Verein Multikulturell, Exchange House’s Austrian Sunia Geel Partners, held a Service Provider Conference in Innsbruck to coincide with the transnational partner meeting of Sunia Geel.

The conference brought service providers from the city of Innsbruck and the surrounding areas to present and discuss the services they provide to victims of domestic violence and their families.

The conference focused on three topics:

• Women
• Children & Young People
• Families

The Sunia Geel partners and the Service Providers forms working groups around these three topics and formed questions and solutions in the area of domestic violence.

Part of the conference also included a visit to the Familiengerichtshilfe (Family and Child Court Support Service) to further explore the court assistance service they offer to women and children affected by domestic violence.

All who participated found the conference to be hugely beneficial, taking away with them new insights and approaches to the various services they provide.

The Service Providers from Innsbruck were:

• Familiengerichtshilfe (Family and Child Court Support Service - A new project founded in January 2012 with social workers and psychologists working together with the family courts in cases of child matters.)
  • Frau Mag.^a Andrea Kneidinger (Teamliterin)
  • Mag.^a Michaela Gruber
  • DAS Sabine Erhart

• Tiroler Kinderschutz (Tyrolean Child Protection - Aims to protect children against physical, psychological and sexual violence, working as a part of a network with victims and their families. www.kinderschutz-tirol.at)
  • Frau Mag.^a Karin Hüttemann (GF)

• Kriseninterventionszentrum (Crisis Intervention Centre - Offer counselling, help and emergency overnight accommodation to children and youngsters 24 hours, 7 days a week. www.kiz-tirol.at)
  • Verena Schaubmeier
  • Anna Schwitzer

• Frauen helfen Frauen (Women Helping Women - Offers women’s centre, women’s shelter, outpatient family care, temporary housing, counselling for women and girls and legal counsel. They also raise awareness of violence against women. www.fhf-tirol.at)
  • Mag.^a Barbara Dobler
  • Krista Rainer

• Betreutes Wohnen DOWAS für Frauen (Assisted Living for Women - Offers 9 rented apartments in the city of Innsbruck. Also provides subleasing for women and their children which incorporates social work, psycho-social and pedagogic care. www.dowas-fuer-frauen.at)
  • Mag.^a Elisabeth Wagner

For more information about the Sunia Geel Project click here

Click here for more images of the Service Provider Conference