Women’s community based health services are designed for all women with different backgrounds and individual experiences and aim to provide quality services that deeply understand the factors and environments that shape women’s health and wellbeing.
Women’s community based health services work within what is commonly referred to as the social model of health, meaning different areas of a woman’s life are thought about such as family, social, cultural, political and environmental factors.
Services work from a trauma-informed approach meaning support is guided by the individual, at their own pace and women are not forced to make decisions they don’t want to. Although women’s community based health services are not crisis centres, they can be the first service women access when experiencing abuse or a life crisis.
Western Australia has twelve women’s community based health services which include seven metropolitan and five regional services. Women can access any of these services across the State; not just the ones nearest to where they live.
Women’s community based health services function like ‘hubs’ and are run by caring staff. They can provide a safe, women only place to stop and talk, link in when extra support is needed, a health check or to participate in a group or workshop, like a new mums and bubs program or a self-esteem workshop.
These services aren’t necessarily known by the wider public as places that offer services like family and domestic violence support, but they are safe and confidential spaces women can access without fear of judgement or worry about people finding out. Many have free-crèches available on site. Women’s community based health services can also refer onto other specialist services.
Women’s community based health services are also appropriate services for women who face barriers to accessing other health service such as:
Women’s community based health services are also ideal for women who may be experiencing major life stressors such as divorce, job loss, death of a family member, injury or illness or providing care for a child with a disability.
Overall women’s community based health centre’s aim to empower women by providing the information, support, and resources to assist with good health, wellbeing and a positive life.
Although adaptable in their approach the key service areas of women’s community based health services are:
Please note some services may incur a small fee, this information will be available on the individual services website.
If any information on this page is not up to date or you have any suggestions, please contact us.
The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians and first peoples of Australia. We recognise the impacts of colonisation and dispossession and the contemporary disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing is committed to working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men to end violence against their women and children in Western Australia.
The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing acknowledges the strength and resilience of adults, children and young people who have experienced family and domestic violence. We pay respects to those who did not survive and acknowledge the families, friends and communities who have lost loved ones to this preventable and widespread issue. We are committed to ensuring responses to family and domestic violence are informed by lived experience.
The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing recognises, welcomes and respects people of diverse gender, sex and sexuality. We are committed to greater inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people (LGBTIQ).
