Gender Centre » Resources » Annual Reports » 2005 - 2006 Annual Report

2005 - 2006 Annual Report

September 2006

President's Report
1.0 General Manager's Report
2.0 Service Report

2.1 Funding Bodies
2.2 Management Committee
2.3 Staff
2.4 Staff Training & Development
2.5 Education & Training for Service Providers
2.6 Committees & Consultation
2.7 Agency Networking
2.8 Media Liaison
2.9 Donations

3.0 Services Provided

3.1 Residential Service
3.2 Residential Case Management
3.3 Service Magazine - Polare
3.4 Resources
3.5 Counselling
3.6 Interagency Referrals & Liaison
3.7 Outreach Services
3.8 Community Support Services

4.0 Service Evaluation

President's Report

The Gender Centre is one of the few voices for our most marginalised citizens and is not just a place for distributing advice, information and other services. It is an advocate for us all, an essential voice and presence speaking out to the media, the politicians, the public service and to the public as a whole.

The past twelve to eighteen months have involved considerable changes to our housing property and to the number of residential places we have had available to our community but the Centre's considerable efforts, in particular Elizabeth's, have resulted in property coming to us that will assist in alleviating our shortfall. Mission Australia refusing to house pre-op transgender women highlighted the ongoing need for us to provide this service to our community.

Our Centre continues to be proactive in servicing transgender people and this has meant that we are constantly evolving in the staffing arrangements and division of responsibilities. The current approach is much more integrated and holistic than any of our earlier approaches and hopefully will provide a level of case management and through care that will provide even more support for those accessing our services. We can be justly proud of our achievements as an organisation and these have been soundly affirmed in the positive report received in response to our completion of the Q.M.S. Accreditation which we undertook during the past twelve months.

As always, the staff and our General Manager have performed wonders and, as I have stated before, the team spirit and commitment by all makes the Gender Centre a very special place to be involved with.

The Management Committee has remained constant during this year and I would like to thank Lesley, norrie, Kenn, Kooncha, Kimmi and Tanya for their commitment over the past year. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to all the staff, in particular Elizabeth and Phinn, for their professionalism in steering the centre through its restructure and accreditation process.

Thank you to everyone concerned and we trust that all our clients will continue to benefit from the services we provide.

Col Eglington, President

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2.0 General Manager's Report

Overview

I take pleasure in providing the following report outlining the events of significance that have occurred over the last financial year and the endeavours and contributions of the centre and its staff to promoting the health, well-being and human rights of all members of our community.

I commented with considerable dismay in last year's Annual Report of the impasse that resulted from the granting of an exemption to Mission Australia to exclude pre-operative transgender women from their women's refuges. That exemption was granted for a period of ten years which for homeless transgender women in crisis might well equate to a lifetime. Despite intense efforts to lobby the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board (A.D.B.) to overturn the decision their position was that this was not in their power. They did, however, commit to a process of reviewing and monitoring the methods under which Mission Australia applied the exemption. This was small consolation but at least it placed the emphasis on Mission Australia to comply with the terms under which the exemption had been granted.

Shortly after the granting of that exemption and following significant pressure applied by the Gender Centre and SAGE we were successful in averting the attempt by Edward Eagar Lodge to have their exemption application approved. While this success has little impact on resolving the reality of homelessness among transgender women in crisis in the Darlinghurst / Kings Cross area it did at least constitute a change of position on the part of the A.D.B. who came to realise that the lobbyists in our community were relentless in their determination to fight unjust treatment.

Despite the clear gains made over the last several years and the much wider community acceptance of gender diversity that is evident, there remain many challenges that we need to work together as a community to overcome. It remains extremely important, therefore, that we present a united front against any and all who seek to impose their will, beliefs and prejudice in a manner that is to the detriment of our community.

On this note I think it equally important to again acknowledge some of the departments, services and groups who remain committed to the fair and equitable treatment of members of the transgender community. They include:

• Homelessness N.S.W.
• Australian Federation of Housing Organisations
• Supported Accommodation Advisory Council
• S.A.A.P.
• The N.S.W. Ombudsman
• Inner City Legal Centre
• City Women's Hostel
• B. Miles Women's Housing
• Detour House
• Stepping Out
• Theba Young Women's Refuge
• Women and Girl's Emergency Centre
• The Salvation Army
• The Women's Housing Company
• Y.W.C.A.
• Marion Centre
• S.A.A.P. Inner West Interagency members
• SAGE
• T.G.V.

and to those I may have neglected to include, you know who you are and we appreciate your support.

Accreditation

I mentioned in the 2005 Annual Report that the Gender Centre had begun an Accreditation process with Quality Management Services (Q.M.S.) and that process was due for completion in May 2006. The process involved a detailed review of all aspects of service provision and agency practices in response to a set of seventeen "Core" Standards and a further five Community Service Module Standards. The "Core" Standards were divided into three distinct sections. These were "Building Quality Organisations" (seven standards), "Providing Quality Services and Programs" (six standards) and "Sustaining Quality External Relationships" (four standards). The Community Services Module was an extension of section 2 of the Core Standards and was also titled "Providing Quality Services and Programs" (five standards). Each of the twenty two standards involved a comprehensive review of service provision and agency practice with detailed responses required to six separate parts within each standard. Completed standards were given a rating of "Met", "Met in part" or "Not met". In addition to this we also conducted three audits, "Client Record Audit", "Program Record Audit" and "Site Audit".

