By Casey Neill
Repaying society can also be a leg-up to a new life, says Beverley Garratt.
The Dandenong-based south-east metropolitan region community work program manager has been involved with the justice department for almost 30 years and in community work for more than eight.
“Community work is the way that an offender gives retribution back to the community,” she said.
“However, if we can link it in, where they’re learning new skills … it means we’ve got a better chance of reducing their risk of re-offending.
“We couldn’t do our job if we didn’t see that it had positive outcomes for the offenders and the community.
“We do our job because we understand that people can change and sometimes people just need to be given that opportunity to increase their self-esteem.
“Often people think they can’t learn and they’ve had a very negative experience with education.
“For a lot of people, this is a huge step.”
Ms Garratt said some had significant mental health and substance abuse issues.
“What we need to do is get them to engage with their community in a positive manner,” she said.
Three Dandenong Community Correctional Services projects were recognised at the Community Work Partnership Awards, held at the MCG on Thursday 17 November.
Community correction order recipient Anne-Marie – not her real name – spoke at the event about how community work changed her life.
“How many people can get up and talk in front of 400 strangers at the MCG at an official event?” Ms Garratt said.
“She brought people to tears.
“This was real life evidence of the benefits of community work.”
Water 2 All won the Educational Institution/Educational Programs award, the Parks Victoria Green Team won the Environmental Sustainability Projects honour, and Healthy Pears – Healthy Body, Healthy Mind was named the best project in the south-east metropolitan region.
Through Water 2 All, in Dandenong South, participants can gain Certificate III in Food Processing and Food Handling while labelling and packaging water and food for those in need.
“It’s got realistic employment outcomes for offenders,” Ms Garratt said.
“We can’t be skilling them up in an area where they go to apply for the job, they do a criminal record check … ”
The Parks Victoria Green Team has been running since 2010 and involves pruning, litter pick-up, painting and other maintenance.
“The offenders have been involved in so many tree planting projects,” Ms Garratt said.
“They’ve helped to create a forest out at Cardinia Creek parklands.
“They do tree planting work at Lysterfield. We’ve done tree planting at Dandenong Police Paddocks.”
Community corrections order recipients have in the past year completed 5000 hours – or $155,000 worth – of community work through this project.
They can go on to receive accreditation through Holmesglen in fencing and construction, and develop communication, conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
Healthy Pears was based at Frankston North and involved women making A to Z cards about healthy eating for kids to use in schools.
“The women also stayed on and they did their food handling certificate,” Ms Garratt said.
“They made meals each week that were donated to needy families.
“The women gain more confidence. They all help each other.”
She said the project also connected them with neighbourhood houses and there was hope they’d continue that connection after the program finished.
