Website: www.bondibeachcottage.org.au

Bondi Beach Cottage Incorporated42 Brighton BoulevardNorth Bondi NSW 2026

(Tel.) 02 9365 1607 (Fax) 02 9365 1366 (Email) admin@bondibeachcottage.org.au

(Website) www.bondibeachcottage.com.au (Facebook) Bondi Beach Cottage IncorporatedINDEX

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Annual Report 2015 - 2016

Acknowledgements …………………………………… 3

Mission and values …………………………………… 4

BBC Inc. Structure charts …………………………… 5 - 7

Chairperson’s report …………………………………... 8

Treasurer’s report ……………………………………… 10

Child Care Coordinator’s report ……………………… 11

Family Support Coordinator’s report ………………… 13

Domestic Violence Counsellor’s reports ……………. 16 - 17

Art Therapist’s report …………………………………… 18 - 20

Finance and Administrator’s report …………………… 21

Audited financial statements……………………………. 22

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank our Patron

Ms Kay Schubach

We would like to acknowledge and thank the following funding bodies :

The Department of Family and Community Services

NSW Department of Education and Training

Waverley Council Woollahra Council

We would also like to thank the following for their kind donations to the Cottage :

Henderson Family Foundation

Mad Pizza of Bondi Beach Myers of Bondi Junction

Grill’d Burgers of Bondi JunctionChange Angels

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BONDI BEACH COTTAGE Inc. VISION & MISSION STATEMENT

Bondi Beach Cottage Inc is committed to improving the social and personal welfare of individuals and families in our community.

Family Support Service (FSS) offers casework, counselling, child focussed therapies and group work by professionally trained staff, particularly to women who are victims of Domestic Violence.

Occasional Child Care (OCC) offers flexible childcare for 0 - 5 year olds in an educational and nurturing environment, provided by professionally trained child educators that work with families in the local community.

MissionThat individuals and families within our community feel empowered to make positive changes in their lives through the support we provide. We will work towards this by:

Providing a safe and welcoming environment for adults and their children. Valuing diversity and recognising that individuals, and families are the experts in

their lives and the lives of their children. Holistically addressing the needs of individuals, families, and their children. supporting clients to become self-determining, and to experience themselves as a

valuable and integral part of a safe, healthy community.

Core Values:The decisions BBC Inc. employees, students, volunteers, and Board members make, our actions and behaviours are shaped by our core values. As a BBC Inc. team, we have agreed on the following, which form the foundation of our work.

Commitment:We commit ourselves wholeheartedly to our work at Bondi Beach Cottage Inc. We believe in our vision and mission.

Accountability:We are responsible for our actions and the outcomes of the decisions and choices we make.

Integrity:We aim to deliver what we promise. We act ethically and honestly at all times.

Excellence:We deliver services of the highest quality possible and always aim to improve on what we do.

Respect:We value each individual for their uniqueness and difference.

Learning:We take every opportunity to develop our skills and knowledge. We learn from our mistakes and do not judge others for making mistakes.

Teamwork:We cooperate to provide the best services we can, both within Bondi Beach Cottage Inc, with other organisations and the community. The BBC Inc. board, employees, students, and volunteers support each other in our work.

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BBC Inc. BOARD MEMBERS:

NAME POSITION ON THE BOARD

Kate Meyer Chairperson

Jono Spragg Vice Chairperson

Jennifer Quincey & Jono Spragg

Treasurer

John Gilbert Public Officer

Gaby Munro Secretary

Shabnam Gill Board member

Merrilyn Clancy Board Member

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BBC Inc. FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES EMPLOYEES:

FSS CO-ORDINATOR / COUNSELLOR’S Renata Velan & Susan Young

DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE COUNSELLOR/CASEWORKER

Sue Wye Chin

DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE COUNSELLOR/CASEWORKER

Louise Gourley

ART THERAPIST Anna Kellerman

BBC Inc. OCCASIONAL CARE EDUCATORS:

OCC CO-ORDINATOR Christina Brantes

CHILDCARE EDUCATOR Bianca Betheldo

CHILDCARE EDUCATOR Navette Katz

CHILDCARE EDUCATOR Ashley Bosworth

CHILDCARE EDUCATOR Denise Ramirez

CHILDCARE EDUCATOR Carolina Fragoso

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ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE OFFICER

Patricia Harrington

BOOKEEPER / ACCOUNTANT Anna Kim / John Ferguson

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CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:

The 2015/16 financial year has been one of highlights and consolidation for Bondi Beach Cottage Inc. I am pleased to report we move into the new year with a positive attitude and equipped with the tools we need to ensure our organisation continues to strengthen its position as a key part of the community fabric of Bondi.

The Board of Management and I are immensely proud of the dedication of our staff and of the quality of the work achieved with the women and families accessing our service.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome our patron, Ms Kay Schubach to the team, we are very grateful to have such a dedicated campaigner for social change seated at our table! Bondi Beach Cottage is excited and proud to be associated with Kay and the many advocacy projects she is involved with. Working with Kay both widens and enhances Bondi Beach Cottages reputation and reach into the community, now and into the future.

Bondi Beach Cottage Inc. could not achieve the outcomes it does without the help we receive from our funding bodies. Waverley Council continues to be a major contributor to the success of BBC Inc. and we are very grateful for their support, both with the programs it enables with its grants, the rental subsidy it provides to support our core business as well as the helping hand and advice whenever we need it. I would also like to thank our both State Government funding bodies the Department of Education and Communities and the Department of Family and Community Services, Community Services. Without your support we would not be able to achieve such positive outcomes for our community.

I would also like to thank our benefactor, the Henderson Family Foundation for its generous recognition of the work that is done at BBC.

Our Family Support Coordinators Sue and Renata and our Occasional Child Care Centre Coordinator Christina lead their teams by example, ensuring best practice quality caring services to the women, families and community touched by our services. Both sides of Bondi Beach Cottage have implemented changes this year that enhance the services on offer and our coordinators certainly have risen to the challenges this change created and forged ahead with dedication and passion. Thank you very much for all you have achieved this year, you are integral to our success.

We would not be the quality service we are without our dedicated staff getting on with the job and ensuring our clients and families are well looked after. I would like to extend a special thanks to Louise Gourley, Sue Wye Chin and Anna Kellerman from the family support team and Ashley Bosworth, Carolina Fragoso, Navette Katz, Rachel Perrins, Denis Ramirez, Bianca Betheldo from our occasional care centre team. A big thank you also goes to Patricia Harrington our administration worker and Anna Kim and John Ferguson our bookkeeping team.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank the volunteer members of the Board of Management who continue to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure Bondi Beach Cottage remains a viable, strong, committed, community focused organisation. You are truly invaluable assets and I would like to thank you whole heartedly for your service to the Cottage.

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With such dedication and support from our wonderful staff and Board, Bondi Beach Cottage Inc. continues to go from strength to strength. I am very proud to be associated with this fine organisation.

Kate Meyer Chairperson, BBC Inc.

The Honourable Gabrielle Upton, MP for Vaucluse visited the Family Support Staff in June 2016

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Treasurer’s Report:

For the 2015-16 financial year, BBC returned a net surplus of $13,500 with net assets of $238,500. Our surplus is reduced from 2014-15 due to increased resourcing for Family Support Services and increased demand for concession child care places.

As Treasurer, I would like to pay thanks to our funders that enable BBC to delivery its valuable services to the community. Our funders include NSW Department of Family and Community Services, NSW Department of Education, Waverley Council, the Henderson Family Foundation and Myer.

My thanks to the BBC Board and all staff members for their dedication and hard work and special thanks to John Ferguson and Anna Kim who have overseen BBC’s finances for the year.

