Support and Safety Planning During COVID-19
A Community Resource
Even though the COVID-19 public health crisis means that we are now spending less time with each other, how do we still support our friends, family and community members who are experiencing family and intimate partner violence at this time?
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Support services and resources during COVID-19
Last updated 24 March 2020
While some family violence services remain open during the COVID-19 public health crisis, many services are changing how they provide support to people experiencing family/intimate partner violence. For example, many services are stopping face to face support and outreach, and are instead moving towards providing all or most of their support by phone or video call. This might have significant impacts on someone’s capacity to access those support services.
This resource is by no means a comprehensive list of support services in Victoria, Australia. We also stress that their capacity, opening times and mode of service delivery is likely to continue changing from week to week. Be sure to check what support is actually available through services at this time, as well as opening hours and wait times, before exploring these options with someone.
Family/intimate partner violence
Organisation: Safe Steps
What they provide: Victoria’s statewide, 24/7 first response service for women (trans inclusive), young people and children experiencing family violence
Contact details: Call 1800 015 188 or email safesteps@safesteps.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
24/7 family violence response phone line is open
Flexible support packages (FSP) are still available (potential delays in processing times)
Refuges are currently open (if not showing COVID-19 symptoms or have been overseas recently)
Crisis motels/hotels still accepting clients. If there are any signs of symptoms people are being told to self isolate for 2 weeks within the crisis accommodation
Organisation: Orange Door
What they provide: Access to specialist family violence services for women and children, child and family services, Aboriginal services and services for men who use violence.
Contact details: Barwon 1800 312 820, Bayside Peninsula 1800 319 353, Inner Gippsland 1800 319 354, Mallee 1800 290 943, North Eastern Melbourne 1800 319 355
Service provision during COVID-19:
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Physical sites to attend in person are no longer open. Call the above numbers.
Organisation: Djirra
What they provide: Legal and non-legal support for Aboriginal people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence; safety planning, financial assistance (Flexible Support Packages), counselling and referrals for Aboriginal women and their children; cultural, wellbeing and social activities.
Contact details: Call 1800 105 303
Service provision during COVID-19:
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Now providing legal support over the phone
Organisation: CASA
What they provide: Sexual assault emergency and crisis care, counselling and support, information and advocacy
Contact details: Phone: 9635 3600, Address: Level 3, 210 Lonsdale Street Melbourne
Service provision during COVID-19:
Intake and crisis line still operating and staffed 24/7
People presenting at the Women's Emergency Centre at the Royal Women's will be screened for COVID-19, with questions re symptoms and temperature taken
There will be fewer in person responses at Crisis Care Unit if the assault happened over 72 hours ago, people will instead receive support over the phone
If calling out of business hours use the Sexual Assault Crisis Line - 1800 806 292
Organisation: Intouch
Location: Services operating via phone and online
What they provide: Multilingual legal help, counselling, immigration help
Contact details:
For general information and enquiries phone - 03 9413 6500
If you are experiencing family violence and need support call 1800 755 988
Office hours: 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday
Service provision during COVID-19:
Case managers will continue to provide support to our clients via phone, and teleconferencing
Will be introducing a triage system for intake and all new clients will continue to go through the intake and risk assessment processes
Case managers who would normally provide face-to-face outreach support at four courts across Melbourne will continue to do so via phone
Developing a specific ‘online hub’ that is designed to empower victim-survivors to be informed about resources and services they can access, and to continue to be able to self-refer to inTouch
Lawyers and migration agents will continue to provide support to existing and new clients via phone and teleconferencing
Face-to-face court support will be limited. Lawyers will follow social distancing protocols implemented by the courts and increase us of telephone based support
Face-to-face support with Monash Health (as part of the Health Justice Partnership), has been temporarily suspended. However, lawyers will continue to accept referrals and support clients through this referral pathway.
Face-to-face group sessions have been suspended for now
One-on-one case management support to men will continue via phone
Organisation: Switchboard Victoria
What they provide: LGBTIQA+ Peer Support Service
Contact details: Call 1800 184 527 or webchat via https://qlife.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Telephone support line: 3pm to Midnight daily
Organisation: w/respect After Hours Helpline
What they provide: Helpline for LGBTIQ+ and questioning people and their families who have: experienced or are experiencing family or intimate partner violence, used or are using family or intimate partner violence, or would like to talk about what is going on more broadly in their relationships
Contact details: Call 1800 542 847 or email afterhours@switchboard.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19
Telephone support line: Wednesday 5pm - 10pm, Saturday 3pm - 10pm, Sunday 3pm - 10pm
Organisation: Thorne Harbour Health (THH) - formerly Victorian AIDS Council
What they provide: Counselling, family violence counselling and case management, alcohol and other drugs (AOD), health and community support services for people who are LGBTIQA+, questioning and living with HIV.
Contact details: Call (03) 9865 6700 or email enquiries@thorneharbour.org
Service provision during COVID-19:
Phone lines open: 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday
Due to COVID-19 pandemic most face-to-face services have currently ceased and moved to Telehealth, telephone or Zoom online video communication contact
Organisation: WIRE
What they provide: Support, referrals & information for all Victorian women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people.