We approached the task of accreditation by first assessing agency practice and service provision through a series of meetings and feedback with management committee, staff and service users. Results were documented and collated to form the basis of our responses to each of the standards which were then formalised and written into the submission. In all the process took nine months and our final submission was nearly 140 pages in length. Needless to say the process was arduous and time consuming, particularly given that it ran concurrently with continuing to meet the requirements of service provision. Nonetheless, we acknowledge that it was invaluable in informing the service of the areas in which we were performing well and identifying areas that could be improved.

I am pleased to be able to report that our final report from Q.M.S. was very positive and we were successful in gaining a "met" response to twenty of the standards and a "met in part" to the remaining two. Both of these were affected by inefficiencies in our database systems and we are now on our way to resolving this issue having been successful in acquiring a grant to install a leading edge Client Management System that is multi-functional and provides seamless access to a range of service options through the internet based H.S.Net (Human Services Network) under the auspices of New South Wales Health. We expect to have this system up and running in the coming months.

Because the report from Q.M.S. is in itself a lengthy document and one that we will use in conjunction with our own submission to ensure that the service is always in a cycle of continuous quality improvement (C.Q.I.), it is not practical to provide all the details in this report. I would, however, like to include the following brief statements from the report summary and the covering letter from Q.M.S. which I believe reflect the affirmative nature of the report.

The service has adopted principles of C.Q.I. and actively implemented changes to enhance this for some time. There are several good examples of C.Q.I. provided such as the review of the magazine and the input into strategic planning by people connected with all aspects of the service.

The service works extremely hard to promote the needs of its very marginalised population and to educate the wider community, and its role in advocacy in particular seems most impressive.

Please find enclosed a copy of the finalised Self-Assessment Report of the Gender Centre. I have also included an unbound version of the report should you wish to make copies. The report has brought to light some excellent work being undertaken at your service as well as offering suggestions for improvement. Congratulations!

Gender Centre Restructure

In conjunction with undertaking accreditation, management and staff of the Centre began a restructuring process targeting a number of key aims to improve overall service delivery. The primary aim of the restructure was to implement systems of operation which would improve our capacity to deliver positive client outcomes. In order to achieve this, changes were made to the ways in which staff work together in their roles with clients of the service. This involved amendment of job descriptions to create a smoother transition for clients when working with one or more staff members and to allow for improved continuity in the programs offered to clients. Staff roles now allow for a greater overlap in service delivery to avoid any interruption to clients should the primary staff member be unavailable at any given time. Many areas of service provision are now undertaken by multiple staff rather than being the sole responsibility of a single staff member.

The restructure has delivered a number of benefits to the centre's operating systems and to service users. These include greater certainty in service delivery, improved capacity of staff to meet client needs and sound risk management systems that ensure service delivery is not affected by unforeseen events such as staff illness or absence. The primary impetus for the restructure was the commitment to ensuring that clients were provided with services that could offer them the best outcome. To achieve this it was necessary to examine what was the desired outcome for each client who accessed the service and then work backwards from that outcome to connect clients with services, both within and external to the Centre, to optimise their prospects of success.

To implement effectively the new systems a number of amendments have been made to Policy and Procedures, staff Job Descriptions and to several of the internal forms used by the Centre to assist in its service provision. Staff have received training in the broader areas of service provision and Phinn Borg has worked closely with me to gain skills in service management. Phinn now has the skills and knowledge to work in the role of Acting Manager, a role he will fill in the coming months while I take extended annual and long service leave. Similar provisions have been implemented across all staff positions within the Centre. Phinn has also played a key role in the supervision and training of staff members as well as participating in work performance reviews of staff during the year.

Changes to Housing Stock

For many years the Gender Centre has been able to meet the needs of homeless transgender people through the provision of three houses which allowed us to accommodate up to eleven individuals. Unfortunately one of those houses, which was located in Ashfield was owned by the R.T.A. (Roads and Traffic Authority) and had been made available to us through the Office of Community Housing (O.C.H.) to use as a refuge. The R.T.A. often purchase properties in preparation for potential road widening projects and these can be held for many years without any such projects being undertaken. When R.T.A. plans change, which was the case with Ashfield, these properties are declared surplus stock and the R.T.A. disposes of them. As a result at the beginning of this financial year we were informed that the Ashfield house was to be sold and we were issued with an eviction notice.

The loss of Ashfield house significantly compromised our housing capacity and when we approached the O.C.H. we were informed that this property would not be replaced. This was a major concern since it not only reduced the numbers of people we could accommodate but also impacted on our capacity to place residents in locations where they would feel a sense of compatibility with other residents.

