“We can’t operate in a vacuum” said NAAFLS Community Legal Education Social Worker, Gia Crocetti. “There are so many moving parts to domestic violence, and we need to have a holistic approach”.
At a recent community ‘chat’ session, NAAFLS teamed up with Grassroots Youth Engagement YWCA, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), YMCA and the Palmerston Youth Program Co-ordinator from the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet to talk to women about domestic violence at the Palmerston Youth Centre. All the services involved support domestic violence victims in some way, and NAAFLS was included to talk about legal rights for victims.
Gia said collaboration was important because domestic violence is such a nuanced issue with so many interrelating factors at play. In working collaboratively with other service providers, we are aiming to provide service users with a holistic understanding of the services available to them in the Palmerston area.
For NAAFLS, working with other service providers in Palmerston helps us better understand the services and programs available, and in turn helps other organisations understand what we do and how our referral system works.
Why an informal chat?
The flyer for the event invited all women to come and ‘chat’ about domestic violence. When asked why the group adopted a less formal approach, Rachael Hill, NAAFLS project officer said it was the most effective way to talk about this difficult topic.
“Informal chats are a better way to talk about domestic violence because it breaks down barriers. Talking about domestic violence is hard which is why it’s important to create a safe and informal environment. We talk, we share food, and we try to work out what people need”.
Women are hungry for information
Gia says people want as much information as possible about domestic violence. “At this session there were questions about domestic violence and people under 18, and how the law applies to them. Other questions related to the services available in Darwin and Palmerston, how and where to access them.”
More sessions in the future
We know that people want more information, and while there is demand, NAFFLS will continue to offer community legal education wherever we work. Community legal education is a key focus of NAAFLS. For more information head to our community legal education page.
This session came about as part of the Palmerston Youth Action Plan 2022-2024. One of the Actions of the Plan is to deliver six sessions about domestic violence to the Palmerston community. Two sessions have taken place, hopefully with more to come. We’ll be advertising NAAFLS involvement on our Facebook page.
