FOUNDATION SUPPORTS TOOL FOR WOMEN AT RISK OF DOMESTIC ABUSE
Family and domestic violence is among the most urgent and widespread problems facing Australian society, with an estimated 2.6 million women and girls over the age of 15 impacted by abuse nationwide.
One in four Australian children are exposed to domestic violence, leaving a damaging legacy that puts them at greater risk of developing mental health, behavioural and learning difficulties.
The complexity of navigating the legal, financial and social support systems means that many women facing violence and coercive control feel isolated and unable to access the help they need.
For those seeking to leave an abusive relationship, fears of financial insecurity, homelessness and potential escalation of the abuse can also be significant obstacles to escaping the cycle of violence.
Yourtoolkit.com is an online resource designed to break down these obstacles by providing accessible, practical, step-by-step guides that aid women in accessing support, securing their safety and achieving financial independence.
It provides information and links to resources like banking, debt and housing assistance, as well as detailed guidelines about how women can keep themselves and their children safe.
The site also provides guides and resources for those seeking to support a family member, friend or colleague experiencing or at risk of domestic violence or other forms of abuse.
“An online resource like Yourtoolkit.com can make all the difference because it provides a whole range of information about keeping safe, legal and money matters, things to consider and specialist supports,” said Yourtoolkit.com CEO Penny Fegan.
“Effectively, Yourtoolkit.com is reaching behind closed doors to offer practical, step-by-step guidance on escaping what is often a recurring cycle of coercive control.”
Yourtoolkit.com was developed in Western Australia through extensive research and consultation with domestic violence victim-survivors, support workers, women’s refuges and organisations like the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing, the WA Police and Legal Aid.
With the support of a grant from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, the website is expanding to provide additional resources, including a newly launched Coercive Control Self-Assessment tool.
Accessed through Yourtoolkit.com, the tool allows users to anonymously complete a comprehensive, evidence-based survey identifying the different forms of coercive control — a pattern of behaviours used by abusers to establish and maintain control over another person that is frequently an underlying dynamic of family, domestic and intimate-partner violence.
Coinciding with the 16 Days in WA to Stop Violence Against Women campaign, the tool was officially launched in December 2023 with an endorsement from Sabine Winton MLA, the State Government’s Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence.
“Yourtoolkit.com’s Coercive Control Self-Assessment Tool is a well-designed, easy-to-use resource for victim-survivors to better understand coercive control behaviours, which includes a step-by-step guide towards being safer in their relationships should they need it,” Ms Winton said.
For the team at Yourtoolkit.com, the launch of the new resource represents a major milestone in an ongoing effort to expand their services and ensure that no one is left alone to face violence, coercive control or other forms of abuse.
“At Yourtoolkit.com, we are dedicated to empowering victim survivors and providing them with the tools and resources to navigate abusive situations,” Ms Fegan said.
For more information, visit: Yourtoolkit.com or access the tool at Yourtoolkit.com/CCSA
Published: December 2023