Centacare Safer Families Support Service

Domestic & Family Violence

Domestic and Family Violence can affect people of all ages. This type of violence can be very frightening and difficult to know how to stop. If someone is being violent towards you there are people out there who can help.

Centacare provides this service at Roma, St George and Charleville. 

The support provided by Centacare is a Confidential Service.

• Spousal - people who are married, separated or divorced, or are the biological parents of a child.
• Family - people who are relatives of each other by blood or marriage (over 18 years old).
• Intimate Personal - people who are, or were engaged to be married to each other. It also includes people who are dating and whose lives have become enmeshed.
• Informal Care - when a person is receiving informal care from someone or is providing informal care to someone due to a disablity, illness or impariment.

Crisis Intervention

Help you to leave a domestic violence situation and to have access to safe accommodation and transport.

Counselling

Counselling is available to:

• Children who witness or experience domestic and family violence.
• Young People who witness or experience domestic and family violence.
• People who experience abuse and violence in relationships.
• Persons who use abusive and violent behaviours in relationships.

Counselling provides an opportunity to talk about and explore issues. Through counselling you can learn new skills to develop healthy relationships.

Court Support

The Court assists people affected by domestic and family violence to obtain a Protection Order. The support is there during the court process.

Information & Referral

People are referred to services that are there to help:

• Legal Advice
• Financial Assistance
• Crisis Accommodation/Housing

 What is Domestic & Family Violence?

• Physical: A person using threatening behaviour to hurt you. It may be in the form of physical actions such as pushing, shoving, kicking, forcing you to do things that you don't want to do, throwing objects at you or using a type of weapon to hurt you.
• Verbal: A person may use 'put downs' or threats to hurt you, your relatives or friends. They may criticise, humiliate or insult you and use offensive and demeaning language such as calling you lazy, fat or ugly.
• Social: A person using abusive behaviours may try to isolate you from your family and friends, try to stop you from leaving the house or control the use of the phone or car.
• Financial: A person who controls your access to money to buy food, shelter or medical care.
• Sexual: A person who wants you to participate in sexual activity that you do not want. This could include being forced into carrying out humliating sexual acts, sex on demand or rape.
• Other: Domestic Violence can also include a person who damages your property, harms your pets or does not allow you to practise your religious or cultural beliefs.