What is dvconnect?

dvconnect provides the state-wide domestic and family violence telephone service across Queensland, comprising three specific services:

•   dvconnect womensline - 24hrs
•   dvconnect serviceline - 24hrs
•   dvconnect mensline – 9am-midnight, 7 days

dvconnect womensline

FREECALL 1800 811 811

dvconnect womensline is the state-wide 24 hour, 7 day a week service to women and their children experiencing domestic and/or family violence. This service is staffed by a team of dedicated professional counsellors who provide crisis intervention, support, information, advocacy, telephone counselling, referrals and importantly, the statewide coordination of emergency refuge and shelter placements across Queensland.

dvconnect womensline receives thousands of calls and co-ordinates the safe refuge placement of approximately 220 woman and children each month.

Services include:-

• the facilitation and coordination of high security domestic violence refuge and shelter placements across the state.
• crisis counselling and the assessment and development of safety plans which address the immediate and contingent safety needs of women and their children.
• liaison with related services including regional domestic violence services, police, Department of Communities (child protection), health services, hospitals, legal services, migrant and indigenous agencies.
• the coordination of emergency evacuations via taxis, buses, trains and extending to chartering flights from remote areas of Queensland to take women and children to safety.
• the provision of safe emergency accommodation where refuges are not immediately available.
• the provision of funds for food, baby provisions, fuel and arrangements for medical treatment where required.
• the coordination of services to women in emergency accommodation enroute to refuge placement to ensure that they are supported and given appropriate practical assistance.

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dvconnect serviceline

Number available to service professionals on request

dvconnect serviceline operates in conjunction with dvconnect womensline and provides immediate access for related service professionals such as the Police Service, hospital emergency departments and refuge staff to contact dvconnect. The serviceline is accessed by a ‘1300’ number and is available 24hours a day, 7 days a week.

dvconnect mensline

FREECALL 1800 600 636

Staffed by an experienced team of male counsellors, the dvconnect mensline is a vital part of dvconnect..

dvconnect mensline assists men who are seeking strategies to address their own use of violence and other destructive patterns in their personal lives and relationships, as well as those who may be (or have been) victims of violence themselves.

dvconnect mensline offers free, confidential counselling and information, and acts as a strategic point of referral for Queensland men around issues of domestic and family violence, relationship problems and other significant issues for men.

dvconnect mensline also provides a Men's Court Support Service for men who need to attend court as the Aggrieved or Respondent for a Domestic Violence Protection Order.

dvconnect mensline counsellors maintain a comprehensive data-base of state-wide services, groups, courses and conferences and are able to direct callers to services in their local areas for ongoing support.

mensline currently operates between 9am to midnight, 7 days a week.

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YOUR RIGHTS as a user of dvconnect services

As a person using DVConnect services, you have a number of rights. If you need these rights translated into another language, please contact DVConnect and an interpreter will be arranged.

DVConnect recognises your right to:

SAFETY

• To live without fear of violence
• To have access to an environment free from violence
• To be assisted to recognise and respond to your safety needs

RESPECT

• To be treated with dignity, respect and sensitivity
• To be treated as an individual with your own specific needs
• To be heard and have your views and experience acknowledged
• To be assisted to meet the needs you have recognised and identified

ACCESS AND EQUITY

• To obtain service regardless of you cultural or linguistic background, age, sexual preference, disability, mental health issue, economic status or other affiliation or individual difference; or the fact that you have children
• To have your specific needs recognised and responded to.

EMPOWERMENT

• To receive information that is accurate, timely, relevant and easy to understand
• To be empowered to make informed decisions and to be supported to fullow through with decisions made

CONFIDENTIALITY

• To have the confidentiality pulicy of the service explained to you
• To give informed consent to have information about you shared with
• any other person or agency

COORDINATION

• To easily access accurate information on other services that may be able to assist you
• To have services that are invulved in responding to people affected by domestic and family
• viulence, work professionally and with each other to assist you

ADVOCACY

• To be assisted to advocate for your rights and/or the rights of your children
• To request that a worker advocate for your rights on your behalf

PREVENTION

• To be informed about ways to prevent domestic and family viulence
• To have information on the prevention of domestic and family viulence promoted in the community
• To be provided with information on a perpetrator program for your partner where a program is available and appropriate

ACCOUNTABILITY

• To have access to professional, experienced and skilled workers
• To give constructive feedback on the service received
• To contribute ideas on the improvement of the service

SERVICE ENVIRONMENT

• To have access to an effectively managed and administered service
• To request information on the pulicies of the service
• To be able to complain about any service received and to have the issues responded to and resulved in good faith and with the participation of all parties invulved where this is appropriate

DVConnect Client Service Charter

DVConnect is committed to the right of people to be safe from violence both within their families and their communities.

