Burwood Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy

Further Support

Burwood WDVCAS operates the Local Coordination Point (LCP) and acts as a referral point for the Burwood Safety Action Meeting (SAM). We receive all female victim referrals from NSW Police for every domestic violence call out they attend, despite of any police action they take. We can also receive referrals from other external services, or you can self-refer. Our worker will complete a thorough risk assessment and help coordinate supports for you if needed.

The Safety Action is a fortnightly meeting which are attended by local government and non-government services. The aim of the SAM is to prevent or reduce the risk of serious threat for victims and their children of domestic violence. The SAM operates by the sharing of relevant information to support the development of time specific ‘Safety Action Plans’.

Safety Action Plans are a list of actions that service providers can take to reduce the threat to a victim’s safety. The safety action plans are only actions for service providers, not victims. The objectives of the SAM are to:

• prevent domestic violence-related deaths, illness, injury and disability;
• prioritise responses to victims at serious threat and their children;
• reduce re-offending by perpetrators;
• manage threats collaboratively across relevant service providers;
• improve service provider accountability for their response to victims, children and perpetrators; and
• increase the safety of staff working with victims and perpetrators.

Victims do not attend these meetings; nor do perpetrators. This is because the meetings are designed for service providers to commit to actions that support victims and reduce the threat to their safety. The meetings do not result in a plan or document with which the victim must comply.

The meetings focus is on a ‘whole of community’ response to support victims and their children.

For further information on the Safer Pathway model and Safety Action Meetings please see the NSW Government’s Department of Communities and Justice website Safer Pathway.