Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
– Specialist Trauma Service

WestCASA has provided an outreach sexual assault counselling service to women in the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) since 2006.

In 2016 WestCASA expanded its service to women in prison by broadening the eligibility criteria for counselling. Now WestCASA provides support to women who have experienced any form of trauma including family violence.

This new service is a Specialist Trauma Service (STS) and is the first of its kind in DPFC. This was made possible due to increased funding from the Department of Justice, following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Most women in prison have experienced some form of family violence throughout their lives, usually from multiple perpetrators over a prolonged period.

The impacts of this violence can lead women to incarceration. Importantly, the Australia Government has started to acknowledge that there are often experiences of underlying trauma for women in prison.

Consequently, this has allowed for some significant changes for our service. WestCASA has been able to substantially expand its team in DPFC to include four Counsellor/Advocates and a Team Leader, based within the prison four days a week.

For any queries about this program call WestCASA on (03) 9216 0411.