Contact details: Call 1300 134 130, text chat via https://www.wire.org.au or email support@wire.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Telephone support line: 9.30am–4.30pm, Monday to Friday
Due to COVID-19 the WIRE Walk-In Information Centre is currently closed
Organisation: Men’s Referral Service (MRS)
What they provide: Family violence telephone counselling, information and referral service for men using violence in their relationships.
Contact details: Call 1300 766 491 or webchat via https://www.ntv.org.au/
Service provision during COVID-19:
Telephone support line, Monday to Friday 8am - 9pm, Weekends 9am - 5pm
Organisation: TIS National - Interpreting services
What they provide: TIS offers translating services by telephone to non-English speakers. The majority of calls to an agency will be free for non-English speakers. If the agency you are calling is not a TIS client or not eligible for free services, you will need a personal account and to pay for interpreting services. For many services, if you call the service they will call you back with a translator.
Contact details: Call 13 14 50 or website https://www.tisnational.gov.au/Help-using-TIS-National-services/Contact-TIS-National
Service provision during COVID-19:
Immediate phone interpreting: 24 hours, every day of the year
Payphones locator:
Map showing where payphones are located in your area
Some payphones have usb slots where you can charge your phone) https://ppol.pbspectrum.com.au/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=Telstra%20PPOL%20Citizen
Legal Information
Organisation: Victoria Legal Aid
What they provide: Free legal information and education, legal advice and representation for people who meet eligibility criteria
Contact details: Call 1300 792 387 or website https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/
Service provision during COVID-19:
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
All legal advice by phone due to COVID-19
Currently operating at reduced capacity, consider delaying non-urgent calls
Organisation: Women’s Legal
What they provide: Legal information, advice, referral and representation for women in Victoria experiencing disadvantage
Contact details: Call 03 8622 0600 or toll free 1800 133 302 or website https://www.womenslegal.org.au/ or email admin@womenslegal.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
All services continuing with modified format- phone or video conferencing
Legal advice line operating with reduced capacity- Tuesday and Thursday night between 5.30pm and 7.30pm
All staff working from home however can still be contacted Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
LGBTIQ people experiencing family violence issues
The LGBTIQ Legal Service is a state-wide program of St Kilda Legal Service. We provide free help for LGBTIQ people with their everyday legal problems including family violence, discrimination, criminal law, Police complaints, health/privacy complaints, change of name issues and more.
https://lgbtiqlegal.org.au/contact-us/ or call/text 0490 086 090
The Roberta Perkins Law Project is a trans-led state-wide program of St Kilda Legal Service. We provide free legal support to address the everyday legal problems and specific legal needs of trans and gender diverse people living in Victoria including family violence, discrimination, criminal law, Police complaints, health/privacy complaints, change of name issues and more.
https://www.facebook.com/RobertaPerkinsLawProject, email RPLP@skls.org.au or call/text Sam on 0413 491 020
Organisation: Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria
What they provide: Lists community legal centres in Victoria - to find your closest community legal centre visit https://www.fclc.org.au/find_a_community_legal_centre
Contact details: Call 03 9652 1500 or https://www.fclc.org.au/contact_us
Service provision during COVID-19:
If you need to be put in touch with someone to give you legal help call between 10am-12pm Monday to Friday
Housing
Organisation: Opening Doors
What they provide: Housing support
Contact details: Call 1800 825 955 or https://www.housing.vic.gov.au/crisis-emergency-accommodation
Service provision during COVID-19:
Phone line open 24-hours, 7 days a week statewide
For a rent relief template letter to fill out and send to your real estate agent: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IGXs4L-xvU9xUIFWTEDLBFEUSyj3IPPigsZouxyTCB4/
Alcohol and other drugs
Organisation: MSIR (Medically Supervised Injecting Room)
Location: North Richmond Community Health - 23 Lennox St Richmond, VIC 3121. Enter via Lennox St
What they provide: The medically supervised injecting room is a hygienic place where people can inject drugs in a supervised health setting. This means that if someone overdoses in the room, a staff member can respond immediately. It’s also a place to access other health services like mental health support, drug treatment, wound care and blood testing.
