Seven days is all it took for 21-year-old Sarah* to change the trajectory of her and her son’s life.

Seven days alongside a significant amount of courage.

When the person who Sarah thought would protect her and her 10-month old son was violent towards her, she knew she had to flee.

“Things were getting worse and worse. I had to leave,” said Sarah.

Already acquainted with CatholicCare’s Family Preservation Program**, Sarah had been in contact with her caseworker to obtain support with safety around the home and for parenting advice.

With this relationship already established, Sarah reached out to her caseworker as soon as things took a turn for the worst. She was immediately taken into the Staying Home, Leaving Violence program.

“I learnt through contacting the police and the support of CatholicCare that none of what was happening was ok and I deserved so much better than that.

“The CatholicCare team were amazing, I called them as soon as I fled the situation and they got me everything I needed straight away. It was insane,” said Sarah.

“I spent a week interstate for safety and as soon as I returned, CatholicCare got me into a temporary hotel and then helped me with a rental bond for a place.”

In seven days, Sarah had a new place to call home. It was the fastest turnaround CatholicCare has been involved with to date.

“There were so many different emotions that I had to keep rolling with. I did have my moments where I just needed to cry, but other than that, I was pretty strong minded. I knew it was the best decision,” said Sarah.

CatholicCare Team Leader, Nikki Reece, said the efforts from both Sarah and her caseworkers were amazing.

“The speed at which Sarah was able to relocate ensured that she and her son were safe in a very short amount of time. The safety of families is always our priority and we are so pleased that the support from our programs has had such a positive impact for this young family,” said Nikki.

It’s been a few months since that time, and Sarah has continued taking steps to positively alter the course of her and her son’s lives.

After receiving the NSW Government’s Victim Services Payment, Sarah obtained her licence and purchased a car.

Sarah’s Staying Home, Leaving Violence Caseworker Ashley said, “I’m really proud of Sarah’s ability to reach out and ask for support. It can be very difficult to do that. She has come such a long way and shown an enormous amount of resilience in the process.”

With further support from CatholicCare, Sarah was able to enrol her son into daycare and has just relocated into a two-bedroom house which she is ready to make a home.

When reflecting on her journey, Sarah said she is gobsmacked at how her situation has changed for the better.

“It’s so hard to leave. You want to, but it’s just so hard. I wish I knew how much support there was and that it was ok for me to leave because I didn’t feel safe. It’s just so much better on the other side and I’m so proud of how far my son and I have come.”

For more information on support services visit www.catholiccare.org.au or email ccenquiries@catholiccare.org.au

In the five years to December 2023:

45% of all NSW murders were Domestic Violence (DV) related (139 of 309 total murder victims).

45% About half of DV murders involved intimate partner violence (IPV) – 62 victims

79% of IPV murder victims were female - 49 victims.

36% More than one third of DV murders were Family violence – 46 victims.

41% of family murder victims were female - 19 victims.

Note: Data according to NSW Bureau of Crime

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.

**The Program Sarah was working with was Safecare, which is part of CatholicCare’s Family Preservation (Positive Intervention Partnerships) program.

Today, 19 November, we are sharing this story to recognise White Ribbon Month. A new initiative from White Ribbon Australia that puts a spotlight on domestic violence between now and 13 December. 

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