Yarra Settlement Forum Blog

The Yarra Settlement Forum (YSF) was established in or around 1999 as a sub-committee of the The Yarra Ethnic Communities' Council (YECC). With the folding of the YECC in 2003 the YSF has continued as a network providing a forum for settlement providers in the CoY. Since 2001, through the Refugee and Asylum Seeker project, which was funded by CoY, the YSF has been under the shared leadership of North Yarra Community Health (NYCH) and CoY.



Purpose of the blog:

The Yarra Settlement Forum blog is intended to be the means by which members of the Yarra Settlement Forum communicate electronically, in addition to email. Anything that is related to the YSF or which members would like to inform others about, is material that is relevant to the blog.



However, it some main purposes including:

Building relationships between YSF members through enabling more frequent communication.

Notifying and keeping members informed of what is happening in the community, practically when it comes to settlement related issues.

Being a means to reflect and react about the effectiveness of the Yarra Settlement Forum, and allowing members to report back to the Forum about changes they would like to see to the YSF to make it more effective.



Minimum commitment expected:

Posting on the blog does not require a significant time commitment. However, as the blog is intended to be a collection of consistent and useful information, it is important that members see their participation in the blog as a part of their commitments to the Yarra Settlement Forum. It is expected that if members have any information that they would like to share with other members of the YSF, they do so via the blog.



It is also expected that members make every effort to make sure they are able to use the blog including liaising with their employer about the need to access the blog site, and undoing training on how to blog.



Code of Conduct:

To maintain trust and ensure the blog is used in an appropriate manner, it is important to:

Respect individuals, community members and/or service providers.

Never identify individuals, community members or services in a defamatory manner.

Make it clear in opinion pieces that the views expressed are yours alone and do not necessarily represent the views of your employer or the rest of the YSF.

Keep private issues and topics private, since discussing private issues can jeopardize personal and work relationships.

Disclose conflicts of interest.

Acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly.

Reply to emails and comments when appropriate, and do so promptly.



Consequences if policy is breached:

If you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog it is important that you ask the administrator – Melinie Ridge, co-facilitator of the Yarra Settlement Forum as any breach of the policy will result in your blog being deleted an/or your membership to the blog being revoked.

How to post to the Yarra Settlement Forum Blog
Step 1:
Open internet browser and go to: www.yarrasettlementforum.blogspot.com
Step 2:
Right click on the sign in link (top right hand corner) and click open in a new window.
Step 3:
Sign in using your newly created Google account (unfortunately this is necessary).
Step 4:
Once you've logged into Blogger you'll see your Dashboard, showing your list of blogs. Click the blue “new post” icon to create a new post.
Step 5:
Next, you’ll see the page for creating a new post. Start by giving your post a title (optional), then enter the post itself
Step 6:
When you're done, click the "Preview" link to make sure it's ready to go
Step 7:
Once you're satisfied with your post, click the "Publish" button. This will publish your new post


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Fitzroy Legal Service Distributes Free Law Handbooks



Fitzroy Legal Service Distributes Free Law Handbooks

With the support of the City of Yarra, Fitzroy Legal Service will present 100 Law Handbooks free of charge to local community agencies and residents.

WHAT: Professional Education forums targeted at community workers, advocates, engaged groups and those living in the City of Yarra. Attendee's will receive a free copy of the Law Handbook.

WHEN: Friday 3rd & Monday 6th April 2009 9.30am - 1pm

WHERE: FITZROY TOWN HALL - Reading Room


"Resourcing the Community to Access Justice"

"By developing an understanding of a person's place in the legal environment, community workers, advocates and members are much better placed to work towards the basic priniciples of justice - tolerance, fairness and equity".

These forums will:
Enhance understanding of legal problems and processes.
Enhance understanding of a range of legal and procedural issues and improve practical skills.


Session 1: Friday 3rd April 9.30am - 1pm

Tailored to Drug & Alcohol and Youth Workers
* Therapeutic Justice & the Neighbourhood Justice Centre
* Drugs Issues and the Law
* Dealing with the Criminal justice system/ writing Court reports

Session 2: Monday 6th April 9.30am - 1pm

Tailored to workers who have clients experiencing Family Violence or are involved in the Child Protection system
* Sexual Assault
* Family Violence
* Child Protection

PLEASE CONTACT BEC SMITH FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION FORM bsmith@fitzroy-legal.org.au or 9419 3744.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Trouble on Atherton Gardens Estate

Hi everyone,

Firstly - thanks Maggie for inviting me to this blog. My name is Tony Brewin and I am a Youth Resource Officer for Victoria Police, stationed at Fitzroy Police. I have worked in Yarra for 14 years (before it was called Yarra).

An issue has been bubbling away and I think I should bring it to your attention.

Basically there are far too many young children of an African background (mainly Sudanese - although there is 1 Liberian family I'm concerned about also) left unattended on the Atherton Gardens estate each afternoon and into the evenings. At this stage the children are getting up to minor mischief i.e. - scuffles, minor bullying and theft. However, I have no doubt whatsoever that if this continues for the next few years - many of these children will be criminals. I have seen it before.

The level of supervision of children generally is unacceptable on the estate and I think we need a holistic approach to avoid a tragic future for many of these children and their families and the Fitzroy community in general.

Please let me know what you think about this - I'm happy to speak to the forum if you think this may help.

Cheers,

Tony
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