Annual Report 2010 - Berry Street

13
Strengthening Families
It is our belief that, wherever possible, children
should grow up in families where they feel safe,
nurtured and have hope for the future.
Parenting is a really tough job, especially when
you are isolated, under financial stress and don’t
have support around you. It becomes even more
difficult if you are living in fear of violence.
Our skilled and committed family violence team
in the North & West region helped 2,559 women
(who were accompanied by 2,420 children), who
were either referred by another service because
of family violence or contacted us directly. We
also followed up on nearly 2,000 women referred
to us by the Police. This is confronting work
and we will do whatever is required to help the
women keep themselves and their children safe.
Some of our other Family Services programs
include:-
• Providing support for parents struggling
with adolescents who are being violent to
them or siblings in the North & West region.
• Running a community forum on ‘Where is
your child tonight?’.
• Working with parents who have been referred
to Child Protection (often because of
substance use or mental illness) and assisting
them to better understand what their
children need.
• A program targeted at teenage mothers
in Gippsland.