Berry Street Web Docs Annual Report 2009 | Page 16

Our Work with Families supporting parents We know that being a parent can be a great joy, but it is also a tough job. This is especially so for: • Young women struggling on their own without family support. • Parents whose own experiences of childhood were of violence, rejection or entrenched poverty. • Parents who can’t afford good housing and can’t provide the home they want for their children. • Women who have been subjected to serious family violence, including some who are forced to take their children and leave their home because they fear for their lives. • Parents who are struggling with mental illness and/ or substance abuse. An essential ingredient of a good childhood is being part of a family where you feel secure and loved. Over the year, we worked with more than 4000 parents and children, helping the adults to be better parents and supporting the children. 15 More than 2500 women sought help through our Family Violence intake service. Our first priority is to help them develop their own safety plan and we talk through their options with them. We provided support at court for 250 women, counselling for 60 women, assisted 35 women in crisis or transitional housing and we also worked intensively with 26 children who were exhibiting signs of great distress because of the violence to which they or their mother were subjected. We also worked intensively with 267 parents and 382 children who were struggling to be the parents they wanted to be. With the addition of new Children’s Contact Centres in Shepparton and Richmond, we significantly increased our work in this area. Fortunately, most parents are able to negotiate access arrangements when they decide to separate or become divorced. However, there are too many situations where this is not possible or where violence or a parent’s mental illness means that any access must be supervised. Our Contact Centres are attractive, safe places where our knowledgeable staff help to make access a positive experience for the child and parent, provide a safe place for changeovers and supervise contact when that is required.