Prevention

City of Parramatta Council is working closely with community groups, local businesses, the NSW Police and other government agencies to respond to and prevent domestic and family violence in our community.

Council believes that everyone in our communities can do something to prevent domestic and family violence and it will continue to work to support its communities to do this.

Council’s work is based on the on the national framework for the primary prevention of violence against women - Change the Story - which identifies gender inequality as a factor which causes domestic and family violence. Therefore, a significant portion of Council’s work is focused on promoting gender equality and inclusion.

In short, Council is:

• Training and supporting community workers, community leaders and advocates to prevent domestic and family violence
• Providing Grants for not-for-profit organisations to prevent and respond to domestic and family violence 
• Working closely with local businesses, community services and groups to develop and deliver domestic and family violence prevention projects
• Increasing public participation of women and girls in community networks, sports clubs and support groups
• Promoting gender equality within Council’s workplace
• Providing support to staff experiencing domestic and family violence

City of Parramatta’s 2022-2025 Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Action Plan outlines how Council will respond to and prevent domestic and family violence within Council workplaces and within the community.

Its development was informed by the national framework for the primary prevention of violence against women - Change the Story; as well as consultations undertaken with Council staff, government agencies, young people, local community organisations and volunteer-based groups.

A copy of the 2022-2025 Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Action Plan, can be downloaded below.

To fulfill the outcomes outlined in the above 2022-2025 Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Action Plan, City of Parramatta Council is taking a lead role in local delivery of a sustainable model of the Love Bites program, in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Love Bites is a Respectful Relationships Education Program for young people aged 15-17 years. It consists of two interactive workshops, one on Relationship Violence and one on Sex and Relationships, followed by creative workshops and community campaigns.

For more information, visit the Love Bites Council webpage.

Dowry Abuse in South Asian Populations in Australia was a research and knowledge translation  project conducted by City of Parramatta Council, Western Sydney University, Indian Crisis Support Agency, and Settlement Services International. The project aimed to understand how to define and identify dowry abuse and address this type of domestic and family violence within the South Asian community of Western Sydney.

The project examined 294 case files from domestic and family violence services that service the Parramatta local government area. The project identified 49 cases of dowry abuse. As well as collecting demographic data of the victims, the research also captured the experiences of the victims and services providers in addressing the impacts of the abuse and violence.

The full research report and the community resource details the most significant findings. The ‘Decision Making Tree’ provides guidance on how to identify dowry abuse, record the abuse and refer victims.

A copy of these resources can be downloaded below:

Research Report

Community Resource- A Narrative of Research Findings

Dowry Abuse Decision Making Tree

Take the Lead: Preventing Violence Against Women in Parramatta and Cumberland was a federally funded project that was delivered from 2019-2022 across City of Parramatta and Cumberland Councils.

The project is an example of how Council is working in the Community to prevent violence against women.

City of Parramatta was instrumental in convening the consortium of organisations -- Cumberland Women’s Health Centre, Boronia Multicultural Services and Hope Connect--  that partnered to deliver the project. Each Consortium partner delivered a unique, placed based project, that promoted gender equity and increased women’s capacity to participate in the workforce and/or community.

Throughout its life cycle Council worked closely with the Consortium to support project governance, evaluation, and delivery. 

The videos below detail the significant impact Take the Lead: Preventing Violence Against Women in Parramatta and Cumberland has had on the Community, with the clientele that participated in the various projects; and on the organisations who took part in the Consortium- Cumberland Women’s Health Centre, Boronia Multicultural Services and Hope Connect.  

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Customer and Client Story, Link: Take The Lead - Client's Story - Captions.mp4

Consortium Partner’s Story, Link: Take The Lead - Consortium Partner's Story - Captions.mp4