Celebrating 30 years! - Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and ...

Domestic and Family Violence ServiceAtunypa Wiru MinymaUwankaraku: GoodProtection for all WomenRose Byrnes, a former Sergeant with theVictorian Police, where she served fortwenty years, took over as Manager ofthe Domestic and Family Violence (DV)Service in May 2010, succeeding JillSteel who had put in more than threeyears of very hard work.In 2009 NPYWC acquired a lease on theold Aboriginal Airlines office across theroad from its main office in WilkinsonStreet Alice Springs, and the DV staffmoved in September from their crampedquarters to much bigger premises thatare able to accommodate a growingstaff contingent as well as clients.Volunteer Liz Lowe provided welcomeassistance to the Service in this period,including helping with the move.Terri Di Salvo and Lawyers from the SA Women’s Legal Service visiting the APY lands.This year the DV Service has undertakena number of initiatives to improve theservice it offers to clients in NPY membercommunities. Our WA case workerCarol Myers now lives at WarburtonWA, and with our WA legal supportsolicitor Penny Robbins, initiated aninter-agency meeting inviting policeand the Department of Child ProtectionWA and setting an agenda of keyissues. As a result there is now a betterunderstanding among all services, andthere are regular interagency meetings.Shannon Davies, the case workerbased in Alice Springs, has made abig effort to update and improve ourintake assessment and safety plans forwomen; and former DV staff memberElissa Pernu has returned on a casualbasis and has greatly assisted the caseworkers by sharing her considerableexperience, and reviewing cases as partof the ongoing support and supervisionthat is necessary in this difficult work.The APY Lands unfortunately continuesto provide a majority of clients, with acorresponding high level of need andfrequent court circuits. Terri Di Salvohas continued to soldier on with ahuge workload on the APY Lands. TheCarol Myers and members celebrate the new NPYWC Domestic Violence Office in Warburton, WA.Women’s Legal Service SA provideslegal assistance to DV clients on theAPY Lands under contract to NPYWC.Gaynor Ramsay has taken on the NTjurisdiction. The DV Service in-houselawyer Hannah Meredith has continuedto use her considerable experience,knowledge and commitment to assistwomen with legal support.Lena Taylor, the DV Service interpreterand client support worker is a key toour success, interpreting and assistingclients in ways that would be far morechallenging if we did not have her onstaff. Rose Goldner, Admin Assistant,assists with client intake and generalreception duties.The DV Service now has more than 1,000women and children on its records, whichhave been kept since 1995. The numbercontinues to increase at a rate of two tothree clients a week. On average, eachcase worker attends to approximately30 to 40 clients per month.The DV Service continues to beencouraged by victims of violencegaining more confidence to report theircircumstances and to receive help.The case workers’ dedication and hardwork, supporting women and children,encouraging reporting and pursuingsafety as the top priority has ensuredthat women continue to place their trustin NPYWC and in the police.The DV Service also works in closepartnership with police, legal services,child protection agencies, the CrossborderJustice Program and the AliceSprings Women’s Shelter.Rose Byrnes, Domestic and FamilyViolence Service Manager8 NPY Women’s Council (Aboriginal Corporation) Annual Report 2009–2010