WELCOME TO BLACKTOWN WOMEN'S & GIRLS' HEALTH CENTRE

Blacktown Women’s and Girls' Health Centre (BWGHC) is a community-based, non-profit women’s health centre which provides accessible health and wellbeing services for women and girls in Blacktown LGA regardless of their income. Our peak body is Women’s Health NSW and we are part of a network of 21 community based women’s health centres in NSW who share similar values and objectives.

OUR SERVICES

Free Legal Help

Free Legal Services are available at Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre every second Wednesday and every second Friday.

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Western Sydney Community Legal Centre provides free legal advice at Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre every second Wednesday BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Bookings essential as limited spots available. Please call 9831 2070.

This service can cover:

    • Civil Law
    • Family Law
    • Criminal Law
    • Care and Protection
    • Immigration.

If you need an interpreter, please advise at the time of booking. Interpreters can be arranged either to attend in person or via telephone link.

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During the appointment, you will speak with a fully qualified solicitor from Women’s Legal Services NSW. Each appointment is 40 minutes long, and you need to bring any paperwork your have that is relevant to the matter with you.

If you need an interpreter, please advise at the time of booking. Interpreters can be arranged either to attend in person or via telephone link.

To book an appointment to see a solicitor, phone (02) 9831 2070 or you can email  info@womensandgirls.org.au Please include a contact telephone number for us to respond.

If your call is not answered, please leave a message including a telephone number on which we can contact you during business hours (9.30 am to 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday).

The solicitor can give you advice on a range of matters, and has special expertise in:

  • Family Law (including parenting, property and child support)
  • Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs)
  • Divorce
  • Domestic Violence
  • Sexual Assault
  • Victim’s Compensation

PLEASE NOTE:

The solicitor CANNOT give advice on IMMIGRATION matters.

Some things to Remember:

  • Appointments are made on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, which means that you may need to wait for several weeks before an appointment is available. If you do not make an appointment when it is available, you may be placed on a waiting list for cancellations, but there is no guarantee you will get an earlier appointment.
  • When making an appointment, you will be asked a series of questions for the purposes of ensuring correct information is provided to the solicitors. This information is required before an appointment can be made. All information is held in the strictest confidence.
  • Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time, to complete registration paperwork.
  • Because legal advice can be technical and make use of words and terminology which can have very particular meanings, solicitors may ask that an interpreter is used even if the client feels they do not need one. This applies for people with hearing impairments as well as people whose first language is not English. Should this be the case, the matter will be discussed with the client beforehand.
  • Unfortunately, child care is not available and children are not able to attend appointments with their mother/carer. Please arrange child care prior to attending the appointment. If you are unable to attend an appointment, please contact us as soon as possible so we can give that appointment to someone else. If you do not attend your appointment without advising us beforehand, we may need to put you at the bottom of the waitlist for another appointment. If you cannot arrange childcare, a telephone appointment may be arranged for you. Please let the receptionist know when you are booking your appointment if you will need to arrange this.

If your matter is too urgent to wait for an appointment, contact the Women’s Legal Services NSW telephone advice lines or  LawAccess, a government telephone helpline which can assist with basic information about legal matters:

What if Blacktown is too far to get legal advice from where you live?

There are a number of women’s health centres who also host a Women’s Legal Services NSW solicitor. For appointment times and information, contact:

Fairfield: Immigrant Women’s Health Centre
When: Thursdays (fortnightly)
Ph: (02) 9726 4044
Address: 92 Smart Street, Fairfield, NSW 2165
Website: http://www.immigrantwomenshealth.org.au/

Liverpool Women’s Health Centre
When: 
Thursdays (fortnightly)
Ph: (02) 9601 3555
Address: 26 Bathurst Street, Liverpool, NSW 2170 (corner Campbell and Bathurst Sts)
Website: http://www.liverpoolwomenshealth.org.au/

Penrith Women’s Health Centre
When: 
Tuesdays (fortnightly)
Ph:(02) 4721 8749
Address: Cnr Henry & Station Street, Penrith, NSW 2750
Website: http://www.penrithwomenshealthcentre.com.au/

Women’s DV Court Support Service

North West Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (NWS WDVCAS)

North West Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Support works in co-operation with other services at the Centre.

NWS WDVCAS Provides

  • Information on maintaining healthy relationships
  • Empowerment and self-efficacy
  • Developing safety plans
  • Support and advocacy
  • Referrals to other relevant services

To contact a WDVCAS, call 1800 938 227 or visit their website 


About the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service

The Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program (WDVCAP) was formally established in 1995 with funding from the NSW Government. The aim of the WDVCAP is to assist women and children experiencing domestic violence to obtain legal protection through an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO).

Prior to 1995 a number of Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Schemes, as they were then known (WDVCASs), had been operating through a number of Community Legal Centres in the Sydney Metropolitan region and in parts of regional NSW. In most cases, Schemes operated without specific funding but in some cases received grants from other sources.