The core values of DVConnect are those that reflect our attitude of justice, equity, integrity and collaboration when responding to all people affected by domestic and family violence.

DVConnect's Client Service Charter provides an outline of the level of service people can expect from our service when they contact us in relation to domestic and family violence issues.

What you can expect from us:

• that we will answer your phone call to us as promptly as we are able to and treat you with courtesy and respect
• that we will respond to your needs in a professional, flexible and empowering manner
• that your safety and the safety of other family members is our first priority
• that if you lodge a complaint we will respond to it quickly and appropriately and report back to you if you wish
• that we will treat your personal and confidential information sensitively and responsibly
• that, in certain circumstances, we may be required to release your information without your consent.
• that we will arrange an interpreter if you need one

How you can help us to assist you:

• Provide us with all requested information about your circumstances
• Tell us if you have special needs
• Let us know if you need an interpreter
• Treat our counsellors with courtesy and respect

If you are dissatisfied with our service or would like to suggest a change:

• Please discuss the issue with the counsellor you are speaking to or ask to speak to a supervisor
• If you would prefer to speak to the head of Counselling or Manager please call 3008 8294 or you can put it in writing and post it to :
  
  DVConnect Ltd
  PO Box 10575
  Adelaide Street 4000
  

Giving Feedback and Making a Complaint

Feedback and complaints are taken very seriously. We use a fair and uniform approach to dealing with complaints to make sure issues are dealt with in a consistent and timely manner. We will keep you informed of the progress of your complaint, and tell you when we expect to resolve the issue. If you make a complaint, this will not be held against you in the future.

For more information about your rights as a user of dvconnect services, or to make a complaint or give feedback, contact dvconnect by phone, post or email.

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Charity Status of dvconnect

dvconnect is a company limited by guarantee (a public company under the Corporations Act 2001) ensuring funding bodies, sponsors and stakeholders that funding will be distributed in accordance with the charitable objects of the Company and that the rigors of the Corporations Act and the income tax exemption conditions under the Income Tax Assessment Acts, apply to dvconnect and its controllers.

dvconnect has ITEC (income tax exempt status) with the ATO, is a Public Benevolent Institution and has Deductible Gift Recipient Status.

Donations $2.00 and over are tax deductible.

dvconnect is registered with the Office of Fair Trading Queensland and holds an Authority to Fundraise.

We receive funding for core operational costs from the Queensland Department of Communities. 

History

In 2002 dvconnect commenced the operation of dvconnect womensline and dvconnect mensline following a successful tender to the Department of Communities.

However, the state-wide 1800 811 811 telephone crisis service has been in operation since 1980 when it was established as part of Crisis Care (Department of Communities) and subsequently was run by the Domestic Violence Telephone Service Inc, a non-government community agency.

A recent amendment to the Domestic Violence Act saw the inclusion of family violence (extending to elder abuse and informal care relationships) as a core component of the domestic violence telephone service which is reflected in the current name.

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Management of dvconnect

dvconnect is currently controlled by a board of Directors whose primary purpose is to provide a strong governance and strategic framework that will guide and support the professional management team in the development and financing of the company’s activities. It also acts as a reference point for specific issues that require expertise beyond the core capability of the company’s professionals. The Board undertakes its duties and obligations as required by the Corporations Act, the Service Agreement and other funding service delivery guidelines issued by the Department of Communities.

dvconnect Leadership Profile

Dr Lyndal Drennan (Chair). Lyndal is a Fellow of CPA Australia , and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors . For over twenty years Lyndal worked in industry as an accountant, financial controller, and in development banking. Lyndal then became an academic, completing a PhD in accounting (with a thesis on Performance Measurement and Control Systems) from the University of Queensland in 199 whilst lecturing in accounting, then as Assistant Professor and Head of Department of Accounting within Bond University 's Business School , and until recently as MBA Director at QUT. Her qualifications include a PhD (1997), an MBA (1984) and a Bachelor of Commerce (1967). Lyndal is now a consultant in areas of strategy, financial management and governance, working with boards and senior managers of small and medium business and not-for-profit organisations. She maintains an active role in the accounting profession (President of CPA Australia's Queensland Divisional Council in 2006, and a divisional councillor for many years) is a member of Standard Australia's Governance Committee (MB004), and serves on a number of for and not-for-profit boards.

