Capacity Building and organisational support

WCHM acknowledges the importance of consumers and peers in shaping experience and change within the health system so is committed to undertaking capacity building activities with small, peer-led women’s support groups. This work builds on previous initiatives that have seen WCHM assume a role in resourcing and supporting small agencies and support groups, and involves a proactive capacity building role. This role recognises that creating better health in marginalised women and populations and working to overcome issues in the health systems requires a collaborative approach to working as partners and building on the assets, strengths and capacities of each individual.

Given the resource limitations of WCHM to work in intensive capacity building partnerships, the organisation prioritises working with those groups that aim to address marginalisation and promote social inclusion, and works in a manner that promotes self-determination and sustainability.

WCHM supports these groups in a variety of different ways depending on their individual needs and stage of development, but with a focus on supporting them to develop sustainable skills, and to increase their involvement, decision-making and ownership of issues. They are also supported to build more effective relationships with others, rather than working on problems in isolation, and to develop their approaches to advocacy.

Below is a list of organisations that WCHM is currently working with:

ACT Women And Prisons Group (WAP)

The ACT Women And Prisons Group (WAP) has been operating since 2005 to highlight the issues for women prisoners—a largely invisible group. WAP is a not for profit community group whose members include ex-prisoners and prisoners incarcerated or involved in the ACT criminal justice system, representatives of various ACT Women’s Services and other interested stakeholders. WAP aims to advocate with, and educate, the prison system and other stakeholders about gender sensitive and equitable access for women prisoners.

As women only make up a small proportion of the total prison population in Australia, prisons are often designed to contain male prisoners and the gender-specific needs of women can be overlooked. The ACT is no different. While the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) is unique in that it was designed with human rights principles and legislation in mind and incorporates some women-specific aspects (such as cottage-style accommodation), findings from WAP’s consultations with women inmates and service providers indicate that there are still issues for women prisoners in the ACT.

WAP uses peer support by women with lived experience as a vehicle to build relationships and trust with women in and exiting from prison so that they can better provide personal and emotional support, hear the women’s views and stories and use these to advocate on their behalf. The Group also provides opportunities and support for women with lived experience to actively contribute to WAP’s work.

WAP has been supported by the Women’s Centre for Health Matters over many years to grow its membership and to build its capacity. WCHM provides WAP with office support and capacity development assistance including:

• Assisting with defining its objectives and goals
• Assisting with defining useful models for the group to adopt in undertaking its activities
• Mentoring and coaching on meeting procedures, governance, operational policy and procedure development
• Providing support to write letters, participate in consultations, advocate with Government and service providers and develop submissions
• Facilitating an email list for the group to share information

In 2010, WCHM was successful in seeking funding for WAP to provide opportunities for members with lived experience of prison to participate in strategic planning activities aimed at supporting the development of their skills and to enhance their organisational capacity. With the help of a professional facilitator, WAP members reviewed the organisation’s progress, agreed on short term and long term priorities, and considered organisational models to enhance their capacity to influence policy and practice in the ACT. The results of these discussions were used to develop a WAP strategic framework document and a submission for the ACT Budget.

WAP now provides regular peer support to the women in the AMC and collects data about the issues faced by women prisoners which it uses in its advocacy work. To communicate this information to members and key stakeholders, WAP hosts quarterly meetings. These meetings also serve as a forum for discussion on developments in the ACT and strategies to improve the system of support for women in, and exiting from, prison. The issues discussed include access to health and mental health services, access to training and education, access to visits from family, the complaints mechanisms available, and the transition for women from prison.

With the support of funding secured by WCHM from the ACT Office for Women, WAP members with lived experience also travelled to Sydney in August 2011 to attend the biannual Sisters Inside 6th International Conference. Sisters Inside is a high profile organisation based in Queensland that advocates for the human rights of women prisoners. This year’s conference, entitled 'Is Prison Obsolete', focussed on service provision, advocacy, and alternatives to prisons. WAP members were able to learn from, and share with, other community organisations, individuals, and government representatives working in the sector and to compare the progress of the ACT to other jurisdictions by listening to interstate and international speakers. Their presence at the conference enhanced WAP’s profile and facilitated linkages that will benefit WAP as it moves towards self-sufficiency. WAP members reported back about the conference to the wider WAP group and key stakeholders at their quarterly meeting.

To find about more about WAP or find out more about the quarterly meetings, please email admin@wchm.org.au, call 6290 2166 or visit http://www.wchm.org.au/WAP/home.

