Whilst we continue to follow up the formal request for a meeting with the Minister of Health, we are keeping busy! Last week we participated in the National Office for Child Safety baseline analysis of specialist and community support services for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. We are pleased to let you know, we are definitely not alone in asking for 'no wrong door' being required for all specialist and community support services.
The baseline analysis will:
- develop minimum practice standards for services, agreed by Commonwealth, state and territory governments
- identify Australian services that meet the agreed standards
- find gaps in the service system
- make recommendations for expanding or developing new support services ‑ including for the National Strategy’s priority groups
- make recommendations on the feasibility of developing a nationally consistent minimum data collection for relevant support services.
In the consultation session we participated in, we also spoke about the need to:
- reduce the risk of re-traumatisation of survivors, by ensuring they are not required to repeat their abuse stories multiple times, to multiple service providers, and
- address the shaming and harm that survivors experience, when undertaking 12-step programs which are not trauma informed, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, which require participants to publicly take responsibility for their substance abuse at every meeting.
This conflicts with trauma informed services and supports for survivors, that work to reduce any shame and stigma associated with abuse, and any effects of that abuse, including addictions.
We will be able to comment on the draft standards in September, which we hope to see 'no wrong door' as a one of the mandatory / minimum standards for specialist and community support services for all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
We have also been busy pursuing the Victorian Government for the details of how many recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse they have actually implemented to-date. Update to follow shortly.
We are LOUD! We are being HEARD! Thanks to being 12,822 Supporters STRONG.