Meagher Howard & Wright are the BBC auditors.

Jono SpraggTreasurer, BBC Inc.

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Occasional Child Care Co-ordinator’s Report:

Another year has gone at Bondi Beach Cottage. Saying farewell to our older children who are transitioning into Primary School, while also welcoming new children and families to our community. As our community is growing and we are welcoming new families, we are also enjoying our expanding staff network. Throughout the year our team has effectively collaborated to complete all educational outcomes as well as strengthening the relationships with children, families and the community.

Bondi Beach Cottage is a flexible service providing both permanent and occasional care to families that require ongoing or short-term care. We proudly offer children and families a nurturing, supportive and educational environment. A focal point of our service has been to maintain collective relationships with family support clients and provide ongoing support for families who are in harsh circumstances. Our hard work and contribution is evident in the ongoing positive feedback from children, families and the community. Our new families have also highlighted that through word of mouth they discovered our service which is great to see the power of our community.

In order to cater for various age groups with children, we have updated our educational resources to help foster growth and development in our children. As a way of catering for the high demand of children under the age of two we have increased our current ratio capacity from 4 to 6 children. This has allowed us to continue broadening with our community as the demand increases for care of children under the age of 2.

This year we have welcomed Rachael who has graduated from a student at our service to a casual part time Educator, she has added positive perspective and continues to have a valuable input in our team. To add to our expanding team both Navette and Bianca have further developed their knowledge of Early Childhood education by completing their Diplomas. Their accomplishments have flowed through our team, by reflecting in programming, portfolios, and curriculum, group experiences with the children and staff.

Best Wishes,Christina Brantes

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One of the children’s indoor activities which involves using homemade play dough

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A snapshot of some of the Occasional Child Care staff

Some of the children that attend the Occasional Child Care Centre

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Family Support Service Co-ordinator’s Report:

Hi, our names are Renata Velan and Susan Young and we jointly coordinate the Family Support Services in Bondi Beach Cottage. The last twelve months were characterised by numerous achievements and highlights, namely building our reputation in the community, raising awareness of domestic violence through education, information and collaboration, and supporting increasing numbers of victims of domestic violence.

The year started with our participation in a DV forum, initiated and hosted by Malcolm Turnbull (then Minister for Communication) in Mr Turnbull’s electorate office. It was attended by key agencies from DV sector, including: DV NSW CEO DV Court Advocacy Service; Eastern Suburbs LCA, Immigration Advice Centre and Jewish House. Renata Velan and Claire Hill represented BBC. We met with Mr. Turnbull to discuss the prevalence of DV in Eastern Suburbs, support available for victims of DV, as well as ways of improving service availability and accessibility. It was good to hear Mr Turnbull’s support for DV victims, in particular, his acknowledgement and appreciation of our service, the only DV specific service in his electorate.

Our participation in Mr. Turnbull’s DV forum led to us hosting the PM at BBC in November 2016. Mr. Turnbull looked around the cottage and had a discussion with us about the implications of Domestic Violence on families, communities, as well as challenges faced by front line workers. It was encouraging and validating for us as a service to see a high profile male figure such as Mr Turnbull express zero tolerance views against violence against women.

In addition, during the course of this year we were highly successful in raising awareness of both prevalence of DV and our services. We held a number of education sessions on Domestic Violence in general and our services in particular across a variety of organisations in Eastern Suburbs. Our services were also acknowledged in multiple media coverages, including Bondi Beach radio, Wentworth Courier, Women’s weekly and SMH.

Finally, we hosted a visit for Minister Gabrielle Upton, member for Vaucluse at BBC. Following her visit, Minister Upton personally acknowledged all those present and delivered a Notice of Motion in the NSW Parliament about her visit to BBC, whereby she commended the Cottage “on their strong efforts in supporting victims of domestic violence” in her community (Notice of Motion, 22 June 2016).

