The past month has seen the IGFF team continue to adapt to lockdowns, restrictions and unpredictable changes. This newsletter discusses some recent updates, including our recently-announced Charter of Cooperation with Xavier College in their new efforts to provide support and redress to Survivors. We also take the opportunity to introduce another amazing member of our Casework Team, asking Vanessa some questions about how and why she does the work she does.
More widely, many of us are currently feeling pandemic fatigue. Having supported each other through 2020, we’ve found ourselves exhausted to be re-entering lockdowns and following restrictions over a year later. These feelings of stress and exhaustion can often be amplified for members of our community, who are working hard to continue to draw on their coping mechanisms and support networks.
As the National Mental Health Commission emphasise, we can all experience pandemic fatigue in different ways. For some people, it might mean amplified feelings of tiredness, frustration, restlessness and irritability. Others might experience increased dread and hopelessness: not wanting to be with others or do things that you usually enjoy. If you are feeling overwhelmed – or just want to chat – you can always reach out to our Casework Team for support.
You can get in touch with us by calling (03) 9940 1533 and leaving a voicemail, or emailing [email protected]. If it’s outside of our office hours, our website lists some useful phone lines that offer support 24/7.
The National Mental Health Commission’s guide to noticing and addressing pandemic fatigue.
Reminder: The first MVC meeting of 2021 will be held on Tuesday 17 August
If you would like to find out more information about what this means, and who can attend, you can get in touch with our team on (03) 9940 1533 or at [email protected].
The event will involve hearing from guest speakers, including Dr. Katie Allen MP, who sits on the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme. It will be subject to COVID-19 restrictions and safety precautions, and those unable to attend in person will be able to access Zoom and teleconference options.
Supporting Survivors of institutional abuse within the Xavier College community
This month, IGFF and Xavier College announced our formal Charter of Cooperation to help address the present day impacts of historical institutional abuse.
Together, we’re committing to support Survivors who are hoping to re-connect to their school community. We’re proud to be partnering with the College in their new efforts to provide redress and ongoing support.
As Old Xaverian, Survivor and IGFF ambassador Richard Jabara said when speaking to The Age‘s Richard Baker:
“One of the things about Xavier and a lot of the other private schools is that these are lifelong communities that continue on through families, marriages, business, sports. You feel guilt, shame and isolation about what happened to you and you fear what might happen if you are seen to sh*t-can your school.
So for the school to be saying it is OK to bring this out into the open is something I support 1000 per cent.” – Richard Jabara
Image, Penny Stephens, The Age: Richard Jabara (left), Old Xaverian and abuse Survivor, with Clare Leaney (right), CEO of In Good Faith Foundation and Xavier principal William Doherty.
You can read more about the Charter in our media release. As our CEO Clare Leaney stated: “IGFF is proud to be joining with Xavier College to help ensure that the tragedies of the past are not just remembered – but learnt from.
Survivors of institutional abuse are often ostracised by the very communities where they have the strongest personal connections. This Charter has the potential to be the bridge that reconnects old Xaverians, isolated by historical abuse, to the present-day Xavier community.
While no two journeys to justice are the same, we know that survivors who are heard, believed, and supported by their community, have far greater resilience than those forced to travers the path in isolation.
IGFF has worked closely in the last 6 years with Xavier College, notably establishing a Survivors Memorial at the school’s senior campus in 2015 to honour the memory of all those that had suffered abuse while students at Xavier.
Xavier College has demonstrated over these years of collaboration, an unwavering commitment to redress for crimes of the past, but also a dedication to educate current/future students to avoid the acts if the past from ever occurring again in future.”
Staff profile: Vanessa, Caseworker
Vanessa came on board with IGFF at the beginning of 2021, and has been providing vital support and advocacy services to our community ever since. She brings a brightness and warmth to our team, drawing on her extensive counselling background to work collaboratively with Survivors.
We wanted to find out a little more about her, and take this opportunity to introduce her to our mailing list.
Can you tell us a little about what your role involves as a caseworker at IGFF?