In late 2005 the Gender Centre was made aware that O.C.H. was seeking expressions of interest for the management of units for a range of target groups, one of which was transgender people. We promptly submitted an expression of interest which was successful in principle. Due, however, to changes in the system under which O.C.H. is working there were still a number of hurdles to be overcome. We held two meetings with O.C.H. representatives and at the second of these we were able to provide them with a copy of our accreditation report. We were also supported at the second of those meetings by the Women's Housing Company with whom we have a close and supportive relationship and on the strength of their support and the accreditation report we were finally informed in June 2006 that we had been successful. The next step in the process is for O.C.H. to brief the Minister who will sign off on the matter and then a suitable property will be found and purchased for the exclusive use of the Gender Centre.

This is a very pleasing outcome and we expect that the new premises will be ready for residential clients to occupy before the end of 2006, at which time we will be able to return to our former housing capacity.

Partnerships

The Gender Centre maintains and fosters partnerships with a wide range of external organisations to further promote the rights of the transgender community. While these are many and varied, the ones listed below are those with whom significant partnerships have been established.

S.A.A.P. Inner West Interagency, Working Beyond the Frontiers Project

This is an exciting and innovative project designed to bring together the wide range of skills and talents of a collection of homelessness agencies, their managers and staff, for the purpose of pooling and sharing expertise and support. The project has been established with non recurrent funds provided by S.A.A.P. to the Inner West services and these have been allocated for the engagement of an expert facilitator to coordinate the program.

It was anticipated that the project would develop over its initial twelve month time frame into an ongoing system of support, sharing of resources and organisational know-how that would be of benefit to staff and clients across S.A.A.P. services in the Inner West. The project has been underway now for the duration of 2005 - 2006 and a number of excellent initiatives have resulted including regular manager and staff support meetings and an online networking facility as well as specific workshops addressing issues of pertinence to the sector and those working in it.

The Women's Housing Company

As stated in previous Annual Reports, in the latter part of 2001 we entered into an invaluable partnership with the Women's Housing Company which provided the Centre with additional exit housing for our residential clients.

The Women's Housing Company are very supportive and a delight to work alongside. We have also developed a positive working relationship with B. Miles, a women's housing organisation who have a similar partnership with the Women's Housing Company, and who hold two flats in one of the same complexes as the Gender Centre.

New South Wales Attorney General's Crime Prevention Division

The Gender Centre has continued to meet with the representatives from the Attorney General and other community stakeholders on the G.L.B.T. Community Advisory Committee. The primary aim of the committee is to address the issue of crime, particularly crimes of violence, to which G.L.B.T. communities are subjected.

The C.A.C. also holds joint meetings with NOGA, (Network of Government Agencies), which also addresses G.L.B.T. issues within the New South Wales government sector. These joint meetings help to improve NOGA's understanding of the issues from a community perspective.

Unfortunately, due to changes in personnel at the A.G.'s these meetings have been irregular over the last twelve months. However, the Gender Centre is keen to participate on this important committee and we hope to see the committee revitalised in the not too distant future.

G.L.L.A.M.

We have continued our ongoing representation on our local council. The Gay and Lesbian Liaison at Marrickville (G.L.L.A.M.), meets bi-monthly to respond to community needs, plan events and provide advice on a range of council programs. Marrickville Council have shown a commitment to providing an appropriate range of services to our community and we are pleased to continue our involvement with them.

New South Wales Diversity

The Gender Centre is maintaining an active involvement with N.S.W. Diversity to keep transgender employment on the agenda for E.E.O. practitioners. We continue our membership with N.S.W. Diversity and will continue to attend meetings where agenda issues are of relevance to us or where there are issues that we may wish to draw to their attention.

Through our work with N.S.W. Diversity, and also with O.E.E.D. (Office of Employment Equity and Diversity), we seek to achieve strong support from the E.E.O. practitioners in the public sector in advancing work opportunities for transgender people.

Elizabeth Riley

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2.1 Service Report

Commendations go to the staff of the centre for their hard work and commitment to quality service provision for our clients. The Gender Centre has developed a very solid reputation for the work it carries out and is held in high regard by the majority of our clients, our funding bodies and external agencies and organisations with whom we deal, a reputation that has been further enhanced by our successful completion of Q.M.S. Accreditation.

We have maintained our normal programs over the year in the residential service, which required some modification following the loss of one of our refuge properties in August 2005, and in harm minimisation and education, details of which appear throughout the report. We have also:

• Continued our strong and positive relationships with a wide range of agencies and organisations including local councils.
• Worked in close collaboration with our funding bodies to improve services and maintain strong standards in service delivery.
• Conducted extensive training sessions to a variety of external organisations.
• Continued to examine the ways in which services are delivered through a Continuous Quality Improvement cycle to ensure the relevance of the programs and publications to our community.
• Continued to advocate on behalf of the community across a wide range of issues and with a special emphasis on issues facing transgender people in prison.
• Continued to promote the issue of equity in employment for transgenders.
• Continued to promote policy development in external agencies with regard to transgender access and equity.
• Continued to update our range of resources.
• Significantly improved the presentation and content of Polare which is now being produced in-house at significant cost savings.
• Continued to improve our website which is located at www.gendercentre.org.au
• Provided placement for one student.
• Worked closely with the Management Committee and through Polare to ensure every opportunity for community input.
• Completed a self-assessment accreditation program with Quality Management Services to ensure ongoing quality improvement in the provision of services.

