Foundation House

Foundation House Our vision is a world without torture, where communities respect, embrace and empower people from refugee backgrounds to thrive. ABN 52 783 974 656

https://linktr.ee/foundationhouse

Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc. Foundation House Social Media Community Guidelines

We are building a welcoming online community that supports the work of The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (also known as Foundation House) in advancing the health, wellbeing and human rights of people of refugee backgrounds who have experienced to

rture or other traumatic events. On this page you can find out more about Foundation House and our work to:
• Deliver services to survivors of torture or other traumatic events
• Improve the capacity of service systems and communities
• Advocate for improved policies and programs

Please be aware that Foundation House is not a crisis service and this page is not a counselling service –
If you need immediate assistance please call Lifeline on 13 11 14
If you or someone you know requires the services of Foundation House please click here or here for information on referral. This page is regularly monitored. Media Inquiries: please call Siobhan O’Mara on 03 9389 8923 or 0400 940 423. We rely on you, a member of our Facebook community, to help keep our page a safe and accommodating place for all visitors. To do this we provide these guidelines for interacting with our page:
1. We encourage you share your thoughts and comments, delivered in a thoughtful, considered and respectful way on topics posted on our page by Foundation House. Be courteous and respectful at all times. Use respectful language and appreciate that others may have an opinion different from yours.
2. Posts that are overtly promotional in nature, flagged as spam, duplicates of an earlier post or do not add value to our community will be deleted. Foundation House will also remove posts soliciting funds directly from community members, comments violating any intellectual property rights or files that contain viruses.
3. Remember, everyone is reading what you have written. Our social media space is in the public domain. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want repeated to your best friend, neighbours or one of your colleagues. For your personal safety, avoid posting your mobile number, email address or other contact details.
4. Cyber bullies and trolls are not welcome in our community. Posts that are deemed by us to be hateful or hostile in language targeting race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality or political beliefs, inflammatory in nature or personal attacks aimed at particular individuals or groups, will be removed without notice.
5. Foundation House may hide or remove any post without notice that:
• is abusive, racist, sexist, homophobic, vulgar, obscene, pornographic, offensive, harassing, hateful, threatening, defamatory, indecent, or that promotes illegal activity;
• contains swearing or offensive language;
• is in contravention to Facebook’s Terms of Use
• is fraudulent, deceptive, or dangerously misleading;
• puts down or is carelessly dismissive of another Facebook user;
• is in violation of a copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right of another;
• is invasive of privacy of others;
• purposely or inadvertently identifies clients or other stakeholders in a way that breaches their privacy will also be removed without notice
• promotes personal beliefs in a way that is disrespectful of the choices of others;
• advertises commercial products, services or events;
• advertises non-for-profit products, services, events or research that is not relevant to Foundation House’s work;
• is irrelevant or nonsensical;
• is illegal, or otherwise dangerous to Foundation House or other users;
• contains distressing references to torture and trauma, su***de, self-harm or sexual abuse or could otherwise be similarly distressing to community members;
• is a copy of another post or contains the same, or similar, message posted multiple times elsewhere. If you feel there is a comment that needs to be moderated, send Foundation House a message or email to [email protected] and we’ll respond as soon as possible during business hours. Foundation House reserves the right to decide whether the particular post falls into any of the categories described above.

6. We will endeavour to answer your questions as accurately and honestly as we can. Sometimes we may not have the answers immediately so we may but we will always acknowledge your posts and respond in a timely manner.

7. Social media operates 24 hours a day but as a non-profit organisation, we do not have the resources to moderate posts after standard business hours of 9am-5pm or on weekends or public holidays. Comments and content posted after hours will be responded to as quickly as possible during business hours. Foundation House reserves the right to permanently ban users who breach any of these guidelines. Foundation House is not in any manner responsible for content posted by others. We:
• Do not endorse any opinions expressed by users on this page.
• Cannot ensure that a post that is in violation of these Community Rules and Guidelines will not appear on the page or remain there for any particular time period.
• Do not have an obligation to respond to any particular post. You acknowledge that by providing you with the ability to post and view content on the page, we are merely acting as a passive conduit for such distribution and we are not undertaking any obligation or liability relating to any content or activities of users on the page. You acknowledge and agree that the information, materials and opinions expressed or included in any content are not Foundation House’s and may not be the same as ours. Any use of any content on this page will be at your own risk.

All Foundation House offices - Brunswick, Dallas, Dandenong, Ringwood, Sunshine and Werribee - will be closed from 2:30p...
22/12/2025

All Foundation House offices - Brunswick, Dallas, Dandenong, Ringwood, Sunshine and Werribee - will be closed from 2:30pm on Wednesday December 24th and re-open on Monday January 5 2026 at 9am.

We look forward to working with you again in 2026.

A Statement of Solidarity following the Bondi shootings from the Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture a...
16/12/2025

A Statement of Solidarity following the Bondi shootings from the Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma.

Foundation House offices will be closed for a short break from Wednesday December 24th at 2:30pm and will re-open on Mon...
15/12/2025

Foundation House offices will be closed for a short break from Wednesday December 24th at 2:30pm and will re-open on Monday January 5th 2026 at 9am.