The first thing that comes to mind when I think about my role is supporting the ‘whole’ person. Every person is different, and therefore, the delivery of a holistic approach will look slightly different for everyone.
The highest priority is establishing what the client would like to achieve from the service and regularly checking in with the client about this, developing a strong, collaborative alliance with the client, supporting the client as they see fit and ensuring communication is provided in a manner suitable to the client’s needs and preference, as well as ensuring management of client expectations and avoiding retraumatisation at all costs. How we can support the client is dependent on the work they have already done (which shows the client’s determination, courage, and internal and external resources) and their established goals from our service.
Ultimately, throughout any new IGFF client interaction (and likewise, for existing or previous clients) the most important factors are checking in about what they would like to achieve from the service, discussing the possible likelihood of their redress avenues (as much as possible), and the consequences of revisiting their traumatic experience/s. As revisiting their trauma, inclusive of talking about it, talk therapy, answering specific questions about their trauma, and collating information about their trauma is a part of the process, sadly, it is imperative to ensure the client has sufficient internal and external supports to help them through this, i.e., a supportive family member or friend, engaging in regular exercise and relaxation practices, a counsellor or psychologist particularly during this period.
What led you to study counselling?
My background is in the Aged Care and Disability sector, most predominantly working with young families. This includes supporting young children with physical and intellectual disabilities and psychological disorders, and their families such as younger mums or mums who are experiencing metal illness or post-natal depression, or low socioeconomic status and/or are time or resource poor. This began a professional career of caring for others. I then began working in mainstream and special needs schools with primary aged children. I had always been interested in psychology and counselling and these experiences prompted that desire to help people by learning about people and developing therapeutic and micro counselling skills that are appropriate in a counselling and/or casework setting.
Having worked collaboratively with so many different client groups – including children, people with disability and older people – what drives your direct work with clients?
What a kind and thought-provoking question. I would say the driving force behind my work with clients is a strong passion for human rights for all and a deep sense of empathy (i.e., being able to really put myself in another’s shoes and the willingness to feel what they feel), high level understanding of how trauma (i.e., child abuse, domestic violence) and mental ill health can deeply impact people and those around them, and a high level understanding of intersectionality (i.e., the various micro and macro systems by which specific individuals and minority groups experience oppression).
Do you have any particular strategies for self-care, or ways you support yourself while working with trauma, and in intense fields like crisis support?
Self-care is a huge priority for me and there are days when I can engage in more or less self-care than usual. As a professional caring for others, the priority is first caring for myself. The most crucial strategies for me to do this is showing myself self-compassion, i.e., being kind and gracious with myself even when I make errors (which we all do), monitoring my body and posture, thought processes and stress levels throughout the day, and ensuring I have enough sleep, water, nutritious foods and movement throughout the day, i.e., walking, yoga, pilates or even just some stretching to be at my best to support others. When I can, I find journaling and cleaning or rearranging items in the home very therapeutic.
Lastly, what do you like to do in your free time, to unwind?
I really enjoy being outside with my Husband and our two dogs, Leah and Charlie, catching up with loved ones, reading, and finding a good series on Netflix either a drama or a comedy.
NAIDOC week 2021: Heal Country
This month marked NAIDOC Week 2021, from 4 to 11 July. NAIDOC is a time to celebrate and acknowledge the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year’s theme was ‘Heal Country‘ which emphasised the importance of truth-telling and redress for historical injustice and abuse:
To Heal Country, we must properly work towards redressing historical injustice.
While we can’t change history, through telling the truth about our nation’s past we certainly can change the way history is viewed.
After 250 years, our children and our future generations deserve better.
Paid opportunity for people with disability to tell their stories
The ABC are looking for people with disability to share their stories as paid contributors, for International Day of People with Disability.
As most of our clients, and many members of our wider community, are people with disability, we believe this would be a great opportunity for Survivors to share their thoughts and parts of their stories they feel comfortable telling publicly.
The ABC are looking for non-fiction stories that can be told via video, audio, writing or social media. They suggest sharing “your lived experience, an issue you see affecting your community, a stereotype you want to dispel or a celebration of life as a person with disability.”
