detention Visiting volunteers also provided important transitional<br />
support to detainees who were released from detention into the Perth<br />
community, offering a friendly and familiar face in a new city.<br />
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