By Violet Li
Family Violence Prevention Minister Vicki Ward and Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection Sashi Kiran visited the Orange Door in Cranbourne on Thursday 11 April.
They talked with the staff and women in Cranbourne, sharing information on how diverse communities can benefit from family violence support services.
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards was also present during the conversation, sharing insights into how to ensure the safety and strength of the community through the services.
Ms Ward said Ms Kiran became interested in visiting the service after hearing about it.
“There is a Fijian community down here in Cranbourne. We know that if there is coverage of a Fijian minister coming out to visit, the Fijian community will look at it, and they will see that the Orange Door is here to support them,” she said.
Ms Ward and Ms Richards acknowledged that family violence had been a serious issue in Casey as it had the highest incidence of family violence in the state.
“It’s great that we have got the Orange Door here who can offer that support that is needed,” Ms Ward said.
The Orange Door network provides access to coordinated help and support for people experiencing family violence and for families needing support for the well-being and development of their children.
Ms Ward said she wanted to encourage the multicultural community in Casey to look at the sector as a potential employer.
“We can’t work as much with the multicultural communities as we would like when we don’t have as many multicultural employees in the sector as we would like, so I would really do a call out to the diverse communities that are in the City of Casey to think about working in family violence, in social work as a career,” she said.
“It’s an incredibly rewarding career. It’s an amazing collaborative career, and the outcomes that you can achieve are incredible.
“You are literally changing lives with every person that you talk to and changing lives for the better.”
Ms Kiran stood with Ms Ward and said it was very important to have this multicultural service provider in a place where they trusted each other and could share their experiences.
“Our victims do not have to repeat the story to so many stakeholders and they are actually looked after,” she said.
“I think it’s something that Fiji and the Pacific will benefit greatly from. This service here could really support people under one collective roof.
“It’s a service not only to a child or a woman being affected by violence but also to any person who’s using violence.
“They can find support to be able to figure out how their actions and words are impacting so many people, so we could have a longer support system to change their behaviours.”
The Orange Door Southern Melbourne Area network commenced services on 9 November 2021 at a primary site in Dandenong.
The access point in Pakenham commenced in December 2021 and the one in Cranbourne commenced in February 2023, sitting next to Community Information and Support Cranbourne on Sladen Street.
The Cranbourne access point is currently at a temporary location while the permanent site nearby is being built.
At the temporary Cranbourne site, there are 14 staff providing a service to clients who directly access the service by phone or attending the office.
Since its opening until the end of March 2024, The Orange Door Southern Melbourne has received more than 43,000 referrals and provided support to more than 51,000 people including more than 22,000 children.
On average, the Southern Melbourne Area receives 350 referrals per week which translates to approximately 1400 people per week.
The Orange Door Southern Melbourne Area network seeks to tailor a service to the needs of multicultural communities in the local area.
The Orange Door provides access to support face-to-face or via telephone or email.
The Orange Door network in Southern Melbourne is a free service and can be contacted on 1800 271 170 or via sma@orangedoor.vic.gov.au from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
For more information, visit orangedoor.vic.gov.au
