Services

Vision of the Service

Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service’s (CRDVS) vision is to help our community live happier and healthier lives by challenging the social structures that maintain domestic and family violence and by providing a comprehensive and client centred quality service to all vulnerable clients.

Mission Statement

The CRDVS aims to use its specialist knowledge and skills to prevent domestic and family violence in the community and to empower those affected by it, by providing counselling, support, advocacy and community education and professional training to all stakeholders.  While undertaking this, the CRDVS will at all times strive to uphold high levels of professionalism and accountability.

What can you expect from our service?

Our service is staffed by qualified professionals with experience in adult and child counselling, court support and training.
We will:

• Listen to, validate and believe you;
• Treat you with respect, dignity and consideration;
• Respect gender, race, ethnic origin, class, religion, political/philosophical beliefs, values and sexuality;
• Keep information confidential unless there are concerns for safety or harm to self or others.

Services Provided

Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service provides a confidential and free service for family members suffering from domestic and family violence. There are many issues that you can discuss with our staff members such as:

• information about your rights and the rights of your children;
• steps that may help you to protect yourself from further domestic and family violence;
• counselling for you or your children to overcome the effects of domestic and family violence;
• information and assistance in making an application for a Domestic Violence Protection Order;
• support services that are available through our organisation, including Court support and group programs.

Our Domestic Violence Workers can also refer you to other support services for financial assistance, crisis accommodation, relationship counselling, legal advice on matters of family law, parenting education and many other issues.  We can also provide information about programs for perpetrators of domestic and family violence.

A member of our team is a Child Counsellor, who can provided face to face counselling for children and young people aged 4 to 16 years who are affected by domestic and family violence.

We are committed to providing a culturally appropriate service and our indigenous clients have a choice of speaking to our indigenous Family Violence Worker or a non-indigenous staff member.

Our Service regularly conducts community education and awareness raising activities, school-based Healthy Relationships programs, workshops, lectures and training sessions in Cairns and surrounding areas.  We also participate in seminars, conferences and training on a regular basis to ensure staff are kept up to date with knowledge and skills.

The CRDVS is a member of the Queensland Domestic Violence Services Network (QDVSN) and currently provides the Secretariat function for QDVSN.

If you are not sure that we can help with your needs, then please telephone us on (07) 4033 6100 and ask.

A copy of our brochure is available here.