Contact details: Call (03) 9418 9811
Service provision during COVID-19:
Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 7p
Organisation: Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) (operate throughout Victoria)
What they provide: NSP staff can help supply safe injecting equipment, condoms and lubricant, education and information, referral to treatment and welfare when appropriate, disposal of used injecting equipment, information on safer using and safer sex and links to health and support services. NSP sites and outreach services, including SDUs (Syringe Dispensing Units) in Victoria can be located here:
Cohealth Needle and Syringe Program (NSP)
Locations and service provision during COVID-19: NSPs will remain open
Braybrook Community Hub
107-139 Churchill Avenue, Braybrook 9448 6284 (9am - 5pm Mon-Wed & Fri, 1pm-5pm Thurs)
Collingwood
365 Hoddle Street, Collingwood 9411 4333 (10am - 6pm Mon-Fri)
Innerspace, 4 Johnston Street, Collingwood 9448 5530 (10.30am - 6pm Mon-Fri)
Fitzroy
75 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 9448 5531 (12pm - 4pm Mon - Fri)
Footscray
Health works 4-12 Buckley Street, Footscray 9448 5511 (10am-5pm Mon - Fri, 11am-2pm Sat)
Niddrie
3-15 Matthews Avenue, Niddrie 8378 3500 (8:30am - 5pm Mon - Fri)
Contact Innerspace Mobile NSP Outreach service on 0418 179 814 between 7:30pm – 11:15pm every evening to deliver and collect injecting equipment if you cannot get to our sites during the day. Outreach services can meet you anywhere a car can go – outside a house, shop or street corner. This service is free and discreet.
Organisation: Harm Reduction Victoria
Location: 128 Peel St North Melbourne
What they provide: User-driven community based organisation delivering workshops, training, advocacy, information, advice, outreach and support to current and past users of illicit drugs, their friends and allies
Contact details: 03 9329 1500 or http://hrvic.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Resources on safer using and pharmacotherapy during COVID-19 available on website
No face to face services such as workshops
Information on safer using and naloxone training available over the phone
Phone service PAMS (Pharmacotherapy Advocacy Mediation Support) remains available- freecall 1800 443 844
Onsite needle exchange remains available Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm and Friday 10am-5pm. (Hours can sometimes vary, call in advance to check)
Organisation: SMART Recovery Australia
Location: Various locations
What they provide: free group program assisting people with any problematic behaviours, including addiction to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, food, shopping, Internet and others.
Contact details: 02 9373 5100 or smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Some meetings suspended or moved online.
Organisation: Narcotics Anonymous
Location: Various locations
What they provide: Peer support groups for people who would like to address their drug use
Contact details: 1800 652 820 or http://na.org.au/multi
Service provision during COVID-19:
Online meetings available via http://na.org.au/multi/online-meetings/
Organisation: Alcoholics Anonymous
Location: Various locations
What they provide: Peer support groups for people who would like to address their alcohol use
Contact details: 1300 222 222 or http://aatimes.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Meetings either suspended, moved outdoors, or online
Organisation: DirectLine
What they provide: Free, confidential alcohol and drug counselling over the phone and online
Contact details: 1800 888 236 or http://directline.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Remaining open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Organisation: YSAS (Youth Support and Advocacy Service)
What they provide: Outreach, day programs and residential withdrawal and rehabilitation supported housing for young people affected by, or at risk of being affected by drugs, alcohol, mental health issues and social disconnection
Contact details: (03) 9415 8881 or http://ysas.org.au
Service provision during COVID-19:
Continuing to take on new clients
Some services now offered over phone
Community assistance projects/mutual aid
For a list of information and community assistance projects in Narrm/Melbourne: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CF0z3uSkYiBZjBFC0D2U0_1PVP70-Y7PdHW89AUDhA8/edit?usp=sharing
Food resources
Organisation: Foodbank
What they provide: Food
Contact details: If you would like to register with foodbank during this time, call the Victoria corona virus hotline on 1800 675 398
Service provision during COVID-19:
Continuing to deliver to people currently registered with them.
There is minimal fresh, frozen or chilled products available.
People self-isolating due to coronavirus (COVID-19) with no access to food and essential supplies will receive emergency relief packages under a program introduced by the Victorian Government. People in mandatory self-isolation, who have little or no food, and no network of family and friends are eligible. Each eligible household will receive a two-week supply of essential goods. This program is coordinated by the Red Cross in partnership with Foodbank Victoria and under the direction of the State Relief Coordinator. It will start from Monday 23 March and can be accessed by calling Victoria’s dedicated coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.
Organisation: RISE - services for refugees, survivors and ex-detainees
Location: 247-251 Flinders Lane
What they provide: advocacy, food and home goods bank, case work and referrals
Contact details: Through contact form on website - http://riserefugee.org
Service provision during COVID-19:
Continuing to provide emergency aid, advocacy, food and home goods bank, case work and medical referrals
Organisation: ASRC
Location: 214-218 Nicholson St, Footscray
What they provide: Food and material aid, support services, healthcare, legal aid, detention advocacy, employment pathways
Contact details: Telephone: 03 9326 6066
Service provision during COVID-19:
Continuing to provide food, resource and legal support to people who are asylum seekers and refugees regardless of visa status.
Health
Organisation: Rhed
What they provide: Rhed provide counselling, outreach to sex workers, street based sex worker drop in space on Friday nights and connection to other services. Rhed provide material aid and food aid to street based sex workers and also provide supplies for safe working such as condoms and lube, as well as menstruation products.
Contact details: Phone: 1800 458 752
Service provision during COVID-19:
Continuing to provide services
Information about covid-19
World Health Organisation
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
DHHS Coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Coronavirus hotline 1800 675 398:
If you suspect you may have coronavirus (COVID-19) call the dedicated hotline – open 24 hours, 7 days.