Mitra Khakbaz (Director). Mitra has a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Planning and a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics. Mitra has worked in the Multicultural sector for a number of years and is currently coordinating a community development project with the Centre of Multicultural and Community Development, University of Sunshine Coast.

Teresa Walters (Dirtector) . Teresa has 15 years experience in marketing communications having worked across the tourism, special events and government sectors as a public relations practitioner and marketing manager. She is currently the Marketing Director of Major Brisbane Festivals. Teresa has experience operating in complex stakeholder environments across corporate and government sectors and has contributed to the financial growth of organisations through her business development skills. Teresa is a former practicing solicitor and holds a Bachelor of Laws and Post Graduate Degree in Legal Practice from QUT.  She has a particular interest in social change communication campaigns and has worked in this field for national and state government clients in health, environment and primary industries.

Dr Ron Frey (Director). Dr Ron Frey is a psychologist who has lectured at the School of Psychology and Counselling at QUT for the past seventeen years on topics of gender, human sexuality and developmental psychology. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Masters in Special Education (1980) from Harding University (in the United States ), a Masters Preliminary Degree in Psychology (1995) from Sydney University and a Doctorate on The Nature of Gender, from the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Queensland (2004).

His vocational background includes youth work, child protection, probation and parole and refugee assistance. For thirteen years he worked with the Joint Churches Domestic Violence Prevention Program and contributed to the manual developed for this program, Domestic Violence and the Churches (1995). He has been active in Men Against Sexual Assault (MASA) and served on the Australian National Committee of Defence for Children International. He has also worked extensively with the pre-school sector and with child protection issues in cross-cultural communities. He is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (A.P.S.), registered as a psychologist by the Psychologist Board of Queensland and currently divides his time between preparing forensic psychological assessments for courts, working at a Southside centre which specialties in working with children and families affected by all forms of family violence, and lecturing at QUT.

Natalie Ewin (Director). Natalie has seven years experience in the pubic sector and is currently working in the area of organisational performance and privately in property and portfolio development. Key interests include innovative business solutions and stakeholder management. Natalie has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and is studying her Masters of Business Administration.

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Staffing

Currently dvconnect employs twenty seven women and six men as Counsellors, all of whom have professional qualifications and/or extensive experience working with people affected by domestic and family violence.

Additionally, the organisation employs a Manager, Head of Counselling, Shift Supervisor, Accountant, Marketing and Development Officer and Administration Assistant.

It is recognised both by the sector and the Department of Communities that the field of domestic and family violence is a specialised area of crisis management. It requires professional workers who not only understand domestic and family violence but who are able to make appropriate crisis assessments often at a critical time in a woman and her children’s lives. It requires that a worker is competent in risk assessment and safety planning while also adhering to the agency’s duty of care policies.

dvconnect management has made it a priority to provide Counsellors with regular training and networking opportunities not only to enhance professional development and the importance of keeping vital links with the sector but also to reinforce dvconnect’s service delivery responsibility to the community.

Philosophy of dvconnect

VISION

• dvconnect is committed to the right of people to be safe from violence both within their families and their communities.
• dvconnect's response to those affected by domestic and family violence strives to be professional, flexible and empowering which includes collaborative processes with other support services throughout Queensland .

GOALS

• To ensure that no Queenslander will be more than a telephone call away from professional support and information with which to sustain her/him through the domestic and family violence impacting her/his life.
• dvconnect will protect the caller's privacy and confidentiality while within the law and the policies of this organisation.
• That dvconnect's response to those affected by domestic and family violence will take into account the caller's cultural and special communication needs.
• For dvconnect to be a key part of a seamless and coordinated system within the support service sector of Queensland that is both supportive and meaningful for people affected by domestic and family violence.
• That dvconnect develop and provide administrative structures that ensure accountability of service and support for the organisation.

VALUES

• The right of all people to live free from violence and abuse.
• The health and safety of staff and clients.
• Planning and decision making that reflects justice, equity, integrity and collaboration.
• The diverse needs of marginalised and disadvantaged groups.
• Responsiveness, adaptability, innovation, creativity and an openness to change when attempting to address the needs of those affected by domestic and family violence.

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