White Ribbon

The City of West Torrens is committed to creating an environment where people can feel personally safe and supported. As such, our organisation is striving towards White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation.

Through the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Program, workplaces are encouraged to review their attitudes, premises, work practices and policies and procedures through a lens of women’s safety. Support and guidance are given to ensure that workplaces can provide a safe working environment for women and that they have the skills and resources to respond appropriately to women who have experienced violence in their work or personal lives. This in turn ensures that the workplace is a safe and supportive environment not just for women, but for all employees.

Here at the City of West Torrens, we encourage our staff to undertake training so they can better recognise what Domestic and Family Violence is and how to support both victims and perpetrators. While statistics are always being updated, as at February 2024 one in 4 women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner, with one in 2 being sexually harassed.

Domestic and family violence is a major health and welfare issue in Australia and occurs across all socioeconomic and demographic groups; it predominantly affects women and children.

In 2022 we began our journey towards White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation, which will help our staff, and our community recognise that we do not condone violence or threatening behaviour of any kind, especially that which affects women and families.

To date we:

have rolled out face to face training for all our leaders to help them recognise and respond to domestic and family violence
have invited staff to participate in awareness training around gendered violence, being mindful that this may be a trigger for some
are reviewing our policies, procedures, and work practices to ensure that have a workplace which is safe for everyone, especially women, and one which encourages all to speak out safely against violent and threatening behaviour.

The journey towards White Ribbon Accreditation continues, and once we are an accredited organisation, we will continue to review our practices to make certain that we are recognised as a leader in the fight against gendered violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, there are a range of support mechanisms available, some of which can be found in the list below.

Organisation	Description
Western Adelaide Domestic Violence Service 8268 7700 / 1800 800 098 contact@womenssafetyservices.com.au Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5pm	At the Western Adelaide Domestic Violence Service, we can provide: Safe, supported crisis and short-term accommodation. Domestic and family violence counselling and support via the phone or face to face. Domestic violence educational programs and support groups for women and children. Referral and information about health, legal, financial, accommodation and immigration matters. Assistance for women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-English speaking backgrounds. Access for women with disabilities.
1800Respect 1800 737 732	National Sexual Assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. Open 24 hours to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.
Lifeline Australia 13 11 14	Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Kids help line 1800 551 800	Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491	This service from No to Violence offers assistance, information and counselling to help men who use family violence. Call if you would like help with male behavioural and relationship concerns.
Mensline Australia 1300 789 978	Supports men and boys who are dealing with family and relationship difficulties. 24/7 telephone and online support an information service for Australian men.
QLife- LGBTQAi+ support line 1800 184 527 3pm – Midnight everyday	QLife provides anonymous, LGBTI peer support and referral for people wanting to talk about a range of issues including sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships. QLife services are free and include both telephone and webchat support, delivered by trained LGBTI community members across the country. Our services are for LGBTI individuals, their friends and families, and health professionals. Beyond the telephone, QLife offers webchat for people who prefer online interactions or for whom the phone is impractical.
Relationships Australia 1300 364 277	Support groups and counselling on relationships, and for abusive and abused partners.
Aboriginal Family Domestic Violence Hotline 1800 019 123	Victims Services has a dedicated contact line for Aboriginal victims of crime who would like information on victims' rights, how to access counselling and financial assistance.
Migrant Women’s Support Service 8346 9417	Migrant Women’s Support Service, along with regional domestic violence services, works with migrant women and children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to provide them with culturally sensitive risk and needs assessments, safety planning, support, information, advocacy and referral to and other relevant services.
Translating & Interpreting Service 13 14 50	Gain free access to a telephone or on-site interpreter in your own language. Immediate phone interpreting is available 24 hours, every day of the year.
Blue Knot Foundation 1300 657 380 helpline@blueknot.org.au	Telephone counselling for adult survivors of childhood trauma, their friends, family and the health care professionals who support them. Call between 9am-5pm for counselling services or email athelpline@blueknot.org.au.
Let’s Stop it At the Start	A range of resources, tools and other products have been developed as part of the Stop it at the Start campaign. They can help parents, family members and other influencers reflect on their own attitudes and behaviours and start a conversation about respect with young people. All products available for viewing and downloading.
White Ribbon	White Ribbon’s purpose: To engage men to make women’s safety a man’s issue too. What white Ribbon does includes advocacy; primary prevention; campaigning; efforts to engage men.
Our Watch	Our Watch was established to drive nationwide change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and their children. Our Watch provide resources, publications and research.
ANROWS	ANROWS is a non-government organisation dedicated to producing evidence to reduce violence against women.
Bursting the Bubble	What's OK at Home? This website for young people has been developed by the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria. It has been designed to help people understand what family violence is, why it happens, how to recognise it and how to help others who are experiencing it.
Daisy	Smartphone support services app. Daisy is an app developed to connect people experiencing violence or abuse to services in their local area. The app includes safety features to help protect your privacy. However, domestic violence service apps are only recommended to those who have safe and secure access to their phone.
Digital Barber Shop	A resource for men and boys who want to prevent men's violence against women.