We wish our clients, colleagues, stakeholders and supporters the very best for the festive season.

Today - December 10 - is International Human Rights Day.Today we pause to reflect on the importance of dignity, safety a...
09/12/2025

Today - December 10 - is International Human Rights Day.

Today we pause to reflect on the importance of dignity, safety and freedom for all people.

For Foundation House, this day is close to our heart.

We work alongside individuals and families from refugee backgrounds who have experienced torture or trauma, and we see every day how human rights are essential to healing and belonging.

Today we:
✨ Acknowledge the strength and resilience of the people we support
✨ Honour the values that guide our work
✨ Celebrate our dedicated Foundation House staff
✨ Reaffirm our commitment to a world where everyone can live free from violence, persecution and fear

Thank you for supporting us to work toward our vision - today and every day.

Human rights belong to all of us.

A historic milestone for Australia.On November 28, the Department of Home Affairs announced that Australia has now grant...
04/12/2025

A historic milestone for Australia.

On November 28, the Department of Home Affairs announced that Australia has now granted one million refugee and humanitarian visas since the end of World War 2.

This is much more than a number - it represents one million stories of courage, loss, resilience and hope. It reflects Australia’s long tradition of offering safety and hope to people fleeing danger, persecution and torture.

At Foundation House, we celebrate the strength and contributions of individuals and families who have rebuilt their lives here. Their cultural, social and economic contributions shape the communities we are proud to be part of.

We are honoured to walk alongside people from refugee backgrounds every day - and we remain committed to supporting recovery, healing and belonging.

The whole Foundation House team came together last week for our All-Staff Strategic Planning Session — a rare, meaningfu...
01/12/2025

The whole Foundation House team came together last week for our All-Staff Strategic Planning Session — a rare, meaningful (and happy) chance to pause, connect, and align.

It was an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve come from, understand where we are now, and imagine the road ahead.

Together, we’re strengthening our shared purpose: achieving the best possible outcomes for the people from refugee backgrounds we support, their communities, and the broader worlds they interact with.

We're grateful for the dedication, heart and expertise every single team member brings to this work.

30/11/2025

When the world shifts, our care must shift with it.

At the 2026 Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement Conference, we’ll explore how global events impact displaced communities and what it takes to provide responsive, trauma-informed care locally.



https://fasstt.eventsair.com/anzrtrrc4/registration/Site/Landing

30/11/2025

When the world shifts, our care must shift with it. 🌍💛

At the 2026 Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement Conference, we’ll explore how global events impact displaced communities and what it takes to provide responsive, trauma-informed care locally.

Register now.

We’re delighted to share that a new video, “Supporting the inclusion of families and children from refugee backgrounds”,...
27/11/2025

We’re delighted to share that a new video, “Supporting the inclusion of families and children from refugee backgrounds”, was officially launched last month at Holy Child Primary School.

This project is really special.

Created by our Early Years team in partnership with the Hume Advisory Group, the video features heartfelt messages from families from refugee backgrounds. They share, in their own words, what helps them feel welcomed, included, and valued when they engage with early years services and schools.

What makes this work unique is the active involvement of families at every stage: consultation, planning, filming, and final refinement. Their voices guide the message, ensuring authenticity, respect, and deep insight.

Funded by the Department of Education, Victoria, the video features children from infancy through the early years of school - a deliberate choice to highlight how relevant these messages are for maternal and child health teams, playgroups, early learning services, and schools.

We hope this resource inspires and supports early years professionals to create environments where families feel empowered, and where every child’s learning, development and wellbeing is supported.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to the families and the Hume Advisory Group for their leadership, wisdom and generosity.

Watch:

This video showcases powerful, firsthand messages from families from refugee backgrounds with young children, sharing what makes them feel truly included and valued…

Everyone deserves to be safe, equal and respected.But right now, in Australia, that isn’t the reality. More than 1 in 3 ...
27/11/2025

Everyone deserves to be safe, equal and respected.

But right now, in Australia, that isn’t the reality. More than 1 in 3 women have experienced men’s violence.

Not all disrespect leads to violence against women – but all violence
against women begins with disrespect. All of us have the power to change that by respecting women wherever we live, learn, work and play.

At Foundation House, we are working with communities every day to help prevent violence against women.

Join the 16 Days of Activism campaign from November 25 to December 10 and help build communities where women are safe and equal.

To learn more about 16 Days of Activism visit: https://bit.ly/3XiwbNU

👏🏽
19/11/2025

👏🏽

Today, Leah and Mal were proud to receive the Certificate of completion for completing the Refugee Education Support Program on behalf of DCC. This work has strengthened our understanding of how to support students and families and helped us continue building meaningful connections with families of refugee backgrounds. We’re excited to keep growing this work and creating a welcoming, inclusive start for every child and family. Thank you to Foundation House and Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) for your support. It truly takes a village.

Address

4 Gardiner Street
Brunswick, VIC
3056

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61393898900

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