At Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia, we provide support and immediate shelter, for you and your children/grandchildren, with an average stay for most women of a few days, to a few weeks. Our shelter is high security, with 30 beds and we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Along with case management, risk assessment, safety planning and emergency relief, we can also refer you to other services in town (such as our counselling appointments) to get the support you need.
Our focus is to provide a space for you, where you can feel safe and supported, while you decide what to do next. When you come to us we respect your privacy – what you tell us remains confidential.
Safety Planning and Risk Assessment
One of the most important things we will do together is ‘risk assessment’ and ‘safety planning’. Our staff are trained to help you work out what the biggest risks may be for you, and to support you to make a safety plan that focusses on your needs and your situation and that keeps you safe. We will give you information that can help you understand some of the risk factors that can increase your chance of being harmed, and work with you to help reduce those risks.
As well as understanding the risks, we help you do a safety plan. This might include talking about who the safe people in your life are, arranging a domestic violence order, letting the police know about your situation, or relocating you to a different house, town or community if necessary.
Supporting Your Children
Children are often unintentional victims of domestic and family violence. We want them to feel safe and supported too when they come to the shelter with you. We can also refer them on to other services if they need more help.
All of our staff work to create a positive atmosphere that supports children and focuses on their individual needs. Stability during times of crisis is really important for children, so we try to maintain routines, support you to make sure they can keep going to school and provide a happy and healthy environment for them to learn, play and feel safe. We have facilities set up for children of all ages, including a new playground and activity space. We also have a family room equipped with games, movies, paints, crafts and books.
