Whittlesea CALD Communities Family Violence Research Report 2012 | Page 65
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3. Building the Capacity of Community and Religious Leaders
Consultations conducted with community and religious leaders during the scoping exercise revealed
that these leaders are often the first point of disclosure for both CALD women experiencing family
violence and CALD men perpetrating family violence. All community and religious leaders consulted
had been approached at least once in relation to family violence and most reported being
approached for guidance on a regular basis.
Community and religious leaders’ response to disclosure of family violence and the information and
assistance they give to CALD men and women has a critical role to play in determining outcomes for
CALD women experiencing family violence. Consultations with community and religious leaders
revealed differences in their understanding of family violence and the available services, experience
and training leading to differing responses from these leaders. There was a noted emphasis by
community and religious leaders on reconciliation of the relationship and discouragement of divorce
and separation. All community and religious leaders who participated in the project expressed
interest in participating in training and education activities specifically addressing disclosures of
family violence.
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The project will seek to recruit community and religious leaders from established and emerging
CALD communities and provide them with the support to develop a local leadership network;
The network will provide leadership on matters related to family violence and targeted training
and education will be delivered to the network to support their leadership. WCC’s links with
refugee and migrant communities will be key to engaging community groups to participate in
this project;
The project will access and harness the knowledge and expertise of Whittlesea Community Legal
Service and specialist family violence agencies to deliver information and training sessions on
Australian residents’ rights and responsibilities particularly in relation to legal protections for
victims of family violence under State law and the federal Migration Act and available support
services;
Family violence prevention tools, resources and social marketing messages will be developed in
partnership with the network to ensure that community and religious leaders have the capacity
to deliver information and support to their communities in ways that are sensitive and
appropriate;
Community leaders will be provided the opportunity to link with service providers who will
provide secondary consultation outside of network meetings, advice and guidance on
appropriate and effective responses following disclosures of family violence.
Representation from a diverse range of faiths and communities will establish a foundation for
inter-community relationship building that will contribute to community cohesion at a local
level. Once established the network will develop a unified voice that does not commit, excuse or
condone violence against women in their communities.