Over a two-year pilot, Connect Well brings primary health care into crisis accommodation, making it easier for victim-survivors to access ongoing, integrated support. The crisis accommodation services that the Connect Well program will be delivered in are:

• Supported Accommodation and Homelessness Services Shoalhaven Illawarra (SAHSSI) – Nowra

• South East Women and Children’s Services (SEWACS) Budjangal – Moruya

• Anglicare NSW South, NSW West & ACT – Goulburn 

Referrals into the program are received directly from the above crisis accommodation services. At this stage this is the only referral pathway into the program. 

In each of these crisis accommodation services, a Connect Well team (GP, Practice Nurse, Health Linker) will provide on-site services to women and children staying there.  

The GP and nurse will work together to support the primary healthcare needs of women and children. This may include general health checks, mental health support and referrals to other services. 

The Health Linker helps women and children navigate the health system, attend external appointments and stay engaged in care. They also support the transition to long-term services after leaving the program and help coordinate between health, housing, justice and education services. 

Connect Well teams have access to flexible funding to support timely access to external services, such as specialists, speech pathology or occupational therapy appointments.  

We will strengthen referral pathways to local services, including free services for chronic illness, mental health and alcohol and other drug use. 

Connect Well is built on trauma-informed, culturally responsive and collaborative principles. The teams receive training to support victim-survivors with sensitivity and care. Connect Well works closely with community leaders and cultural organisations and is shaped by ongoing consultation with crisis accommodation providers, health services and community organisations. 

FDSV deeply affects communities. Many victim-survivors deal with complex challenges, such as financial hardship, homelessness, mental health issues, trauma, substance use, caregiving responsibilities, age, housing stress and language barriers. These can make it harder to access support. 

The NSW Domestic and Family Violence Plan 2022–2027 highlights the serious effects on children and young people, including on their mental and physical health, development and relationships. In NSW, over half of women affected by FDSV have children in their care, showing the need for infant and child health services. 

From September-December 2024, COORDINARE undertook consultations with key stakeholders and community to validate local need. Subsequently, the Connect Well program was designed, with the locations selected for the pilot program: Eurobodalla, Goulburn and Shoalhaven. These areas were selected as they have significantly higher domestic violence reported assault rates than the NSW state average (458.7 per 100,000 people).

The highest prevalence is in:

Visit HealthPathways for local referral pathways and other information: