Community Centres uphold human rights as the foundation of strong and connected communities, and provide a trusted, safe, and inclusive place, where community members can find support and make links with each other.

There are 103 community centres in South Australia that connect with around 35,000 individuals each week. Volunteers contribute more than 20,000 volunteer hours to these centres weekly.

Community Centres SA, South Australia’s peak body for the sector, explains that “Community centre staff and volunteers work at the frontline, having conversations with individuals of all ages and abilities every day, and helping them connect with services to enhance wellbeing and safety. For this reason, community centres are perfectly placed to raise awareness about important community issues and build momentum for change.”

The Prevention Hubs Project is a collaboration between Community Centres SA, Office for Ageing Well and the Adult Safeguarding Unit.

The Adult Safeguarding Unit provides information and support and responds to concerns of suspected or actual abuse of South Australian adults who may be vulnerable to abuse or mistreatment.

Around one in six older Australians experience mistreatment from a person they know and trust. By the age of 15, one in two adults living with disability experience violence. At its heart, the prevention of abuse or mistreatment is about addressing ageism and ableism (discrimination based on age or living with disability) and shifting individual, community, and societal attitudes.

Community Centres SA have been working with Office for Ageing Well, the Adult Safeguarding Unit, community centres in the City of Salisbury and other stakeholders to develop an education toolkit designed specifically to meet the needs of community centres.

The toolkit aims to build staff and volunteers’ capacity to identify the signs of abuse or mistreatment and support people to link with South Australian services to help safeguard their rights.

Staff and volunteers at Salisbury East Neighbourhood Centre, Pooraka Farm Community Centre and Bagster Road Community Centre participated in pilot training sessions conducted in October 2022. Feedback has been very positive, helping to refine the training before it is rolled out across South Australia’s southern region in early 2023.

If you are concerned about yourself or someone you know, you can call the Adult Safeguarding Unit on 1800 372 310 or visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/adultsafeguardingunit.