Emma House is disappointed by an article that appeared in a local newspaper this week, which attempted to bring our organisation into disrepute and undermine the valuable work we do to support women and children experiencing family violence by publishing comments from a former staff member who was only employed for short period of time.
Emma House has always put the needs and welfare of its clients above all else. Since 1979 Emma House has been key provider of domestic and family violence resources for South West Victoria.
The Board of Emma House absolutely refutes claims of systemic bullying or misconduct. Over the past 12 months, the Board has undertaken an intense review into the governance and operations at Emma House to ensure it remains focused on delivering on its core purpose – supporting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence.
It not been a secret that in the last 12 months since our long serving and highly respected CEO, Ruth Isbel, resigned due to ill health and sadly passed away, has been among the toughest for our organisation. It left an incredible hole in our hearts both personally and organisationally. At the same time, we have remained focused on the need for and reliance on domestic and family violence support services, which has never been greater.
The pressure on these critical services is at an all-time high and across the state, organisations like ours are struggling to find the right people with the right skills and behaviours to fill important roles. This has put significant pressure on our organisation and staff and our priority is to support our team to deliver the highest quality standard of service to women and families in our region.
Our organisation is accredited and provides public information via our website.
Despite the article attempting to bring our organisation into disrepute, all services offered by Emma House to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence continue.