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Women and Mental Health Working Group

The ACT Women and Mental Health Working Group (WMHWG) is a group of women working together on matters impacting upon women living with mental health issues in the ACT. It has been meeting since August 2007 and was formed to provide a regular forum in which women living with mental health issues and supportive service providers could come together and consider the current issues facing this group of ACT women, and to develop and implement strategies to influence positive change.

The WMHWG assists women living with mental health issues to voice their concerns and provides input on how to develop and maintain a full range of women friendly services. More recently the Group assisted in providing input to the Psychiatric Services Unit about how to be more women friendly and the development of proposals for the Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit and the Secure Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit in the ACT.

The WMHWG meets bi-monthly and has a membership of over 50 service providers and individuals—many of whom are unable to attend the meetings but who stay connected via regular bi-monthly email updates. Membership is open to women living with mental health issues and the service providers that support them.

WCHM supports and facilitates the group’s meetings, provides a secretariat function and facilitates an email list for the group to share information. WCHM also supports the Group’s participation in decision-making processes about policy and ensures that women’s concerns are raised in existing networks, organisations and government processes. WCHM uses the results of the Group’s discussions to inform joint submissions to relevant consultations.

The WMHWG also commissions work from WCHM to document specific issues and stories for women with mental health issues in the ACT. In 2009 WCHM documented the stories from women living with mental health issues about the need to improve the treatment of women in the ACT legal system and in May 2011, WCHM launched a report on the views of women mental health carers about health and wellbeing information. At present, WCHM is finalising a report about the needs and experiences of women mental health carers and recently launched a report about the value of peer support for women living with a mental illness in the ACT. In 2011 the WMHWG has commissioned WCHM to produce a report about the concerns and issues for women with mental health issues with children.

The WMHWG is also providing expert advice and direction in the development of a number of WCHM position papers and documents, including a position paper on Mental Health Consumer and Carer Representation, a position paper on Systemic Advocacy and the Social Determinants of Mental Health, and guidelines for services on supporting ACT women to participate in consultations and decision making processes. These documents will provide both theoretical (policy) and practical (procedural) tips on how to better support and engage ACT women in internal decision making processes, which will in turn enhance the responsiveness and relevance of service delivery and systemic advocacy efforts for ACT women living with mental health issues.

More information about the current projects WCHM is undertaking with the ACT WMHWG can be found under the Women and Mental Health section of this website.

To find about more about WMWHG or about the bi-monthly meetings, please email admin@wchm.org.au or call 6290 2166.

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Women’s With Disabilities ACT (WWDACT)

Women With Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) is a systemic advocacy and peer support organisation run by women with disabilities for women with disabilities. Established in 1995, WWDACT adheres to a human rights philosophy—based on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities—and works with government and non-government organisations to improve the status and lives of women with disabilities in the ACT and region. WWDACT believes that self-advocacy is a major contributing component to the social, financial, mental and physical welfare of women with disabilities in the ACT.

For the past 15 years, WWDACT has been supporting women with disabilities in the ACT and engaging in systemic advocacy to address the disadvantage experienced by women with disabilities. WWDACT has done this through peer support, representation on advisory committees, input into consultations and participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of research and projects relating to people with disabilities.

The development of WWDACT as a representative voice in the ACT for women with disabilities has been achieved almost entirely through small grants and the volunteer input of a small core of women with disabilities who are committed to improving the status of women with disabilities in the ACT.

WWDACT was largely unfunded until 2010 when they were successful in securing one-off funding from ACT Health and Disability ACT through an auspicing arrangement by WCHM until the end of June. This funding supported the employment of a part-time Policy/Administrative Officer, funding for regular meetings of constituents and improving feedback to Disability ACT and other agencies regarding the impacts of policy, service gaps and emerging needs, so that evaluation and planning can be better tailored to the needs of women with disabilities.

Since then WCHM successfully supported WWDACT to seek recurrent funding in the ACT Budget in order to be able to operate WWDACT properly as an organisation advocating for women with disabilities in the ACT. The funding covers two part-time workers who are based at the WCHM office. WCHM acts as the auspicing agency and supports WWDACT by managing the reporting, financial, personnel and administrative and infrastructure needs of WWDACT.

WWDACT participates in the design, implementation and evaluation of research, projects and trials relating to women with disabilities which have been undertaken by WCHM.

More information about the current projects WCHM is undertaking with the WWDACT can be found under the Women with disabilities section of this website.

To find about more about WWDACT, please email wwdact@wchm.org.au or call 6290 2166.

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