The following report provides detail of the services achievements over the 2005 / 2006 financial year.

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2.1 Funding Bodies

I would like to thank our funding bodies, Sydney South West Area Health Service (S.S.W.A.H.S.) and the Department of Community Services' Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (S.A.A.P.), for their financial and organisational support during the past year. We look forward to continuing these partnerships and to working closely with our funding bodies to manage change and to enhance and improve service delivery in the future.

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2.2 Management Committee

No service can function well without an effective and committed management committee and I would like to thank the following members of the committee, who freely volunteered their time, for the support they have demonstrated towards the staff of the service and the service itself. The committee members during 2005 / 2006 were Col Eglington (President), Kenn Robinson (Treasurer), norrie mAy welby (Secretary), Lesley Findlay (Vice President), Kooncha Brown, Kimmi Evesson, Jeffrey Dabbhadatta (resigned) and Tanya Appleby (Ordinary members).

I look forward to many more years of committed and dedicated Management Committee members assisting the service to function effectively. I would also like to thank all members, new and existing, for the ongoing and vital support their membership provides. We extend a warm welcome to you all for the coming year and to those of you who are successful in being elected to the management committee at the 2006 A.G.M. .

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2.3 Staff

Our successful funding arrangements with the N.S.W. AIDS / Infectious Diseases Branch of the N.S.W. Health Department and S.A.A.P., Department of Community Services, has enabled us to maintain staffing and service levels during the last year. Our staff during the year to June 2006 are / were:

• General Manager - Elizabeth Riley
• Residential Support Worker - Paula Hartigan (Part time)
• Residential Support Worker - Chantel Martin (Casual)
• Counsellor - Elizabeth Anne (Resigned)
• Counsellor - Gaye Stubbs
• Assistant Manager - Phinn Borg
• Outreach Worker - Dan McKinley
• Social and Support (Relief) - Rick Winters (Resigned)
• Community Support Worker - Sean Taylor
• Resource Development Worker - Katherine Cummings
• Administration Manager - David Burke
• Case Management Worker - Sean Taylor

The activities of individual projects specific to the work of each staff member are discussed later in this Annual Report.

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2.4 Staff Training & Development

Staff have attended the following training, seminars and forums during 2005 / 2006:

• Accidental Counsellor
• N.S.W. Diversity Bi-monthly meetings
• S.A.A.P. Interagency Meetings
• Albion Street H.I.V. & Hepatitis C Seminars
• S.A.A.P. Case Management Training
• Australian Federation of Housing (Department of Housing Applications)
• C.C.W.T. Safe Home Visiting
• Anti-Discrimination Workshops
• Risk Assessment Pilot Project training
• Working With Addictions
• Risk Management Training
• Working with Clients with Drug and Alcohol Issues
• N.C.O.S.S. Training
• S.A.A.P. "Making Sense of Financial Statements and Auditor's Reports"
• S.A.A.P. "Supervision Skills"
• C.C.W.T. "New Managers and Coordinators"
• Fuji Xerox

Clinical supervision is conducted as required for staff involved in client service delivery.

Staff training is conducted with the aim of strengthening staff skills in major areas of client service delivery and organisational development.

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2.5 Education & Training for Service Providers

Elizabeth Riley and Katherine Cummings have continued to provide training to a broad range of services regarding a variety of issues relating to gender and to transgender persons. The aims of the education package are to:

• Encourage service providers in all areas to work effectively with transgender clients.
• Provide support to employers in workplaces where a staff member is in transition.
• Encourage employers to uphold Anti-Discrimination Legislation and employ transgender persons who present as the best person for a position.
• Encourage all organisations to treat all people, including transgender people, equitably.

In the past year Elizabeth, Katherine, Elizabeth Anne and Gaye have provided training to:

• Australasian College of Sexual Health
• ACAP
• S.A.A.P.
• Seahorse Society
• Macquarie University Biology Residential School, 2 sessions
• Sydney Sexual Health, 2 sessions
• Lifeline
• Nirimba TAFE Welfare Students, 3 sessions
• GLYSSN Youth Zone
• Vincent Fairfax Scholarship Graduation
• P.F.L.A.G.
• Job Futures
• Ageing Forum
• I.V.F. N.S.W.
• C.I.S.R.A.
• International Grammar School
• Sydney University Film Appreciation Course (Transamerica)
• Blacktown City Council Sistagirl forum
• Twenty 10 Youth Group
• WAYS Youth Services
• North Sydney Sexual Health Clinic
• Fairfield High School
• Gay and Lesbian at Manly (GLAM) youth group

The steady demand for education and training from The Gender Centre has served to reinforce the improved commitment of the wider community to become informed about transgender people. The response from those attending the training has been overwhelmingly positive.

We have also opened the Centre, on several occasions, to other services and to students from various disciplines who have expressed an interest in increasing their knowledge of the transgender community.

