Annual report 2021-2022

The project is supported by a small committee of Rev Greg Woolnough, who had to stand down in June 2022 due to work commitments, Father Shenouda Mansour and Wies Schuiringa. A new committee member is being approached.

The initial project funded by the Glenburnie Fund finished in February 2022 and continues with funding from the Colliers Trust for the remainder of 2022. Funding opportunities for 2023 are being explored.

The project officer Dc Oliver Slewa continued in the role. Covid restrictions and hesitancy to attend meeting in-person, also by guest speakers has made organising in-person workshops difficult. The main work focus has been on building relationships and networking with churches, church organisations and other faith organisations. There have been a number of invitations to participate in and being a guest speaker at secular community and domestic violence networks. There is a strong interest to hear what the churches are saying about domestic violence and the project has developed a wider community education function. The posters and flyers about family and domestic violence are in high demand, especially in community languages. 

This interest does not necessarily mean that more detailed workshops are requested. We need to remember that family and domestic violence is a difficult topic, especially confronting the possibility that this is happening in one own’s faith community and action maybe required.

One church invited the project officer to provide a workshop on a Sunday and as well as participate in the service by presenting the sermon. This combination enhanced an open discussion about respectful relationships and grappling with the concepts of family and domestic violence.

Contacts have been made with member churches in regional NSW to provide online workshops. 

The Declaration of Unity to stand against Family and Domestic Violence has been presented at meetings of the Executive and Heads of Churches.

Forums Presented in 2022

• Safe Homes Forum – Hosted by NSW online, February 2022
• Assyrian Youth – Liverpool (St Zaia Cathedral) (face to face session, March 2022, 18 youth attendees in partnership with CORE Community Services
• Uniting Church Liverpool, April 2022, with guest speakers from NSW Police Elder Abuse Unit, Victims Services NSW, Southwest Sydney Legal Centre, held face to face and Live streamed on Facebook
• Church of South India – Hills District (face to face session) June 2022, Safe Homes Safe Families Forum held on working with victim survivors of DFV, 50 attendees
• Presented at Church Leaders meeting at Greek Orthodox Church hosted by NSW EC Executive Committee

 

Publications distributed in 2022

• A2 Prints Fairfield CORE Community Services – 6 copies (Arabic, Assyrian, Farsi and English)
• A3 Prints Jesuit Refugee Service – 8 Copies (Arabic, Hindi, Farsi, English, Vietnamese)
• DL sized Prints posted to various services, 1350 copies (various languages)
• Email of PDF Publications sent to 120 email addresses 

 

Conferences attended

• Cumberland City Family Violence Conference, May 2022
• Launch of the Dowry Abuse Videos by NSW Police, May 2022

 

Meetings Held

• Meeting with CORE Community Services DV Team
• Meeting with Legal Aid NSW Elder Abuse Service
• Meeting with Church of South India
• Meeting with MCLO NSW Police at Guildford
• Met with Solicitors from Inner-Sydney Legal Centre on Elder Abuse legal support
• Met with DV Team at Canterbury-Bankstown City Council
• Met with Auburn Diversity Services DV workers

 

Training attended

• Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse women experiencing DFV – hosted by NSW Health

• Working with Refugees experiencing DFV – Hosted by NSW Health

• Children experiencing DV, hosted online by Parramatta City Council

Miscellaneous

• Collated 50 email addresses of various School Chaplains, contact details for Christian Schools in NSW

• Developed Women Guardians Network, to establish a state-wide Network and train women to support Victim Survivors of DFV, meetings to commence in September on a monthly basis
• Working on promotional material for Declaration of Unity

 

Deacon Oliver Slewa

Project Officer

17 September 2022