Author: Gideon Warhaft

As part of Central West Women’s Health Centre’s conference “Empower Responses: Empower Community”, Stepping Out is running training in Bathurst on Thursday 10th April from 9.30am to 11.15am. Tickets are only $10 and our Board member, Jess Hill, will be speaking.

Our training is for NDIS support workers and service providers on trauma-informed responses to disclosures of sexual violence, both historic and recent. We will provide a deeper understanding of the prevalence and impacts of child sexual abuse in the disability sector as well as tools and resources to care for survivors with confidence and compassion.

Click here for tickets

So very grateful to be announced as the Westfield Burwood Local Hero and to accept a grant of $20,000.

Thank you so much to @westfieldburwood for a beautiful presentation and for your generous and ongoing support for the community sector. Huge thanks to those who voted to support our small charity. This will allow us to continue our valuable work of delivering programs to female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

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You may have noticed the beautiful artwork adorning our website and strategic plan. This is a conscious decision to use art instead of stock photos to represent childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with its warm colours, blurred lines and moody, misty quality which conveys the sense of drifting invisibility often felt by survivors.

We have Justine Wahlin to thank for such resonant artwork. She is an extremely talented and prolific multimedia artist and musician, skilled in animation and illustration. On top of her capacity as a true creative, she is involved in the NFP sector in fundraising strategies, business development and project management.

Huge thanks to Justine for helping us capture the beauty, hope and resilience we see every day in our work on the frontlines of working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

For more about Justine visit here

Stepping Out would love to hear about your experiences with NDIS as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

This would involve a confidential and trauma-informed chat with a specialist counsellor for 30-60 minutes either in person (in Sydney) or over Zoom.

We are offering a gift voucher for your time and expertise.

Please contact us here

Stepping Out was proud to represent CSA survivors today at NSW Health’s forum for the implementation of their Adult Survivors Program with the theme of “Building Connections”.

Lived experience advocates including Rochelle Cherry, along with Darren Wagner, spoke of challenges in accessing healthcare as survivors. Their advice? Be kind, be flexible, listen and don’t judge behaviours without considering context of trauma and the power imbalance inherent in seeking help.

The forum highlighted the need for stakeholder consultation, community collaboration and peer support.
Rochelle also spoke of the value of specialist CSA services such as Stepping Out and the late great Dympna House to help them on their journey of recovery which has led to their positive and eloquent contribution today.