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"Walking together in kindness" artwork produced for Gold Coast Health by Riki Salam, We are 27 Creative.
[Trigger Warning: Sexual and family violence]
Gold Coast Health social workers are often the quiet support behind some of life’s most vulnerable moments, helping patients and families when they need it most.
Across our hospitals and community settings, they provide vital psychosocial care, helping people adjust to illness, process trauma and connect with essential services.
Working closely with doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, social workers can support patients from admission through to discharge.
For Sarah, an Advanced Social Worker in Sexual Assault, that care often focuses on survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence arriving at hospital.
“As part of a multidisciplinary team, we provide immediate support, safety planning and help connect women with services as they begin to rebuild,” Sarah said.
A key part of that support is a partnership with Convoy of Hope through the Dress Her With Dignity initiative, which provides brand new clothing and essential hygiene items to women presenting to hospital after experiencing violence.
“When women arrive, they often have nothing,” Sarah said.
“They may have fled without belongings or, in cases of sexual violence, need to surrender their clothing for forensic evidence. Clothing becomes more than practical, it’s about dignity.”
Emergency Department social workers assist each woman to identify what she needs, creating personalised packs tailored to the situation.
Before the partnership, the team relied on second-hand donations, often resulting in mismatched sizes and unsuitable items. Access to new, thoughtfully selected clothing has made a significant difference.
With one in six women experiencing violence by an intimate partner, many victim-survivors can face ongoing risks of trauma, poverty and homelessness.
For hospital staff like Sarah, providing new clothing, helps shift that narrative, even in a small way.
Watch the recent episode of Channel Nine’s Helping Hands documentary series featuring Sarah and the Dress Her With Dignity initiative here. To learn more, click here.
