Australia's peak body for domestic and family violence services today announced a series of grants worth $500,000 to fund innovative and creative projects aimed at early intervention and prevention of domestic and family violence. Twenty-two organisations nationwide will share in the Women’s Services Network (WESNET) Capacity Building Grants Program. WESNET offered two types of grants: up to $50,000 for community-based projects, and between $1000 and $2000 for small intervention projects. The successful grants range from a coordinated community response to domestic and family violence, to a three-state trial aimed at reducing violence against older women, to the production of an educational DVD to raise awareness of the criminality of partner rape. Information obtained through the program will be used by the Federal Government's National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children. The chairperson of WESNET, Pauline Woodbridge, said the funding will foster collaboration between local agencies—such as refuges, police, the legal system, health workers and child protection—in the prevention of domestic and family violence through mentoring, protocol development and training. ‘WESNET is thrilled to have this opportunity to work directly with the welfare sector to advance the creativity of services as they respond to the needs of women and children who are experiencing domestic violence or family violence or both,’ Ms Woodbridge said. Project manager Julie Oberin said: ‘It is a great opportunity for services working to prevent domestic and family violence to document their good work, try out something new or increase their capacity to respond through prevention or early intervention’. The grants are part of the Australian Government’s Women’s Safety Agenda, funded through the Office for Women. For further information, contact Pauline Woodbridge MB 0419 739 774. For a full listing of the successful grants, go to www.wesnet.org.au/grants