The last twelve months saw us addressing the needs of increasing number of clients with complex, multiple needs, as well as those at risk of significant harm (ROSH). In this regard, FSS team participated in a pilot project facilitated by FACS, with the help of FACS out-posted case worker and the Benevolent Society. In order to meet the demands of the increasing Pilot related workload, we have been able to extend the working hours of a DV worker and children’s art therapist. Our child art therapist was also able to implement a support group in partnership with WAYS for children at risk. The Pilot has been an effective learning experience for all concerned. Our team has now sound knowledge, skills and experience in assessing and intervening to improve safety of both mothers and children, as well as refer the perpetrators to appropriate programs and support.

In addition to FACS referred ROSH clients, we also continue to provide assistance and support to clients from other referrals pathways, including the local community, LCP, hospitals, GPs, early intervention centres, as well as self- referred clients. We have also provided a yoga group targeting women who experienced trauma, as well as an infant

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massage support group, which has promoted parent/child interaction, bond and attachment.

Finally, we are happy to report that a high percentage of referred clients engaged successfully with BBC and we were able to accommodate the needs of clients in a timely, effective and optimal manner. Our evaluation processes reflect high levels of client satisfaction and outcomes and it is this that makes our work extremely satisfying and rewarding.

We would like to extend our thanks to the Waverley Council, FACS, OCC, our team and the members of the Board, for their support and encouragement and time. We would also like to thank the Henderson Foundation, Change Angels and Myer Bondi Junction for their generous donations. Also, our gratitude to Kay Schubach and Minister Upton for initiating financial support for Bondi Beach Cottage. We look forward to an exciting and challenging future, and to providing quality service to all our clients in years to come.

Best wishes,Renata Velan and Susan YoungFSS Coordinators

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Domestic & Family Violence Counsellor /Case Worker’s Reports:

My name is Louise Gourley and I facilitate a specialist Domestic and Famly Violence Case Management and Counselling role at BBC. I started work here in April 2016 after working the previous 4 years as a Case Worker with the Early Intervention Program and Saying Home Leaving Violence Programs at Weave Women and Children’s Centre in Waterloo, working predominately with the Aboriginal community. Prior to Weave, I have worked for the past 15 years as a Case Worker and Counsellor with drug and alcohol, Holocaust survivors, adults with intellectual disabilities, aged care and carers predominately in the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Wollongong and London for Government and NGO’s. I have a Bachelor in Counselling from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors.Since joining the service, I have provided assessments, casework and counselling to women experiencing domestic violence and I’m on the WDVCAS Court roster, attending and supporting women who are appearing at Court for their ADVO hearings. I have also been working with the Facs Pilot program, working as a case manager/counsellor with ROSH (Risk of Significant Harm) women and children referred to us with the idea of breaking the domestic violence cycle and keeping Mum’s and children safe from the perpetrator through counselling, education and case work. This involves utilising trauma based counselling models, working often with dual diagnosis (mental health, substance issues) and casework around Housing, Centrelink, schooling, referring to external appropriate services and any medical needs.Since commencing with BBC I have been fortunate to have attended relevant training, including a four day workshop on Practical skills in responding to people who experience domestic & family violence run by the South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service and have been involved in ‘flying the flag’ for BBC with information sharing with local organisations to heighten our profile in the community.I have been extremely well supported by the co-ordinators, Sue and Renata, and love working with the team here – I am proud to be part of BBC and look forward to a long and happy future.

Best wishesLouise GourleyDomestic Violence Counsellor/Caseworker

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My name is Sue Wye Chin. I hold a degree in Social Science and post-graduate qualifications in Counselling. I am also a member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. I commenced as a Domestic and Family Violence Counsellor/Case Manager at Bondi Beach Cottage (BBC) in June this year. My previous work was with families who have experienced trauma and loss in a community welfare service in Inner West Sydney. I also facilitated group programs for women coming out of abusive relationships and adults coping with loss. Prior to training as a counsellor, I spent over 17 years working with large financial services corporations in Australia, Asia and the United Kingdom, holding senior executive roles in change management and business development.

