Illawarra Women’s Health Centre and its major project, the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre, have received accreditation from the AAA-NZ for their quality standards in community services.
The Illawarra WHC received a three-year accreditation, and the Women’s TRC was awarded a one-year certification – the highest result it can be granted, not being an independent entity.
The Centre was commended for its commitment to excellence in service delivery and continuous quality improvement and learning, guided by national standards and research.
“The Awards Committee has determined that at this point, the Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre is sufficiently integrated in governance and management to include it alongside the Women’s Health Centre accreditation,” the official letter of congratulations said.
“To indicate that a specific assessment was conducted, the Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre has also been awarded a one-year certification in its own right.”
Both centres underwent a robust assessment by third-party operator Te Wana, a specialist in AAA-NZ certification. The process includes interviews with the Council of Women, management at both centres, staff, external stakeholders, and women who use the organisations.
The process assesses the organisation against seven national standards, covering values and leadership, teamwork, capability, and operational systems.
“The Illawarra WHC and the Women’s TRC are standout, cutting-edge organisations whose achievements are a testament to all those who contribute their vision, commitment, efforts and talents currently and over the years,” the assessors said.
While clients praised the Illawarra WHC as “welcoming, safe, comfortable and that staff/volunteers were approachable. One interviewee said: “I have never felt more supported. This place has touched my heart.”
The report highlighted the wide variety of work undertaken by the Illawarra WHC.
“Examples of significant achievements include designing and implementing the Workplace for Change program, addressing the impact of domestic and family violence on the workplace; increasing funding and resourcing to the Weavers Program – a facilitated peer-support network for carers of people with dementia; obtaining funding from the Department of Communities and Justice to create a dedicated Domestic and Family Violence – Disability Specific casework service and funding to establish a second Centre site in Northern Wollongong.”
The accreditation also commended the ten-week learn to swim Stay Afloat Program as a positive example of the Illawarra WHC taking on feedback from the community and working with other organisations to engage and collaborate.
The Illawarra WHC was highly commended for its ”strong advocacy leadership and determined pursuit of recognition of the impact of the patriarchy and domestic, family and sexual violence”.
There was particular mention of the organisation’s handling of challenges.
“The organisation has demonstrated its ability to face difficult challenges and to use the learnings from these challenges. Risk management is handled through a practice of open dialogue and reporting with external advice engaged for support,” the report said.
The assessors extended the commendation to cover the recent Recovery and Healing: Our Voices, Our Stories exhibition.
As part of the accreditation process, a number of recommendations are made to support an organisation’s continuous quality improvement culture.
The review team recommended exploring ways to provide transport to the Illawarra WHC in Warilla and continuing to discuss ways to collaborate further with local Aboriginal stakeholders.
“This accreditation is a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care for women in our community,” said Illawarra Women’s Health Centre Executive Director Sally Stevenson. “Being recognised by the AAA-NZ reinforces our dedication to continuous improvement and ensures that the services we deliver are grounded in best practices and the latest research.”
The Illawarra WHC places women’s experiences and health needs at the forefront of its practice. These values are reflected in every aspect of the centre—from the way care is provided to how the organisation is managed and governed—ensuring a holistic, inclusive approach to women’s health,” said Illawarra Women’s Health Centre General Manager Ali Anderson.
“Receiving this certification in our very first year is an incredible achievement and a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our team,” said Maree Kerr, CEO of the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre.
“It affirms that we are on the right path in providing vital, trauma-informed care to women in our community, and it motivates us to continue growing and improving our services.”
