Exchange House National Traveller Service, in partnership with the HSE and Dublin County Council as part of the National Social Inclusion Week, are hosting a Conference on Domestic Violence on the 13th October 2011 at Wood Quay Venue in Dublin City Council Civic Offices from 9.00am to 1.30pm.

The conference will provide an opportunity to engage with experts in domestic violence from Ireland and abroad, representatives of organisations responsible for national policy and service delivery and members of the Traveller community with an interest in domestic violence issues.

The conference is best suited for front line service providers seeking to better address the needs of Travellers around the issue of domestic Violence. Exchange House has over 30 years of front line service provision and we would like to share our success stories as well as insights on how to better generate domestic violence community awareness within the Traveller community. A key benefit of this transnational project is to frame innovative solutions based upon experience of working with minority groups and in a range of cultural contexts. The conference will also be of interest to policy makers and researchers working on issues of domestic violence and its impact on families and communities.

Exchange House is leading a project on Domestic Violence funded under the EU’s Daphne III Programme. (This Programme aims to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk.) Out of hundreds of applications made to this Programme, Exchange House National Travellers Service was selected as the only Irish organisation to lead a project. Our partners are: Austria, Germany, Greece and Romania. The identified specific target groups are: Irish Travellers, Sinti and Roma families, and Muslim migrants in Europe. Exchange House will specifically concentrate on Travellers.

The project is entitled Sunia Geel derives from the Irish Traveller language, Cant. Sunia Geel translates as "take care of yourself", and is viewed as an apt name for what the project aims to achieve – children, women and families being protected, valued and supported.

The conference is of significant importance as the main purpose is:

• To share and inform other front-line professionals on best practice when working with Travellers experiencing domestic violence.
• To launch the Domestic Violence Training Pack; which has been developed by Exchange House to support ongoing training in this area.
• To launch a report on the Research findings
• To address the complex realities and emerging issues of domestic violence in a changing Ireland.

If you are interesting in attending the conference, please contact our office on 01 872 1094