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.
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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.