Our Approach
Our Mission
Every woman in Australia impacted by domestic abuse is economically empowered and safe.
Our Service Delivery Framework
Culturally safe, accessible, inclusive, trauma-informed and centre lived experience.
Our Program Facilitators and Financial Counsellors are extensively trained in trauma and violence-informed practices. We collaborate with local cultural leaders and community organisations to ensure our programs are safe and inclusive. Our diverse workforce speaks 15 languages, and over 80% of our staff have lived experience, embedding the crucial perspective into every aspect of our organisation, from management to frontline service delivery.
Participant-Centered Approach
Recognising that each participant’s journey to economic and personal empowerment is unique, our programs and services are tailored to the individual, focusing on their goals and aspirations. Our client-centered approach emphasises the importance of understanding and respecting the unique circumstances, needs, and strengths of each person we support.
Data-Driven and Evidence-Based Practice
Our programs and services are guided by contemporary research and international best practices. We collect comprehensive data to measure our impact, build our evidence base, and refine our approach. Currently, in partnership with Deakin University, we are assessing how our services break the cycle of violence and reduce the risk of homelessness and extreme poverty for women and children. Our impact measures align with our Theory of Change and program logic, evaluating short-term, medium-term, and long-term outcomes.
Co-designed with People of Lived Experience
At the core of our approach is a commitment to co-design, ensuring that our services and programs are shaped by those who have lived experience of domestic and family violence. Co-design is a collaborative process where the people who use our services—survivors, families, and community members—actively participate in creating and refining programs. This approach is essential in creating services that are not only responsive and effective but also deeply relevant to the real needs of those we serve.
Our work towards The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
Our work aligns with the Australian Government's National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. We are dedicated to ending gender violence within a generation through evidence-informed activities with measurable impact, ensuring every woman in Australia is economically empowered and safe.
Prevention – working to change the underlying social drivers of violence by addressing the attitudes and systems that drive violence against women and children to stop it before it starts.
Our Activities
ChangeMaker Events
Corporate Training
Awareness campaigns
Systems change advocacy
Community Education workshops
Open House
Response – providing services and support to address existing violence and support victim-survivors experiencing violence, such as crisis support and police intervention, and a trauma-informed justice system that will hold people who use violence to account.
Our Activities
Safety Planning and Risk Assessments
Referrals and case coordination with crisis support services
Case management support
Delivering workshops in shelters
Multi-agency support with government agencies
Early intervention – identifying and supporting individuals who are at high risk of experiencing or perpetrating violence and prevent it from reoccurring.
Our Activities
Referrals and case coordination with response services
Financial counselling to set up escape plans
Psychoeducation on healthy relationships
Programs to economically empower
Recovery and healing – helping to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation, and supporting victim-survivors to be safe and healthy to be able to recover from trauma and the physical, mental, emotional, and economic impacts of violence.
Our Activities
Recovery and healing group programs
Programs that promote pathways into employment, education and training
Financial Counselling services to reduce likelihood of falling into poverty and or homelessness when escaping Domestic Abuse
Holistic wellbeing support
Referrals and case coordination with partner counselling and psychological services
Referrals and case coordination with children’s services
Psychoeducation on healthy relationships
Our Strategic Pillars
Creating Safe & Economically Empowered Futures
We grow and develop our innovative trauma and violence-informed services, financial counselling and group education programs to empower women and non-binary people to rebuild their lives after leaving domestic abuse situations, via pathways into education, employment, training and build skills to work towards financial independence.
Creating Greater Access to Our Services
We work towards being able to provide access to women who require our services across Australia into our programs when they need them and for as long as they need them.
Creating Change Through Collective Impact
The Zahra Foundation will continue to enhance our collective impact model nationwide via collaboration and partnership with organisations that are aligned with our strategy and mission. This will pool resources and expertise to deliver integrated services for people impacted by domestic abuse, from crisis support to recovery and healing. Within our collective impact model we will co-locate our programs and services, work on collaborative projects and initiatives, host changemaker events and utilise campaigns, advocacy and government submissions to influence policy makers, community and corporate organisations.
Creating Opportunity
We are an employer of choice, with a focus on creating opportunities for those facing barriers to employment to join our team.
Our alignment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) priority impact areas:
No Poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Domestic Abuse is the leading cause of homelessness in Australia.
Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Reduce Inequalities
Including income, age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status within a country.
Our Mission