Partnerships

Partnerships are an important vehicle for health promotion. WHV continues to develop and maintain partnerships that meet shared needs, assist in reducing duplication of service delivery and support changes in both WHV and the partner organisation in managing and providing information. The over-arching purpose of all partnerhsips is to improve the health and well-being of women in Victoria.

	Victorian Women with Disabilities Network
	Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria

Victorian Women with Disabilities Network

The partnership between the Victorian Women with Disabilities Network (VWDN) and Women's Health Victoria (WHV) is a mutually beneficial relationship which assists the organisations to jointly progress an advocacy agenda on issues critical to women's health and for women with disabilities. The partnership takes a strength- based approach and is built on a commitment to shared learning and development .

Specific Partnership Goals 2005 - 2007

1. Continued development of VWDN as a strong, sustainable organisation led by women with disabilities in order to influence decision-making, policy and service system development, and community attitudes.
2. Establishment of an Advocacy Information Service for women with disabilities.
3. Manage and develop the relationship between VWDN and WHV around fund holding
4. Identify and pursue additional opportunities for collaboration in areas of mutual benefit.
5. Deliberately learn about the development and maintenance of a viable partnership between differently resourced and structured organisations.
6. Mutually beneficial co-location of VWDN with WHV.

More information about the women with disabilities advocacy information service can be found here.

Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV)

WHV is a collaborating partner with the auspice agency Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University and the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC). Funding for the new health resource unit grew out of the implementation of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Health Action Plan. The role of the unit is to enhance and promote the health and well being of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (GLBTI) people in Victoria. This will be achieved by:

• training health care providers and health organisations about GLBTI health needs and appropriate service delivery;
• developing health resources for GLBTI communities, in conjunction with mainstream services;
• establishing a research and information clearinghouse as a resource for health care providers, researchers and individuals to use in researching their own health issues;
• providing advice to Government on the planning and development of future GLBTI programs.
  

WHV's major contribution to this project is through the organisation's understanding of gender and health and in information collection and distribution through a Clearinghouse.

For further information about the unit or to access the clearinghouse and resources:

Phone: (03) 9285 5382, email: info@glhv.org.au or visit the web site.