Orange Door plans expansion after helping thousands

THE state government has hailed the success of a Geelong family violence support service that has helped tens of thousands of people in its first four years.

The facility is also planning an expansion this year to provide access in more places and to diverse local communities.

Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Gabrielle Williams visited The Orange Door in Geelong last week in a show of support to staff that provide free support to adults, children and young people experiencing family violence or needing help with child wellbeing.

The Orange Door is a free service that combines workers from specialist family violence, men’s, Aboriginal, and child and family services to provide help such as crisis assistance, risk assessments and safety planning.

The Barwon service has supported more than 30,000 people, including 11,000 children, since opening in 2018.

Barwon Orange Door is planning to open a new access point on the Bellarine Peninsula later this year, in addition to existing points in Geelong and Colac.

It is also establishing an outpost with Cultura to open support to people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

“When experiencing family violence, reaching out for help can be the hardest thing a person will do. We are making sure that accessing advice and support is as easy as possible, no matter where you live,” Ms Williams said.

“We are already seeing the power of services working together to support child and family wellbeing, with thousands of residents accessing the Barwon Orange Door Network since it opened.”