What is CHAA?
Community Healing and Accountability (CHAA) is a community-based approach to address, reduce, end and prevent Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault.
CHAA is not a crisis intervention service. It is a greater collective that recognises that violence is rooted in inequality and injustice and that our communities need to be transformed.
We do not assume that those who can most help must be trained professionals. First responders and long-term healers are most likely to be family, friends, community and kin. We know that they can but they often do not know what to do, our how to help.
‘Though resulting positive change might not be immediate, visible, ‘enough’ or lasting, these efforts to intervene in violence are a big deal. We rise above silence, passivity, and inaction, and make families and communities something we work, not wait for.’
From Creative Interventions Tool Kit
Currently, choices are limited as there is very little on offer and far too often, not enough to meet the survivor’s needs. Nor does it go far enough to change the behaviours of people using violence (PUV), or influence our wider community to end violence.
Healing occurs in relationships and accountability and support for change is also best done in the community.
Our response needs to be intentional.
That is the essence of CHAA.
The CHAA Partnership
Community Healing and Accountability (CHAA) is a proud initiative of Inala Community House (ICH) in partnership with Family Peace Building.
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Established in 1966, Inala Community House is a not-for-profit organisation committed to providing high-quality, responsive services and activities that benefit individuals, families, and communities. With a focus on innovation and inclusivity, we are dedicated to fostering connection, promoting well-being, and empowering people to thrive in a supportive, safe and welcoming environment.
Family Peace Building is an evolving community-agency collaboration which emerged from community leaders in Brisbane in 2017, promoting co-designed family violence prevention and response through cultural strength and building deeper knowledge, skills and connections.
The program works with community and faith leaders, active members, bi-cultural settlement workers, language students and others to build skills and connections to support communities to promote a culture of safety, equality and peace.
Core agency partners are Multicultural Australia, Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS) and South Community HUB.
CHAA has been funded by the Brisbane South Public Health Network (BSPHN) as a pilot project under the Supporting Recovery Care Service, Domestic & Sexual Violence & Child Sexual Abuse Recovery Service for an initial two-year period. We thank the BSPHN for their trust in our community to find creative ways to respond to and end harm and promote recovery for our people. Many of those involved in CHAA do so in their own time.
We also say a heartfelt thank you and acknowledge the pioneering work of Mimi Kim at the Asia Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence and those behind Creative Interventions (CI) from which we have learnt a great deal and guides us in CHAA. CI started in 2004 in Oakland as a national resource centre to create and promote community-based interventions to confront, challenge and overcome interpersonal violence. Through CHAA we are seeking to put into practice the CI community-based approach to support everyday people in our communities to take action to intervene in violence. CHAA also seeks to hold PUV to account and scaffold them towards change and to support our survivors to heal.
How did we get here?
ICH began working on this concept some years ago, spending much time researching and exploring what others are doing in Australia and around the world.
We began a journey asking how we as a community may prevent, respond to and end domestic and family violence and sexual assault. What as a community member we can do to fill some of the gaps which exist?
Who can we help?
Between now and the end of the current funding period (June 2026), we are seeking to support 12 PODS to join CHAA and begin their journey of change.
Through providing ongoing support and education, coaching and training, the HUB will empower POD Facilitators/Peace Builders to empower members in their PODS to become family peace builders and respond to harm in ways that support survivors healing and recovery, and helps transform our communities.
At this point, we will accept enquiries in relation to new PODS to join CHAA and survivors who may be seeking to join a POD. We will also accept enquiries in relation to PUV who are seeking support to change their behaviours.
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We all have a role to play. There are many roles we can play, direct or indirect.
We are led by survivors’ voices/wishes/views
Collective Respect and Responsibility
Work cooperatively and creatively alongside established systems, but call out failings and push for change when needed