Domestic and Family Violence

SSI is one of the leading community organisations that is recognised for its advocacy in Domestic and Family Violence and multicultural communities’ wellbeing space.

SSI works to influence policy, support the voice of lived experience and provide thought leadership. We are an appointed member of the NSW Council for Women’s Economic Empowerment, NSW Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault Council, the Leadership Council on Cultural Diversity, the Harmony Alliance Council and Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership Council. SSI frequently advocates at state and federal level with government, non-government and community stakeholders in interagencies, forums, communities of practice and advisory groups to advocate for women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Domestic & Family Violence Framework

The SSI Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Framework, released in May 2023, outlines SSI’s commitment to addressing domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) effectively. It emphasises the safety and support of victim survivors, especially those from multicultural backgrounds facing unique barriers. The framework incorporates principles such as human rights, equality, social justice, and accountability to guide its approach. SSI aims to create a proficient DFSV response organisation by focusing on organisational commitment, staff capacity building, policy framework, client-centred service responses, referrals for both victim survivors and perpetrators where appropriate, and streamlined monitoring and reporting.

In partnership with Relationships Australia NSW, SSI provides successful in-culture and in-language programs, such as Building Stronger Families (BSF) in NSW, and the 99 Steps to end Domestic and Family Violence program in Queensland. In 2021 SSI worked with women community leaders to equip and support them as social responders to DFV, in Sydney and Coffs Harbour.

Between July and October 2023, SSI was granted funding for three new DFSV projects, all are funded for two years:

• SafePath, a sexual violence capacity building project funded through the NSW Sexual Violence Fund
• StoP (Strategies to Prevent) Modern Slavery, a community education project to raise awareness around modern slavery, funded by the federal Attorney General’s Department
• Championing Action for Tech Safety (CATS), a community education project to enable better understanding of tech-based abuse, funded by eSafety, Australia.

To enhance our input to the Women’s Safety Summit to develop the new National Plan Ending Violence Against Women and their Children in May 2021, SSI organised a mini-summit to hear from front-line multicultural workers as to what they see to be the key issues for Domestic and Family Violence (DFV). Over 40 settlement workers and SSI staff joined the online event.

Recent advocacy centred on the needs of children of CALD backgrounds impacted by DFV.

To connect with SSI’s Women, Equity and Domestic Violence Unit and find out how you can support this work, click here.