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2.6 Committees & Consultation

Staff and Management Committee have maintained their representation on or liaison with a number of committees, interagency groups and working parties that address issues of priority to the client group of the Gender Centre. These include:

• S.A.A.P. Accommodation Agency Meetings
• S.A.A.P. Planning Committees
• N.S.W. Police Policy Committee
• SWIM (Sex Workers Interagency Meeting)
• Foley House Management Committee
• Marrickville Council's G.L.L.A.M. Committee
• Attorney General's Crime Prevention Unit
• Inner City Legal Centre Management Committee
• Employment Equity Specialist's Association
• Expert Advisory Committee N.S.W. Health
• N.S.W. Anti-Discrimination Board
• S.A.A.P. Inner West Steering Committee
• G.L.B.T. Carer's Support Group
• ACON G.L.B.T. Ageing Forum

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2.7 Agency Networking

Staff at the Gender Centre have continued to network with a wide range of services over the 2005-2006 year. These services include:

• Leichhardt Women's Community Health Centre
• Illawarra Women's Community Health Centre
• City Women's Hostel
• Department of Corrective Services
• N.S.W. Department of Education and Training (N.S.W.D.E.T.)
• The Anti-Discrimination Board
• Department of Housing
• Department of Community Services
• Office of Employment Equity and Diversity (O.E.E.D.)
• N.S.W. Health Care Complaints Commission (H.C.C.C.)
• N.S.W. Police Service
• The Women's Housing Company
• Foley House
• Twenty 10 Gay & Lesbian Youth Refuge
• Ashfield Community Health Centre
• Marrickville Community Health Centre
• N.C.O.S.S.
• Employers Federation
• Australian Services Union
• ACON
• Cellblock
• W.A.G.E.C.
• B. Miles
• Livingstone Road Sexual Health Clinic
• REPIDU
• SWOP
• University of N.S.W. National Centre in H.I.V. Social Research

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2.8 Media Liaison

The Gender Centre has enjoyed a strong presence in the media and in public resources with the following contributions:

• Radio - 2SER and Beat FM
• Print Media - Sydney Star Observer, S.X.

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2.9 Donations

I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who kindly donated their time, effort, patience, goods and services and / or cash donations to the Gender Centre throughout this financial year. Your efforts and assistance are greatly appreciated.

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3.0 Services Provision

3.1 Residential Service

The database for residential clients has been analysed as follows:

• Twenty clients were supported in accommodation in the 2005 / 2006 year. A total of twelve clients were continuing their residence as at 1 July 2005 and a total of eleven were ongoing residents at 30 June 2006. These figures are inclusive of the four units managed in partnership with the Women's Housing Company.
• The total number of occupied bed days was 3,452 out of a maximum available of 4,380, not allowing for repairs, cleaning and maintenance of the W.H.C. units between residencies. Both these figures represent a reduction in capacity from previous years due to the loss of one of the refuge houses. Nonetheless these figures gave us an occupancy rate of 78.8% which in percentage terms is similar to the previous year. This figure represents a solid overall occupancy rate for a S.A.A.P. service. Indeed, the demand on the service for accommodation, when factoring in change over times between residents, generally remained strong.

The agency applies a system of continuous quality improvement (C.Q.I.) to improve its effectiveness and achieve positive outcomes for residential clients. Individual case management forms an integral part of this process. (See Case Manager report following). Residents are also encouraged to attend workshops designed to facilitate their progress. Clients in residence receive a high degree of support in applying for public housing and several of our ex-residents have been successful in securing long term public housing. We are also seeing an increase in the number of clients who are successfully gaining employment and this is an encouraging outcome given the Gender Centre's long-standing commitment to fostering a more responsive attitude from employer groups through training and advocacy in recent years.

Meanwhile, at every opportunity, including through the provision of regular house meetings, staff encourage residents and community clients to develop healthy and appropriate living skills, levels of responsibility, self-care and self-esteem, and care for their living environment.

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3.2 Residential Case Management

Case Management is provided to all residents in Gender Centre refuge accommodation to assist them to move from a supported accommodation environment toward independent living.

In case management a comprehensive client assessment is used to develop a case plan. The plan informs a process of service provision based on desired outcomes. The case plan may involve referrals to other service providers with the case manager coordinating and monitoring the process. For example, the client and case manager may reach a decision that the client needs and is ready for voice training. In this case a referral for speech therapy would occur. The case manager would then monitor the effectiveness of this intervention by speaking to the client and perhaps liaising with the therapist. Alternately the case manager may provide services directly to the client to assist them to meet their support needs. These needs may cover a diverse range of areas including life skills training, assistance with access to appropriate longer term housing, education, and labour market participation, emotional support, and crisis resolution. Case management involves assessment / risk management, planning, the implementation of service arrangements, and co-ordination of formal and informal support, plan monitoring - evaluation, and advocacy.

Following are descriptive statistics for the Case Management Worker position for the last financial year.

Event	Number
Total number of episodes of service (clients seen)	35
Total number of consultations	256
Total non attendances or cancellations by clients	83
Average sessions per client	9.4

The above figures show an increase in the number of clients receiving case management during 2005 / 2006, as well as an increase in total consultations. The average number of sessions per client has remained consistent with figures from the previous year.

Professional Development

The Case management Worker engages in professional development activities including seminars, conferences, and short courses. During the year the Case Management Worker attended a short course in Best Practice Case Management.

