We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Primary Health Tasmania to strengthen the primary care response to family, domestic, and sexual violence and child sexual abuse.

Soon to be launched, our program will be offering a range of online and face to face education to all primary care providers in Tasmania. Together, we’re working to build safer pathways for those experiencing family violence by equipping providers with the tools and confidence to respond effectively and link patients with appropriate services and support.

This program has been made possible through Australian Government funding for the Supporting the Primary Care Response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence initiative.

We had the privilege of hosting the session Breaking the silence: understanding and addressing suicidal ideation in the context of domestic and family violence (DFV). This impactful event, organised in collaboration with North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) part of our Community of Practice series stemming from the Pathways to Safety program in Northwest Melbourne.

The session was expertly led by Magdalena Simonis, Lily Fetter, and Rodney Vlais who together facilitated an engaging and informative session. Their approach not only provided valuable insights but also fostered a collaborative atmosphere, encouraging attendees to share experiences and learn from one another. Participants were able to engage in in-depth discussions on the intersection of suicidal ideation and DFV through an interactive workshop exploring best practices for identification and intervention. The session demonstrated how a community practice model can be used effectively.

We were proud to be a part of the recent AAAPC Annual Research Conference this month in regional Geelong, Victoria where Australasia's leading primary care research was showcased. Research Fellow at the Safer Families Centre, Dr Fiona Giles presented on The Readiness Program, our national DFV training program which has been accessed by well over 5,000 primary care workers across Australia. The training has been shown to improve the primary care response to domestic and family violence. Participants have reported greater awareness, self-efficacy and emotional readiness to address DFV, and comfort in asking about DFV following our program’s attendance, particularly from the intensive in-practice training sessions well known as ‘Pathways to Safety’.  In addition to this we have co-delivered training in partnership with a number of Primary Health Networks reaching an additional 1,000 plus staff. Stay tuned for the launch of a new program commencing with Primary Health Tasmania.

To find out more or to book for training visit The Readiness Program.

Health settings could enable earlier engagement with people who use violence. By focussing on motivation for change, GPs and mental health practitioners have great potential to build conversations around behaviours in relationships and encourage people who use violence to seek help. But the health system needs to be resourced to train and support practitioners to do this.

Read more from Kelsey Hegarty in The Conversation.

Another cohort of our WEAVERs members have had their first experience embedding lived expertise into the teaching of medical students, helping them learn to identify, engage, and assist victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence.

We look forward to expanding this important initiative to nurse practitioner, dental, and social work students.

Pictured: Staff and WEAVER members from Safer Families.