Resources & FAQ’s
Are you safe now?
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a 24/7 service that offers round the clock support for women and children who are in crisis and escaping domestic or family violence. Please note, if you or someone you know are in danger please call 000.
Resources
Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO’s)
An apprehended violence order (AVO) is a court order that protects you from a person that you fear.
You can get an AVO to protect you if you:
- are experiencing, or have been threatened with, physical violence including sexual abuse
- are being intimidated, harassed, or stalked by someone
- have suffered, or been threatened with, property damage
- someone has harmed, or threatened to harm, your animals.
If you want an AVO for protection, you should speak to the police.
More info here: Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO) – NSW Police Public Site
AVO Pocket Guide
The Newcastle DV Committee identified that existing resources were often written with legal terminology and jargon, and while simple ADVO guides exist, these are usually for people subject to an ADVO – not for people attempting to get an ADVO against somebody else.
The Plain English ADVO Resource aims to support survivors to understand the process in their terms.
Many thanks to the local survivors and sector workers who contributed to this guide, and to Sharon Wilkinson, Northern Region Domestic Violence Co-ordinator, NSW Police.
DV and Tenancy Fact Sheet
Everyone deserves a safe home. Tenancy law can help victim-survivors of domestic violence in a number of ways. This factsheet summarises the options for tenants who are victim-survivors of domestic violence, including ending your tenancy using a Domestic Violence Termination Notice.
Your local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service can give you advice about staying at or leaving your rented home. Tenant Advocates prioritise survivors of domestic violence. Advice is free and confidential.
Tenants have rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019. If you are a sub-tenant without a written agreement in a share-house, a lodger or a guest, then you are probably covered by different laws – please seek advice from your local Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service. For more information please also see our Domestic violence and renting – Supplementary Guide.
More here: www.tenants.org.au
Charmed and Dangerous
By Legal Aid
Charmed and Dangerous: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaiming a Healthy Relationship, has been developed for women by women.
We hope this sharing of information may assist you in your journey to achieving and maintaining a healthy relationship; a relationship based on trust, respect, positive communication, honesty and balanced power.
Coercive Control
Amendment (Coercive Control) Act 2022 was passed by NSW Parliament in November 2022, creating a standalone offence of coercive control in current or former intimate partner relationships, with a maximum penalty of seven years in gaol.
It is important to understand and recognise what coercive control is and how prevalent it is.
Thanks to Georges River Council in partnership with St Georges Domestic Violence Committee, NSW Police Force (Northern Region) DFV Coordinator, HNE Health, Newcastle Domestic Violence Committee, and City of Newcastle for their contribution to this resource.
Swahili
Reflect and Reset
By Hunter Men’s Projects Network
Download the Hunter Men’s Projects Network resource “Reflect and Reset”. We encourage you to share this resource with men who are looking for support. The QR code on the resource will link them to this website.
Safe From Violence
A guide for women who are separating or leaving a relationship.
Staying Safe
Developed by Tweed Shire Womens Service Inc
Produced by Lower North Shore Domestic Violence Network
Stepping up for Kids
Understanding and supporting children who have experienced Family and Domestic Violence.
Women with Disability and Domestic Violence Booklet
A guide with some examples of what domestic and family violence might look like for a person with disability.
Produced by Newcastle Domestic Violence Committee in partnership with the Community Disability Alliance Hunter and Shibui Services.
Helpful Websites & Apps
Ask Izzy – Ask Izzy is a website that connects people in need with housing, a meal, money help, family violence support, counselling, and much more. It is free and anonymous, with thousands of services listed across Australia.
AVOW App – AVOW is a free mobile phone app for people in NSW who are going to court for a domestic violence matter or have an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO).
Daisy app | 1800RESPECT – Daisy is an app developed by 1800RESPECT to connect people experiencing violence or abuse to services in their local area. Once the app is on your phone, you can use it to search for support services in your local area.
DVNSW | Home – DVNSW are the peak body for specialist domestic and family violence services in New South Wales. We work from a feminist, social justice perspective and recognise that domestic and family violence (DFV) is serious, prevalent and driven by gender inequality.
