Safer Community is here for you, so don’t ever feel alone or helpless
As we continue to study online in Trimester/Semester 2, we’re focused on ensuring that everyone is able to live and learn in a COVIDSafe environment. This means that while some restrictions may start to ease – and others may remain or escalate, especially in ‘hotspots’ – we continue to abide by all government and University guidelines. This means limiting access to campus, practising physical distancing and ensuring good personal hygiene.
Another crucial aspect of staying COVIDSafe is being able to access support services if you need them. This includes assistance for people who have experienced or been exposed to sexual harm or family violence.
Unfortunately, we know that incidents of family violence often increase during and after times of emergency or national crisis, and this has been the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Safer Community can help
Deakin’s Safer Community service is the University’s central point of contact for reports of family violence and sexual harm. We also respond to reports of concerning behaviour. This includes anything that makes you feel threatened or unsafe, makes you worried that someone may harm themselves or someone else, offends you or just doesn’t feel quite right.
If you feel unsafe in your home, or COVID-19 restrictions mean that your personal situation could become dangerous or unsustainable, Safer Community is here to support you, including to assist you with a safety plan if appropriate.
Our trained professionals are experienced in dealing with this kind of trauma – and it doesn’t matter if it’s recent or historical, or where it happened. So while access to our campuses is limited at the moment, we still want everyone to feel safe while they’re at Deakin – whether that’s while you’re physically on campus for an approved reason or as you study online.
Visit the Safer Community website to find out more, including information on what will happen if you make a report, how we manage your privacy, and what ongoing referrals, support and monitoring are available.
How to contact us
It’s important to know that Safer Community is not an emergency or crisis response service and we only operate during business hours. If you or someone else needs immediate help, please contact Victoria Police by calling Triple Zero (000).
Contact Safer Community during business hours (Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm) by:
- calling us on 03 9244 3734
- emailing us at [email protected]. Emails to this address are ONLY read by the staff trained and responsible for responding to your report. Information sent to this email address is confidential.
Other information and help
- The Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria has information on how to stay safe from family violence during COVID-19.
- If you need to talk to someone, contact Deakin’s Counselling and Psychological Support (CAPS) service.
- 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) provides information, counselling and support for people affected by family violence and sexual harm.
- Daisy App and Sunny App can connect women and women with disability to local services.
- Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) provides family violence-related telephone counselling, information and referrals for men.
- Djirra (1800 105 303) provides support for Aboriginal people experiencing family violence.
- Thorn Harbour Health has a family violence service and details of other services specifically for the LGBTIQ+ community.