Residential Case Management Worker

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3.3 Service Magazine - Polare

Four issues of Polare (64 through 67) were published in 2005-2006, as reduced funding caused a cutback from bi-monthly to quarterly, as noted in the annual report for 2004-05. Each issue was mailed out to more than 800 addresses. Most are posted within New South Wales but nearly 200 go to other parts of Australia and multiple copies are sent to some self-help groups and clinics. A few copies are sent overseas, some in exchange for similar publications produced by transgender organisations. New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Fiji and the United States are among the countries receiving issues of Polare on a regular basis. A decision to cut back on foreign mailings by offering access to the P.D.F. edition has resulted in a reduced number of mailings to overseas addresses.

Issue No. 66 was the first issued as a P.D.F. edition for those with Internet access and has proved very popular with recipients as the issues arrive faster and in colour and can either be read from the screen or printed off in colour or monochrome. In addition copies do not go astray even if recipients change their home addresses, as long as their Internet addresses remain unchanged. Some recipients said it was important to receive the print edition on paper, because copies were read by multiple users in a clinic situation or for other reasons. The Centre has tried to be flexible in cases such as this. In addition some organisations have asked for the print edition to continue and have offered their publications in exchange. These arrangements have been accepted with Tapestry in the United States and with Agender New Zealand.

It is not intended that printed issues will be discontinued, since the Gender Centre is aware that some of our community do not have easy access to the Internet and there are many who prefer to pick up their copies at the drop-off points in the City of Sydney.

Another innovation was instituted with issue 67 which was published in-house for the first time. The colour covers were still printed by a commercial printer, since the upgraded photocopier installed by the Gender Centre is a monochrome machine. The covers were added after the text pages were printed, folded and stapled by the photocopier. Issue No. 68 went a step further with a colour cover printed by a different process, which allowed it to be fed into the Gender Centre copier and combined with the text pages. Significant savings are expected from these innovations.

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3.4 Resources

Library

The library collection will continue to be selected in order to maintain a balance between fiction, non-fiction, lay writing such as autobiographies, and professional books relating to gender studies. Seventeen books were added to the collection in 2005-2006, twelve by purchase and five by donation. A number of DVDs and videotapes were also acquired.

Loans rose over the previous year, with forty-two loans having been made during the year. Most borrowers are becoming more responsible about returning loans within a reasonable period, although there are still losses to borrowers who fail to do the right thing and cannot be located.

Information Kits

The addition of the Information Kits to the Gender Centre Web Page has greatly improved access and many enquiries are now satisfied by referral to the Web Page, from which kits and individual handouts can be downloaded, as can selected items from all issues of Polare.

The following kits are available specifically targeting individual needs and the needs of other interested stakeholders:

• Training Kits
• Transition in the Workplace Employee Kit
• Transition in the Workplace Employer Kit
• M.T.F. Information Kits
• F.T.M. Information Kits
• M.T.F. Surgery Kits
• F.T.M. Surgery Kits
• Student Kits
• Intersex Information Kit
• Professionals Kit

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3.5 Counselling

The counsellor, Elizabeth Anne, and the new counsellor, Gaye Stubbs (who took over from Elizabeth Anne in January 2006), had contact with many clients of The Gender Centre in face-to-face counselling sessions, in phone counselling sessions, and by email.

Counselling Session Details

Event	Number
Counselling sessions (booked)	429
Counselling - email (regular correspondence)	24
Counselling - phone (not including enquiries)	43
New Counselling Clients	80
Crisis Counselling	2

The above figures do not include counselling phone-calls that occur day to day. Regular support and supervision has also been provided to other professionals with transgender clients.

A therapy / self-help group for M.T.F. clients aged twenty-five and over is facilitated by both the counsellor and the social support staff member. In addition, a new smaller group for M.T.F. clients aged twenty to twenty-five has recently begun and is facilitated by the counsellor.

Counselling Issues:

The following list indicates the total range of issues that were addressed in counselling sessions. Many clients attending counselling sessions have multiple issues.

"Issues addressed" means that the client actually discussed the issue directly or the issue was the reason behind the client accessing the counselling service even though they may not have discussed the details in that session. An example of such an issue could be depression or a suicide attempt.

• Cross-dressing
• Harassment / violence
• Transition
• Financial
• "Passing"
• Accommodation
• S.R.S.
• Relationships
• D & A / Gambling
• Family
• Suicide
• Health
• Sexual assault
• Anxiety / fear / depression
• Sexual issues
• Mental Health
• Isolation
• Religion
• Employment
• Information

General services provided through the counselling service included:

• Counselling (provided on the premises and on outreach). This counselling includes counselling clients and their partners and clients and their parents;
• Therapy / self-help groups;
• Referral to and information regarding medical services (including psychiatrists), other counselling and welfare services, educational and training services, the Seahorse Society, and Gender Centre services;
• Information to other service providers including hospitals, general practitioners schools, and other counselling services.

Other information concerning the counsellor:

Elizabeth Anne supervised two counselling students on placement at the Gender Centre. As Gaye Stubbs is relatively new to the service, she has not yet supervised counselling students.

