Domestic and Family Violence education program available now for primary care providers in Australia
The Safer Families Centre, SAFE Team is leading 'The Readiness Program’ – Primary care’s readiness to address domestic and family violence, a national domestic and family violence (DFV) training program for those working in primary care.
The training program offers the following learning options:
- Suite of one-hour e-learning modules;
- Workshops (virtual classrooms) on a range of topics;
- Webinar series hosted by RACGP; and
- ‘Pathways to Safety’, practice-centred training program offering accredited in-practice education, tools and support for a whole of practice response to DFV.
- For those in Victoria, the training includes what GPs need to know for MARAM and information sharing schemes (this component has been funded by the Victorian Government).
The 5th edition of the RACGP Abuse and violence - Working with our patients in general practice (White Book) has also just been released and is being promoted in tandem with The Readiness Program, as well as the upcoming release of a new Special White Book chapter for Victorian GPs on Implementing Victorian information-sharing schemes in primary care.
Evidence shows primary care providers have a crucial role to play in addressing DFV. At least one in 10 women attending general practice will have experienced DFV, and it is estimated a full-time GP sees up to five unidentified abused women per week. Even so, GPs are the professional group most-likely to be disclosed to by current survivors, even more than police. The Readiness Program, available through the Safer Families Centre, will help to streamline pathways and reinforce a team approach to recognition and referral.
Please support the SAFE team by communicating to your networks about the program to help strengthen the knowledge, skills and confidence of the primary care sector to identify, respond and refer individuals and families experiencing DFV.
Access the learning or find out more at http://www.saferfamilies.org.au/readiness-program
