Helping you escape domestic & family violence.

Your call goes into a queue. It will be answered by an experienced domestic violence crisis counsellor. They will ask you a series of questions to understand your situation. They will then provide you with the options available to you so you can decide your next step.

Safe houses (sometimes called refuge or women’s shelters) provide safe and secure accommodation for people escaping domestic violence. Safe houses have the ability to care for children. We are able to work with you to equip you with information about your options and find emergency accommodation that meets your needs. In order to maintain security and safety, the location and details of safe houses are confidential and not available to the public. It is a condition of entering safe houses that you understand you cannot reveal the location to ANYONE – including your family.

Your safety and the safety of your children and your pets is a priority whether you are planning to stay in the relationship, thinking about leaving or have already left.

If you are staying in the relationship, think about what you can do to keep yourself safe, particularly at times when your partner becomes abusive, or you sense the situation is escalating. Some tips may be:

• Create ‘signals’ for supportive neighbours, family or friends that let them know to come over or to call for help. For example, switch on a particular light, leave a curtain blind closed /open, phone or text a friend with an agreed cue or a message that will be a prompt or code for them to help in whatever way you have discussed.
• Keep spare keys and important documents or copies of them, where you can get to them easily.

The Pets in Crisis program provides safe accommodation, food and medical attention for the pets of individuals escaping domestic violence. Pets in Crisis is a foster care program in partnership with the RSPCA Queensand. It cares for pets so that the pets family can leave their violent home and find a safe home where they can be reunited with their pets. To access this program call 1800 811 811.

No. DVConnect does not offer legal support or advice. However we can help you make contact with organisations that may be able to help you. These include, Women’s Legal Service Qld for domestic violence, complex family matters and sexual assault – Call them on 1800 957 957. For all other legal matters call the Queensland Law Society on 1300 367 757.  We can also get you in touch with the Community Legal Centres Queensland, which has a database of resources that may help, as well as the Residential Tenancies Authority.