Since joining BBC, I have worked with 15 clients, including taking on referrals from the FACS pilot and liaising with various government and non-government agencies to provide advocacy, information and referrals for clients. In addition to client work, I have represented BBC at the Safety Action Meeting and Eastern Sydney Child and Family Interagency network meetings to build relationships and share information where necessary with other services in supporting and responding to the needs of clients at risk of serious threat. In addition, I have utilised my commercial skills to assist BBC in negotiating an increased fee with the Redfern Legal Centre for BBC’s involvement in their Domestic Violence Corporate Training sessions.

Professional development is an essential part of our roles and I completed the intensive training course for DFV workers conducted by ECAV in July. I will be undertaking the Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program Seconded Worker training provided by Legal Aid in October, which will enable me to share BBC’s responsibility to provide a worker on the monthly roster for the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service at Waverley Local Court. Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Family Support Services team and the Board of BBC for their warm welcome and support since I joined the service. I look forward to further developing my skills and knowledge in the coming year to assist clients in achieving the positive changes they are seeking in their lives.

Best wishes, Sue Wye Chin Domestic Violence Counsellor/Caseworker

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Art Therapist’s Report:

I am a trained art educator, with a Bachelor of Art Education, majoring in Educational Psychology, and a registered art therapist with a Masters in Art Therapy. I have a published thesis about the benefits of working with clay and children with anxiety disorders. I have been working with children within an art setting for over 20 years, and for the last 10 years I have worked with children and adolescents with a range of emotional and behavioural presentations. 

I have worked at Bondi Beach Cottage one day a week since April last year. In November and December 2015 I designed and wrote a curriculum for year 10 art students at WAYS secondary school. I then spent three terms this year teaching the art program to the class, which comprised of 12-16 students. 

Over the course of the year the students’ growth was remarkable. At first they may not have engaged for more than 5 minutes, but towards the end of first term and up until the end of third term the students became more engaged, focused and interested in all aspects of the art making experience. They were able to develop a concept from inception to completed artwork, including a written reflection of the process. Some of the practical techniques they learnt this year included stencil art, painting, enlarging, clay work, murals, 3D construction and mixed media. The two main themes the students worked on revolved around the theme of ‘Inside Out’ and ‘What Lies Beneath’. Through the various art based techniques, resource material and practical application the students were all able to express their feelings about a range of personal issues in a heartfelt and authentic way, which increased both their sense of self and pride in their work. 

Additionally, I also arranged for two well known and respected professional artists to visit the students as a way to enrich and broaden their cultural and creative development. One artist was Anthony Lister, a celebrated international street artist who both inspired the students and encouraged them to collaborate with him on a large scale mural he painted on an outside wall of the school’s building. It remains there now, and the students still remember this experience as one of their most inspiring days at school. 

The second artist was Susie Dureau, a well known Sydney based painter. She shared her emotive story and then demonstrated to the students new ways to paint and build up texture on their canvas paintings. She was able to open up some students who were perhaps a little more timid in their application, and was also able to teach the benefit of restraint to other students who were more challenged with boundaries. 

During my time as an art therapist at Bondi Beach Cottage I have seen more than 40 children, including three ROSH cases referred form FACS. I have worked with children varying in age from 4-12 years old over a period of 4-8 sessions. This block of sessions is structured to include an initial intake session with the parent(s) and sometimes other siblings, to observe an understanding of the family dynamics as well as gain some background to the child’s presenting issues. I also ask the child to decorate a large cardboard folder where they will store all their work, as a first step in creating a sense of safety. I then undertake 6-8 individual sessions, or parent-child dyad sessions and then offer an evaluation session with the parents, which includes a written document outlining practical strategies they can implement at home, as well as relevant resources such as books, websites, parenting courses as well as referral contact details, if required. 