Hunter Men’s Projects Network – The Hunter Men’s Projects Network is an unique network of practitioners from Non-Government, Government, and Community Organisations in the Hunter Region NSW who work with men and boys in the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Prevention, Early Intervention, and Men’s Behaviour Change sector.
Our Watch | Change the story and key frameworks – Change the story is our evidence-based framework to guide a coordinated and effective national approach to preventing violence against women.
Say It Out Loud – Say iIt Out Loud encourages LGBTQ+ communities to have healthy relationships, get help for unhealthy relationships and support their friends
Sunny app | 1800RESPECT – Sunny is 1800RESPECT’s app for people with disability who have experienced violence and abuse. Sunny has been co-designed with women with disability to make sure it provides the very best support for the people who use it.
Willow – Willow is a free legal information project by Women’s Legal Service NSW
13YARN – Crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – We are here to provide crisis support 24/7 to yarn with you without judgement and provide a confidential, culturally safe space to yarn about your needs, worries or concerns. We will work with you to explore options for on-going support. You know you will be connected to another Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person who will understand where you are coming from and value knowing HOW to listen, without judgement or shame. YARN Self-Help Guide
Frequently asked questions.
What is domestic and family violence?
Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a pattern of behaviour in an intimate or family relationship that is violent, controlling, threatening or coercive.
It’s about power and control over the other person.
It can be between married and de facto couples, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, ex-partners, carers, families, siblings, and children. Family relationships include kinship ties in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and extended family.
Domestic and family violence can be emotional, psychological, coercive, physical, sexual, financial, technical, and more. There’s no one set of behaviours that are considered domestic and family violence.
Definitions of domestic and family violence vary across states and territories.
Domestic and family violence is never OK, and never the victim’s fault.
More Information about Domestic and Family Violence
Is domestic violence a gendered problem?
Yes.
Perpetrators of violence are overwhelmingly men, and victims are overwhelmingly women.
What about male victims of domestic and family violence?
Support for male victim-survivors of domestic and family violence: CatholicCare Safer Pathways: This program is available across Port Stephens, the Hunter, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Email: localsupportservices@catholiccare.org.au
Ph: 4979 1120
Why don't domestic violence victims leave?
It’s a lot more complicated than “just leaving.” A better question is “why don’t domestic violence perpetrators just stop?”
Leaving an abusive relationship is often linked to increased danger and lethal violence towards a victim. Abusers can go to great lengths to make sure their victims can’t leave. Other factors at play can include:
Threats and control: abusers go to great lengths to get their victims to stay.
Housing and homelessness: many victim-survivors have nowhere to go, and refuges and transitional housing are in short supply and chronically underfunded
Financial reasons: many victim-survivors have no income of their own, which is especially complicated if children are involved
Children and dependents: there are often other people involved than just the victim-survivor themselves, including children, relatives and pets
Barriers to support seeking: not knowing where to get support, being dismissed by law enforcement, beliefs that two-parent households are better for children, unsupportive friends and family, and more
How can I support someone experiencing domestic or family violence?
It’s ok to say something to someone you know who is experiencing domestic or family violence. It’s ok to offer your support.
Domestic and family violence victim-survivors need the support of people in their lives, but it’s important to remember that the victim-survivor is the expert in their own safety and circumstances.
You can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 if you are worried about someone in your life, and the 1800RESPECT website has suggestions for how you can provide support and some things for you to consider.
ABC’s of supporting someone who has experienced Domestic or Family Violence:
• Acknowledge, support and listen
• Be non-judgemental
• Care, yet know that you cannot rescue
• Discuss a safety plan
• Encourage and empower
• Friendly – offer to provide practical support, invite them out to social events
• Give information about domestic and family violence in a safe way
How do I help end domestic and family violence in Port Stephens?
Ending domestic and family violence is everyone’s responsibility.
Some ideas of what you could do to help:
• Get informed. Read through this website, and other sites such as Our Watch to understand what domestic and family violence is and what to look for.
• Share our resources on social media.
• If you are a DFSV sector worker, get involved in the Port Stephens Domestic and Family Violence Committee.
Can the Port Stephens DFV Committee help me?
No.
The Port Stephens DFV Committee is not a service provider and cannot provide emergency assistance, support services, advice or referrals.
See our Services that can help page to access support.