Gaye, together with Phinn (Assistant Manager), represented The Gender Centre at a meeting with the Brain Injury Team at Liverpool Hospital. The purpose of this meeting was to impart information regarding gender issues.

Gaye has liaised with one the counsellors of the Exodus Foundation (a nearby charitable organisation) in order to refer Gender Centre clients who are in need of welfare and advocacy support and to provide the counselling service of the Exodus Foundation with information about The Gender Centre and gender issues.

Gaye has been invited by the Seahorse Society to attend one of their meetings.

As well as being a qualified counsellor and a member of CAPA, Gaye has qualifications in education and workplace training and assessment.

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3.6 Referrals

Staff at The Gender Centre continued to maintain the high level of interagency referrals for high-risk transgender persons and continue to advocate for access for transgender people across a range of agencies. The interagency referral network includes:

• Kirketon Road Centre
• Family Planning Association of New South Wales
• Foley House
• People Living With H.I.V. / AIDS
• Sex Workers Outreach Project
• Redfern Community Health Centre
• AIDS Council of N.S.W.
• Langton Centre Outreach Service
• Probation and Parole Services
• Various correctional institutions
• Mental Health Crisis Teams
• Specialist psychiatrists and psychologists
• Inner western and inner city community health centres
• Metropolitan Community Church
• P.F.L.A.G.
• St Vincent's Hospital
• R.P.A. Hospital
• Prince of Wales Hospital
• Concord Hospital
• Livingstone Road Sexual Health Clinic
• Missenden Unit
• Rozelle Hospital
• C.R.C. Broadway
• Inner City Legal Centre
• Newtown N.E.S.P.
• Women's Refuges
• Medical Professionals

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3.7 Outreach Services

The H.I.V. Outreach Worker provides outreach services to transgender people who are confined to hospital, jail or their own home, as well as outreaching to individuals who are working on the street, in parlours or privately. Outreach is an integral part of the Gender Centre's service plan as it continues to provide services to a wide range of clients who may have difficulty in accessing the service otherwise.

Outreach Activities

The H.I.V. Outreach Worker performs a wide range of duties which include:

Metropolitan Outreach

Statistical information includes:

Metropolitan Outreach Statistics

Location	Visits
Private Homes	68
Hospitals	8
Gaols	12
Parlours	10
Street	40
Telephone Link-up	2 (Correctional)

Over the course of the year the outreach project distributed over 35,000 condoms and 5,000 tubes of lube to clients. The needle exchange program saw the distribution of 3,500 1ml syringes, 1,000 2ml syringes and 500 5ml syringes. There was a decrease in the number of used syringes returned to the centre which may reflect the wider availability of Sharps Containers available in public places.

Health Reports and Education

Over 450 educational talks have been delivered in a wide variety of settings with topics including safe sex, safe injecting, H.I.V., Hepatitis B & C, mental health, housing information, discrimination, health dietary options and legal issues.

Health Reports for The Gender Centre's publication Polare included:

• Injectable Testosterone
• Hepatitis C Prevention
• Outreach update
• Christmas barbecue report

Health workshops:

• H.I.V. / AIDS - 25th January 2006 & 24th May 2006
• Hepatitis C - 7th December 2005 & 19th April 2006
• F.T.M. Health - 8th December 2005

Other areas of service delivery in which the Outreach Worker participated were:

• Social Support & Residential
  • Drop-in: Wednesday nights and Friday mornings
  • Seasonal Barbecues
  • Tranny Pride Ball 2005
  • Fair Day 2006 Gender Centre stall
  • Facilitation of support groups (if needed)
  • House meetings (if needed)
• Office duties
  • Telephone queries
  • Staff meetings
  • File management
  • Polare mail out

Professional Development

Short courses undertaken and completed included:

• Safe Home Visiting - 3rd March 2006 03/03/06 C.C.W.T.
• Hepatitis C - 2nd & 3rd May 2006 Albion St Centre
• H.I.V. / AIDS - 20th & 21st March 2006 Albion St Centre

The Outreach Worker is also a current distance education student at the University of Southern Queensland studying a Bachelor of Human Services (Counselling).

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3.8 Community Support Services

The Community Support project has seen significant increases in client participation, during 2005-2006. The increase in participation is a reflection of the positive interaction and visibility of the Community Support Worker in the community. The following list provides an overview of the events conducted throughout the year.

• July 2005 - Shopping Trip, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• August 2005 - Make-Up Classes, Picnic outing, T.G. Ball Poster Competition, Tranny Idol, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• September 2005 - Open Forum, Car Maintenance Workshop, Spring Barbecue, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• October 2005 - Gender Centre Ball, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• November 2005 - Family and Friends Afternoon, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• December 2005 - Christmas Barbecue, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• January 2006 - H.I.V. / AIDS Information Session, Transgender Support Group, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• February 2006 - Transgender Youth Support Group, Mardi Gras Fair Day, Meditation Class, Transgender Support Group, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• March 2006 - Transgender Youth Support Group, Meditation Class, Transgender Support Group, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• April 2006 - Transgender Youth Support Group, Meditation Class, Easter Barbecue, Transgender Support Group, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• May 2006 - Meditation Class, Transgender Youth Support Group, Transgender Support Group, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins
• June 2006 - Transgender Youth Support Group, Transgender Support Group, Meditation Class, Friday & Wednesday Drop Ins