The main client issues are trauma and anxiety related resulting from domestic violence, parental conflict and separation, bullying at school, grief and loss or sexual abuse. This can present in various ways including low confidence and poor self-esteem, internalizing their anxiety which then manifests physically as pain within their bodies, externalization of anxiety resulting in self-harm, insecure parental attachment resulting in separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder or difficulties with boundaries. Young children who have

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experienced traumatic events have difficulties with affect regulation. They tend to have feelings of abandonment and lack of safety. To feel safe they often react with rage at anyone who is perceived as a threat, or retreat and close up.

The main themes I work with relate to safety, building trust and resilience, and ways to regulate their emotions. Children can often get overwhelmed in situations where they may be over stimulated, or when they cannot understand how to manage their feelings. They then may act out, get angry, withdraw or disassociate. This is when they either seek parental guidance to offer protection, to help them manage their emotions, to calm themselves, and to express how they are feeling. When the parent is absent, or overwhelmed, the child also mirrors these emotions and behaviours. 

I use a trauma based approach to my Art Therapy work which focuses on empowering clients with supportive coping skills to help manage lifelong issues. The treatment of attachment difficulties begins with regulation of emotions, stress reduction and restoration of feelings of safety. Creative experiences can have a comforting and calming affect that decreases anxiety or fear. The first step is to introduce self-regulating techniques where the person can learn ways to soothe the mind and body in order to help build resilience. It is also important that these techniques are realistic for the person and their families to include in their daily lives. These can include working with expressive materials such as clay, paint and water, or more containing structured activities such as creating their own pet and home in a box which they can look after safely. Body outline drawings also offer an insight into how the child is manifesting anxiety, as well as helps children who disassociate to reconnect by using their own body as a resource through direct experience. Sometimes I ask the child to draw a calm body vs upset body, and what they can do to help their body feel more calm.   

I also work with the impact rather than delve into the trauma experience itself, unless the child wants to explore it further. It is important that the child, and family, learns that clinical presentations as a result of the trauma does not define them. Whilst it is crucial to acknowledge a range of emotions, to ‘sit with’ these feelings, they also need to experience a range of other emotions that feel more empowering. These can include a sense of letting go and freedom, getting messy, increasing their skills acquisition, broadening their creative technical ability, being praised and feeling supported with an adult who is truly present and on their side. 

I receive referrals from a number of channels: BBC counsellors working with the parents, predominantly the mother, other agencies including Brighter Futures, Ben Soc, KidsXpress, Family Referral Barnardos, The Junction Neighbourhood Centre, and occasionally from local schools and self-referrals. 

Warm wishes,

Anna Kellerman

Art Therapist

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Example of Mother/Child Collaborative Drawing - created during their final art therapy session

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Finance & Administration’s Report:

My name is Patricia Harrington and I commenced working at the Cottage on a part time basis in July 2013. I am responsible for all the administration support within the office. Most of my work is dedicated to supporting the Family Support coordinators and counsellors but I also support the Childcare Co-coordinator and Childcare staff. My work also involves assisting with setting up of the workshops and groups that we run, keeping clients informed of their appointments with counsellors, and maintaining petty cash floats for the office. A big thank you to Lisa Manche of Spicy Icecream for revamping our website, it looks great!

I would like to thank Waverley Council for their generous funding grants which enabled us to run workshops for our clients. We have been successful in running various groups throughout the year, these include an Infant Massage group and Yoga groups.

Also the Modern Award required re-classification of grades for staff under SACS award to SCHCADS Award and became effective on 1 July 2016.

I would also like to mention the Henderson Foundation who generously donated a large amount to the Cottage again this year. It is greatly appreciated.

The BBC Inc. Board, Family Support and Childcare staff members have continued to give their support to me during my time here and I look forward to a challenging but productive time ahead.

Warm wishes, Patricia HarringtonAdministration & Finance Officer

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