MORWELL Gippsland Multidisciplinary Centre 31-41 Buckley Street P.O. Box 1124 Morwell VIC 3840 T: 03 5134 3922

USEFUL CONTACTS BAIRNSDALE 67 Grant Street Sexual Assault Crisis Line (SACL) PO Box 744 1800 806 292 Bairnsdale VIC 3875 (support and referral after hours, T: 03 5153 1629 weekends, and public holidays) WARRAGUL Lifeline 95 Albert Street 13 11 14 (24 Hours) Warragul VIC 3820 Emergency (Police, Fire, Ambulance) T: 03 5622 7877 000 (24 hours) AFTER HOURS Sexual Offence and Child T: 1800 806 292 Abuse Investigative Teams (SOCIT- Victoria Police) Outreach service provided Morwell: 03 5120 0300 from locations across Inner Sale: 03 5143 5000 and Outer Gippsland Bairnsdale: 03 5150 2675 E: [email protected] 1800 RESPECT ABN: 22 462 140 099 1800 737 732 (24 hours)

Gippsland Centre Safe Steps Against Sexual Assault 1800 015 188 (24 hours) Free & Confidential Service Department of Health and Human www.gippscasa.org Services – Child Protection 13 12 78 (24 hours)

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 (24 hours) Our vision is to see WHO ARE WE? OUR SERVICE Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault We are a free and confidential service, our communities free (GCASA) is a community-based, non-profit available to anyone in Gippsland who organisation that provides a specialist support has ever experienced sexual assault. from sexual assault service across the entire Gippsland region. We can help by providing: and violence. Professional staff are trained and • Individual counselling experienced counsellors with qualifications in Social Work, Counselling, Psychology, • Information, referral, support and and Community Development. advocacy • Counselling for children and young WHAT IS SEXUAL ASSAULT? WHAT DO WE DO? people (aged 18 or under) who have demonstrated problematic or harmful We define sexual assault as any sexual We provide a person-centred service to adults, sexual behaviour behaviour that is unwanted, happens without children, young people, and anyone who has • Family support someone’s consent, or makes someone feel been impacted by sexual assault; whether the upset or afraid. This can include a range of assault is recent or occurred in the past. • Community education criminal and harmful behaviours such as: and prevention initiatives We work within the community to create • Therapeutic group work • Rape—forced or unwanted sex awareness and understanding about sexual • Research • Child sexual assault assault with the aim of reducing the impact • Forensic/specialist assessments • Sexual harassment and frequency of this form of violence. • Professional training • Indecent assault or exposure • Specialist practice consultation • Posting sexual images of someone WHERE ARE WE? on the internet without their consent • After hours crisis support for people who Our main office is based in Morwell, at the have recently experienced sexual assault Gippsland Multidisciplinary Centre (MDC). We and/or family violence IMPACTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT share the MDC with Victoria Police detectives (Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigative Often people who are living with the effects of Team), a specialist Department of Health sexual assault or trauma experience emotional, and Human Services Child Protection team, psychological or physical impacts on their community health nurses (Latrobe Community overall health and well-being. This can include Health Service), and forensic nurses (Victorian things like: Institute of Forensic Medicine). The MDC allows • Anxiety and depression us to work together to help people who have • Sleep disturbance, flashbacks, nightmares experienced sexual assault. • Intrusive and negative thoughts We also have Centres in Bairnsdale and and/or behaviours Warragul, and provide outreach services to • Difficulty maintaining relationships, several locations across the Gippsland region. employment or leisure activities • Chronic disease