Project Title: A participatory action research program to promote capacity building for women who have been sexually abused and who abuse alcohol

Project Team
Dr Anne van Loon (Project Manager), Professor Tina Koch, Dr Debbie Kralik, Natalie Howard, ois Dennes, Madge McGuire, Deirdre Flynn

Project Dates
July 2003 to June 2005

Project Summary
Experienced researchers from the RDNS Research Unit are seeking funds to enable them to collaborate with the residents and staff of Catherine House Incorporated (inner city supported accommodation for homeless women in Adelaide), and Centacare Family Relationship Services to develop a participatory action program for women (hereafter called a 'program').

The program's participants will be women with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) and who have subsequently developed adverse habits of alcohol and/or licit substance abuse.

Sexual abuse is defined as unwanted experiences committed by an adult that fell within four categories

  • repeated indecent exposure
  • sexual threats
  • touching of the child's sex parts
  • attempting sex with or sexually attacking the child

 Other participants in this project will be service providers who may choose to work with this group of women.

Our penultimate aim is to articulate and document this participatory action program for distribution to services that care for women, situated throughout Australia. That is, women who have survived sexual abuse as children and who abuse licit substances. 

We contend that capacity building is an important element for both the transferability and sustainability of this project, whilst the participatory action approach is how we will directly work with the women themselves in order to facilitate change.  The term 'capacity building' is used in many fields and is an approach to development that builds independence.

Capacity building increases the range of people, organisations and communities who are able to address problems, and in particular, problems that arise out of social inequity and social exclusion. It can be a 'means to an end', enabling others to develop and sustain particular programs, or an 'end' in itself, where the purpose is to enable others to have greater capacity to problem solve together.

 We believe a program such as this is essential for women because of

  • the large volume of research which demonstrates the strong links between sexual abuse and substance abuse and between substance abuse and homelessness
  • the complexity of care and provision of ongoing support for this group
  • and the demonstrated lack of appropriate and/or fragmented services available to these women

This project will develop, evaluate and disseminate a resource kit that will facilitate a capacity building approach for community services Australia wide, to deliver coordinated and effective intervention programs, specifically for women who have experienced CSA, alcohol abuse and homelessness.

To make a referral simply telephone 1300 363 262
For information on other services visit our web site: www.rdns.org.au