A domestic violence service which saves hundreds of women’s lives a year is one sick day away from closing, unless the NSW Government take urgent action to address a critical staffing shortfall.

The Mt Druitt Family Violence Service provides ‘first contact’ services to women who have just fled violent partners but is so short staffed it might have to close its doors without urgent action.

The unique facility, which has been operating since 2006, provides the most frontline assistance to women who have literally just walked out of violent relationships, like tinned food, feminine hygiene products and the use of a phone so they can arrange to stay at a friend’s place.

The service should have seven case workers, they currently have two, with one trainee.

Former Secretary of the Department of Communities and Justice, Michael Coutts-Trotter, held up the service as the “gold standard” for family violence support provision and a model which should be emulated throughout NSW.

Women who walk into the service have literally just walked out of the most horrifically violent situations, said Stewart Little the General Secretary of the Public Service Association.

“Today a woman who’s just walked out on a violent partner will walk through the door of the Mt Druitt Family Violence Service to use a phone to find a friend’s couch to sleep on, get some tinned food, soap and tampons,” said Mr Little.

“The next day the service will assist with referrals to police, housing and health services, often women will have little ID as they’ve left in a hurry so the service will go to the bank with them so they can access their own money.

“They also help women navigate the family law court system, help them get escaping family violence grants, as well as looking after their immediate basic needs like food, food vouchers, and even clothing because they’ll often leave a violent partner with just the shirt on their back.

“The Mt Druitt Family Violence Service has helped women escaping violence for 18 years, they’ve saved hundreds and hundreds of lives.

“This service is at the front line of helping women escape being punched, bashed or killed in their homes, I’m sorry to use that language but it’s the brutal reality,” said Mr Little.

“They are one sick day away from closure, if one of the few staff that are there had a sick child to look after, or broke an ankle, that would be it, they would have to shut their doors.

“Already when staff have been sick we’ve seen the service have to shut its doors temporarily.

“This service has saved hundreds of lives since it opened, just stop and think about that for a second, this service literally stops women being killed in their own homes, and it might soon close.

“The issue is the Mt Druitt Family Violence Service gets their staff from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) from the pool of child protection caseworkers.

 “But the DCJ are so short staffed they can’t release any child protection caseworkers to work for the service, so the potential closure of this service is driven by the chronic shortage of child protection caseworkers.

“When you read in the paper this service has closed, don’t say you weren’t warned,” said Mr Little.

Event Details

 What: Child Protection in Crisis – Campaign Event

When:  12.30pm Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Where: 5 Mount Street, Mt Druitt