STARTTS (NSW Service for the treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors)
Address
Building M, Room MG.05, Newcastle Tafe, 266 Maitland Rd, 2297 Tighes Hill
stts-startts@health.nsw.gov.au.
Phone
(02) 9646 6700
Hours
9-5 Monday-Friday
Best contact
Phone: (02) 4923 7193/4 (counselling) Phone: (02) 4923 7190 (community development) Email:stts-startts@health.nsw.gov.au.
What we do:
STARTTS is a specialist, not-for-profit organisation that was established in 1988. It provides culturally relevant psychological treatment and support, and community interventions, to help people and communities heal the scars of torture and refugee trauma and rebuild their lives in Australia. STARTTS also fosters a positive recovery environment through the provision of training to services, advocacy and policy work.
What we provide:
Services/support for Refugee and/or Migrant clients and communities, Counselling, Mental Health Services/support, Support groups, Trauma Informed Counselling, Families in Cultural Transition groups, Community Living Support Refugee's, counselling for refugee and asylum seeker children and adolescents
Referral pathways
Self referral, Referral from medical services, Referral from legal services, Referral from social and/or community services, Referral from NSW Govt Agencies ie Dept Communities and Justice, Dept Education, Community Mental Health, Referral from DCJ
Cost
Free
Who can access our service?
STARTTS provide services for refugees, asylum seekers and people from refugee-like situations who have survived torture or other traumatic experiences associated with organised violence. We provide services for individuals, families and refugee communities. It does not matter how old someone is or how many years he or she has been living in Australia.
Inclusion and cultural safety for First Nations clients
STARTTS aims to work respectfully with refugee and Asylum seeker clients, recognising the background of colonisation and trauma faced by Australians first Nations people. STARTTS aims to address and reduce racism both internal and external to the service as part of the ongoing strategic plan.
Inclusion for people of diverse sexualities and genders
We have internal training for staff with people with lived experience of both Refugee and/or asylum seeking journey, and intersecting with experience of diverse genders, sexualities and bodies. We have an LGBTQIA project officer (Sydney based) and a group for LGBTQIA, including trans and gender diverse people (run in Sydney). We are open to expanding these services if the need arises within out client population. We have one disabled single cubicle bathroom at our office as well as male and female multi cubicle toilets.
Inclusion for people with disability
We are located in an office on ground level, no stairs, disabled toilet available close to office. We use interpreters with a large proportion of our client groups. We recognise the impact of torture and trauma can often lead to disability and some of the specific stressors in relation to this, eg. interacting with Centrelink, trying to get recognition and NDIS support, we aim to have most of our resources translated into the languages of our main client groups, and recognise that not everyone if literate and so try to have verbal resources where possible.
Inclusion for multicultural clients
We use interpreters extensively, we have internal training in education about common refugee and asylum seeker experiences, as well as an encouragement to maintain awareness of international and country specific situations as these affect our clients, while also recognising the complexity of people and that they cannot be reduced to a cultural stereotype, the organisation encourages a culture of curiosity, respect and self reflection.
Our service is mobility-accessible
Our service has an accessible bathroom
You can bring a support worker to our service
You can bring a support person of any gender to our service