Women in Melbourne's North - A Data Book

Women's Health In the North has released its 2nd Data Book on Women in Melbourne's North. This extensive e-book - presented in two volumes - is essential for anyone planning programs or services for women in Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland, Yarra, Whittlesea and Nillumbik.

Use the sex-disaggregated data to:

• access current information on local women
• guide gender-specific health and wellbeing planning
• improve health outcomes
• begin to address the structural inequalities that limit women's lives

Women in Melbourne's North - A Data Book - Volume 1

Women in Melbourne's North - A Data Book - Volume 2

Building a Respectful Community – Preventing Violence against Women – A Strategy for the Northern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne 2011-2016

Building a Respectful Community provides a regional framework for the primary prevention of violence against women.  It promotes a systematic regional approach to effect change and to build a respectful community where women are not subject to violence. 

The strategy outlines primary prevention actions that can be undertaken by organisations in the northern metropolitan region, individually or in partnership.  The document provides a context and evidence base for this work as well as an Action Plan which outlines a range of activities that can be undertaken.

To read this document click here.

Using a feminist approach to strengthen the focus on the social determinants of women’s health

This article by Kerryn Lewis and Anna Stewart follows on from a previous paper Does Combining Health Promotion and Feminist Frameworks Equal Better Health Outcomes for Women? written for and presented at the 6^th Australian Women’s Health Conference in Tasmania in May 2010. Kerryn presented on this paper at the Australian Health Promotion Conference in Cairns in April 2011.

Abstract:

Health promotion and feminist theory have much in common, including a belief that a more equitable society produces better health outcomes for its citizens. Both theories offer critiques of the medical model and argue that ‘health’ goes beyond the physical body. Furthermore, a key focus for health promotion practitioners and feminists alike is to address the structural influences on women’s health.

Research suggests that health promotion theory produces better health outcomes when it is combined with other theories. This paper highlights how combining feminist theory with health promotion theory can strengthen action to improve women’s health outcomes.

In order to illustrate this, we apply a feminist health promotion approach to the issue of violence against women. A gendered health promotion approach to violence against women identifies the root causes as gender inequities, gender stereotyping and attitudes to violence against women. Adding a feminist analysis expands on this, deepens our understanding and offers us additional strategies to prevent violence against women in a more effective way.

We demonstrate how applying a feminist approach to health promotion can ensure that a ‘comprehensive’ gendered approach is always undertaken, and as such the focus and analysis of the social determinants of women’s health is strengthened.

tralian Women’s Health Conference in 2010. Kerryn presented on this paper at the Australian Health Promotion Association Conference in Cairns in May 2011.

Full paper can be accessed here.

Report on the Northern Region Counselling and Group Work Service Partnership Model for Women

This 2008 report documents the development and implementation of integrated and collaborative work practices and systems for provision of family violence services, including mainstream and specialist services, in Melbourne’s Northern metropolitan area. This report remains a relevant resource for the direction it provides on how and where work needs to continue.

Report background: A new approach to improve the integration of family violence services has been effective since July 2005 as part of the whole-of-state government Integrated Family Violence reform. In 2008 the Department of Human Services, Office of Housing offered grants to the family violence and youth homelessness sectors to document effective integrated service models.

Northern Crisis and Advocacy Response Service (NCARS) Evaluation

This 2008 report evaluates the first six months of NCARS in Melbourne’s Northern region. The service was established by a network of service providers to deliver a 24-hour, face-to-face crisis response to women experiencing family violence while improving integration of family violence services. NCARS is part of the Integrated Family Violence Service Reform in Victoria, which aims to support better counselling, information, support and advocacy services.