In 1996 26 WDVCASs were established under the Program to provide services to 37 Local Courts throughout NSW. In 2009 the WDVCAP funded 33 WDVCASs to provide services in 64 Local Courts. As services offered through the WDVCASs have developed and evolved, a change in the name for the Schemes was adopted and in 2008 they became known as Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services.

From “Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program: Principles, Policies, and Standards”, March 2009

Blacktown Domestic Violence Forum

The Blacktown Domestic Violence Forum is an opportunity for service providers from throughout Blacktown LGA to meet and share information about domestic violence and create connections with others.

At each meeting a staff member from the North West Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (NWSWDVCAS) will present information about the Local Co-ordination Points (LCP) and Safety Action Meetings (SAMs) support services for victims of domestic violence.

The BDVF is funded by Legal Aid NSW, Family And Community Services (FACS), Women’s Health NSW and Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) and is facilitated by North West Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (NWSWDVCAS) and Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre (BWGHC).

When: The last Thursday of each month.
Time: 2pm to 3:30pm
Where: Via Microsoft Teams online meeting.

For more information contact BWGHC (02) 9831 2070 or email info@womensandgirls.org.au

Case Management

Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre offers case management services Monday to Friday, by appointment.

Referring organisations and individuals are welcome to contact us to discuss making an appointment for case management services.

For more information or to make an appointment please

phone (02) 9831 2070 or send us an email: info@womensandgirls.org.au

Information Workshops

For full Term 4 2024 Program & Activities, click HERE.

Counselling

Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre offers counselling Monday to Friday, by appointment.

Referring organisations and individuals are welcome to contact us to discuss making an appointment for counselling.

Information on this service can be found in our Generalist Counselling brochure.

For more information or to make an appointment please

phone (02) 9831 2070 or email: info@womensandgirls.org.au

Family Planning NSW Clinic

Female clinicians from Family Planning NSW are available at the Centre every Wednesday for bulk billed medical services, including:

  • pap smears
  • contraception and fertility advice
  • menopause information
  • reproductive and sexual health services
  • pregnancy and STI checks
  • breast checks
  • all women’s health advice and support

To make an appointment at our centre, phone Family Planning Penrith on (02) 4749 0500.

Naturopathy

Naturopathy is a system of health care which treats the whole person. Naturopathy considers all aspects of your life and aims to support you back to good health by discovering the causes of your problems not just treating the symptoms. This method of health treatment is based on thousands of years of knowledge and has been used in every culture across the world.

Naturopathy also involves a thorough history taking to gather all those clues and messages the body gives us, and then explores treatment options. These may range from nutritional recommendations and supplementation, herbal medicine, diet or healthy living advice or referral to a doctor or another health practitioner.

Our Naturopath and Healthy Lifestyle Coach Katrina has many years of clinical experience in women’s health and holds an Advanced Diploma in Naturopathy and a Diploma in Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Medicine. She has a passion for preventative health care and education, management of chronic disease and healthy lifestyle coaching.

COST:

  • $25.00 (working);
  • $10.00 (part time workers);
  • $5.00 (concession card holders)

Supplements and herbal medicines are dispensed to Centre clients only and are reasonably priced to cover the cost of the goods.

Naturopathic treatments MAY be able to assist with:

  • Women’s and Girls’ health issues
  • Stress, Anxiety & Low mood
  • Arthritis & Chronic Pain
  • Fatigue, Lack of vitality and Sleep issues
  • Digestive Disorders
  • Weight loss and Detoxification
  • Reproductive health issues including menstrual problems, fertility and menopause

When: Tuesdays.
Ph: (02) 9831 2070
Email: info@womensandgirls.org.au

Oz Harvest Food Hampers

Our priority is to provide food to those who need it. Our weekly food hampers aim to provide nutritious food which may include fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, bread, eggs, meat and other pantry items.

The food is provided by Oz Harvest & Food Bank.

Bookings Are Essential

Please phone (02) 9831 2070 for more information.

Support Groups

For full Term 4 2024 Program & Activities, click HERE.

LATEST NEWS

Program Brochure for Term 4 – 2024

Please see our groups being offered for Term 4, 2024 – please contact Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre on 9831 2070 if you wish to book in for any of the groups or for more information. Additional details for our groups are listed after the main timetable.

Mindful Meditation at BWGHC

Our mindful meditation classes are designed to provide you the opportunity to rest and recharge. Please note the day for the class has been changed to Tuesdays. See our flyer to learn more.

Program brochure for Term 3, 2024

Please see our groups being offered for Term 3, 2024 – please contact Blacktown Women’s and Girls’ Health Centre on 9831 2070 if you wish to book in for any of the groups or for more information. Additional details for our groups are listed after the main timetable.

Health Education for National Women’s Week

Family Planning NSW will be facilitating a group about Women’s Health during National Women’s Week on September 4th.  Please see the flyer for more details.

SUPPORTERS