• Spring Barbecue September - 53 attendees
• Family and Friends Afternoon - 42 attendees
• Gender Centre Ball - 73 attendees
• Christmas Barbecue - 41 attendees
• Easter Barbecue - 39 attendees
• Mardi Gras Fair Day - 62 attendees

As always the Social Events for the year continue to be a success with a total of 310 clients attending. Fifty-three clients were present at the Spring Barbecue, food and drinks were provided on the day as most of our clientele fall under Centrelink benefits and can't afford these costs. Facilitating social events for the transgender community is a very important roll of Community Support position as this allows a large part of the community to come together and celebrate.

A significant number of parents and friends of transgender clients attended the Family and Friends Event. Feed back sheets were handed out amongst clients regarding support needs. We discovered family and friends of transgender people are keen to receive support such as ongoing counselling, support groups, social activities and workshops.

This year the Gender Centre Ball was absolutely magnificent with seventy-three people attending. This is an annual event where friends, family and transgender people can come together have fun and celebrate together. The Ball provided dance music, shows, raffle draw and sumptuous finger food. Due to past and ongoing success this will be an ongoing annual event.

The Spring, Christmas and Easter Barbecues were also held at the Gender Centre with a strong level of attendance at each. These events are an annual occurrence which are thoroughly enjoyed by community members. They also allow every one to come together, relax and have some fun over a barbecue lunch.

• Transgender Youth Support Group - 9 attendees
• Transgender Support Group - 11 attendees
• Meditation Class - 7 attendees

The Transgender Youth Support Group has been tremendously successful allowing young people to come together and share their experiences about their identities and isolation. Many transgender youth are very marginalised and isolated within the transgender and wider communities and this group has allowed young people to network with each other and form peer relationships.

The Transgender Support Group is a group for people twenty-five years and older. This group has been very empowering for transgender people who are just starting their gender transition. There have been many different speakers come to the group to educate on a range of issues from electrolysis to surgery.

Meditation classes are facilitated every fortnight on a Wednesday night during drop-in hours. This group has been increasing in numbers and is very important for the transgender community allowing participants to learn relaxation techniques and use the skills of meditation on a daily basis.

Friday and Wednesday drop-ins

The numbers attending the Friday morning and Wednesday night drop-ins varies between five and thirty people. The drop-ins provide an opportunity for people to socialise and meet informally, discuss issues with their peers and share a meal. Drop-ins are an important part of the Gender Centre's community support, and are a fun way for clients to meet and form friendships.

Department of Housing

We have a number of clients for whom we provide regular support and case management. Many of these clients seek help with Department of Housing and Centrelink. We assist by helping them to fill in the application forms, writing support letters, service plans and accompanying them to interviews.

Referrals

Many of the day to day enquiries that we take at the Gender Centre are enquiries from transgenders, gender-questioning people, other individuals and organisations. These enquiries are for referrals to doctors, surgeons, health organisations, clothing stores, support services, social groups and also general enquiries from journalists, students and so on. Enquiries are made by phone, face-to-face and there are an increasing number of email enquires. On average the centre takes between three and six requests for referrals each day. Some of these requests are straightforward, while others require a bit more research and time to find appropriate information and resolution. There is a range of services, groups, links and contacts available to, and through, Gender Centre staff.

Support Services

Another part of the Community Support Worker position is helping people to prepare for and deal with transition and ongoing life issues. The support we offer clients varies from writing résumés and application letters, appealing against discriminatory decisions and helping clients to locate specialist medical information and advice.

Polare

A Community Support report appears in each issue of Polare providing information on past and upcoming events at the Gender Centre. Details of events are also posted on the Centre's notice board and on the website.

Interagency Working and Liaison

• Langton Centre
• AIDS Council of N.S.W.
• Specialist psychiatrists and psychologists
• Metropolitan Community Church
• P.F.L.A.G.
• Various correctional institutions
• Twenty 10
• Department of Housing
• Centrelink
• Cellblock
• St Vincent de Paul Society in Redfern
• SWOP
• Employment agencies
• Mental Health institutions
• Legal Services

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4.0 Service Evaluation

Success in achieving the service's objectives has been monitored throughout the year by a range of processes including:

• Resident data collection and analysis with particular reference to occupancy rates, length of stay, readmission and retention rates.
• Strengthened focus on case management practices.
• Analysis of reasons for discharge.
• Monitoring data relating to attendance at in-house groups, resident meetings, number of clients contacted and referred through outreach.
• Monitoring of circulation levels for print publications and resources.
• Collateral feedback from other agencies and service providers.
• Data collection relating to referral patterns.
• Level of demand for participation in key national, state and local mechanisms, strategies and activities.
• Increased awareness and focus on O.H.&S. issues
• Ongoing commitment to engaging in Quality Improvement Cycles

Staff and Management Committee of The Gender Centre have continued with the aims of providing optimum service to our clients and developing a strong and positive relationship with other agencies and our funding bodies.

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