Executive Summary

In 2002, the Riverland Domestic Violence Unit in Berri South Australia was successful in its application for a grant from Networking the Nation. The grant received was $55,000.

Our aim was to establish a network of computers with web cams at various locations throughout the Riverland region. The Riverland lies between Blanchetown and Morgan then spreads all the way along the River Murray to the Victorian border covering an area of approximately 25,000 kilometres. The population of the Riverland (from 2001 Bureau of Statistics) is approximately 41,543.

Having said that, the RDVU takes referrals from as far south as Pinnaroo. The main towns in the Riverland area are Barmera, Berri, Loxton, Renmark and Waikerie. The region however is characterised by many smaller settlements. Some of these towns include Brown’s Well, Swan Reach, Alawoona, Karoonda, Peebinga, Wunkar, Wanbi, and Galga.

The RDVU provides support and accommodation to women and children experiencing domestic violence. The main office is in Berri which is the most central town in the region and it is where most government offices are located.

For such are large area to cover, the RDVU has only three caseworkers. The “Phoenix Network” was devised to ease the limited time and resources at the RDVU and to provide a unique and easy way for women and the general public to access our service without travelling to Berri. We were particularly keen for people living in the more isolated areas to have contact with us especially as there is no public transport in the Riverland.

Once funding was secured, a company based in Adelaide won the contract to supply and install the network in eight locations. Marble IT was chosen for many reasons which included the qualifications of their personnel and their previous experience with networks. It has taken the full year to establish the network with delays caused by unexpected problems. These problems have been mostly overcome mainly due to the enthusiasm of the people at the locations and the expertise of Marble IT.

The Phoenix Network was officially launched in Berri on the 8th October 2003 by the State Minister for Social Justice and the Status of Women the Hon Stephanie Key MP.

The Network will provide an access point for the general public and in particular women experiencing domestic violence to the RDVU. It will provide information about the RDVU, links to other agencies and video conferencing access to our agency. The RDVU provide around 200 “support periods” for women and children each year (NDCA stats). This will be the first network of its type for a domestic violence service in South Australia and possibly Australia.

The NTN funding of $55,000 bought for us eight computers with web cams, web page development, installation and programming, desks, software and four web cams for the main office. We also applied for and received a top up grant of $7,600 to install new computers at the main office. This was to improve the computers so they could easily accept and run web cam video conferencing with the other eight computers. Marble IT donated a modem, an extra web cam and time to the project whilst the RDVU provided time, resources and marketing of the Network.

Introduction
Conducting “outreach” work has always been problematic for the RDVU. Having more than 25,000 kilometres to cover, a population of over 41,000 people and a case load of around 200 families per year an innovative way of working had to be found.

The RDVU always looks for new and better ways of working. Computers provide each worker with a tool that allows them to work in a quicker more efficient manner. Computers have allowed the RDVU to keep case notes on a daily basis, keep financial records, organise reports, list assets, and design and produce our own flyers, cards and pamphlets. The idea of a network of computers was an obvious extension of our usual every day practice.

The RDVU receive referrals from the main Riverland towns but from time to time from the outer areas. In the more isolated areas, the general public do not have ready access to services located in Berri. Women who experience domestic violence are often kept isolated away from family, friends and services. Many families cannot travel to Berri for many reasons including lack of resources and no public transport.

The RDVU approached services in locations where referrals were previously received. The project was received enthusiastically by everyone involved. Other organisations that supported the project were Relationships Australia, Riverland Health Authority, Anglican Community Care and Chief Inspector Bronwyn Killmier.

The project was assisted by Craig Wilkes and Trevor May (funding program reps) who went out of their way to provide valuable time and advice.

Objectives
The Phoenix Network will provide an innovative way to bridge the gap between the general public, women and children in particular and the RDVU. The general public will have access to information that was not previously available to them. We hope to increase levels of computer use and to make the general public feel at ease navigating a web page and finding information at their fingertips. Another spin off benefit will be for people working in each location. They too will have access to the RDVU. For example, if the staff at the Pinnaroo Hospital have a query with a patient experiencing domestic violence, they can use the web cam to conference with an RDVU caseworker. A teacher at the Brown’s Well Area School can do the same and so on.

Strategic Approach
The RDVU is an agency funded by both State and Federal Governments under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP). The RDVU is funded to provide support and accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

A group of social workers first lobbied government for funds to establish a service for women and children and the Riverland Women’s Shelter Inc. became constituted in May 1985. In February 2000 the service was renamed Riverland Domestic Violence Unit Inc. in recognition of work done other than the supply of accommodation (shelter). The RDVU has a Management Committee of ten with most members coming from the general community and they meet each month. There is a Manager, a Support Worker and three Welfare Workers working Monday to Friday. One worker is also “on-call” for one week periods on a roster basis.

All funding for the Phoenix Network came from Networking the Nation. In kind support came from the RDVU, Marble IT, Brown’s Well Area School, Pinnaroo Hospital, Renmark Paringa Community Centre, Loxcare, Swan Reach Area School, Waikerie Community Centre, and Anglican Community Care.

Support included practical items such as private space, chairs, and modems. Other support included the time spent by individuals at each location setting up the network and the RDVU marketing the network.

If the network is received by the general community in a positive way and it is used on a regular basis, we will promote the design to our colleagues across the state and to others as well. It has the added bonus of being on our website which goes out to the world.