Monash University has developed Australia\u2019s first training course accredited by multiple professional bodies to help health professionals and frontline workers better recognise and respond to victims of sexual violence.
\nOver the next 18 months the training will be delivered to hundreds of health professionals including GPs and nurses in rural and remote areas who work regularly with patients at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence.
\nMinister for Women\u2019s Safety Anne Ruston visited Monash University\u2019s Department of Forensic Medicine which received $4.5 million from the Morrison Government to develop and implement the training across Australia in partnership with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
\n\u201cIt is vital that when someone discloses an experience of sexual violence their disclosure is handled with care and this training arms healthcare professionals with that expertise,\u201d Minister Ruston said.
\n\u201cCourse participants will learn about all forms of sexual violence and how to identify risk factors and respond to disclosures in culturally sensitive and appropriate ways, including developing an understanding of referral pathways, protective support services and justice options.
\n\u201cImportantly the training covers how to identify medical presentations and diagnoses that may be indicators of sexual violence so we can intervene sooner and ensure victims get the support they need immediately.\u201d
\nFederal Member for Higgins Katie Allen said the new training package has clearly met demand with 77 expressions of interest received from health professionals for the first unit on offer which was already at capacity with 25 people enrolled.
\n\u201cWhat sets this training a part is that each six-hour unit will be delivered over a six-week period and will accrue Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points towards a health practitioner\u2019s annual professional development registration requirement,\u201d Dr Allen said.
\n\u201cThis initiative is a significant step in changing the dial with how medical practitioners can identify and better support women traumatised by violence.\u201d
\nFuture course participants will also include social workers, youth workers, Indigenous frontline workers, teachers, police and corrections staff, psychologists, counsellors, disability workers, legal professionals, aged care workers, not-for-profit support organisation staff, community and faith leaders, and human resources professionals.
\nThe curriculum lead for this project, Associate Professor David Wells, Senior Education Coordinator for Monash University\u2019s Department of Forensic Medicine, said sexual violence was pervasive, destructive and criminal behaviour and impacts the lives of thousands of Australians every year.
\n\u201cA large amount of my professional life has been spent assisting victims in the days and weeks after they have experienced such an assault, and for many victims, life never returns to normal,\u201d Associate Professor Wells said.
\n\u201cThe physical, emotional and social impacts can be brutal and crippling, and the damage is not confined to the victim. There can be long term negative impacts to the next generation, to communities, and wider society.
\n\u201cWhile there has been a lot of work done on improving frontline workers\u2019 understanding of domestic and family violence, there is limited awareness of how to recognise and respond to disclosures of sexual violence in ways that support recovery.
\n\u201cThis program is a key element in early intervention and improving frontline workers\u2019 ability to provide trauma-informed care and planning to support long term recovery.\u201d
\nThe first unit of face-to-face training will be delivered via Zoom on 16 August 2021 and has been accredited by multiple professional bodies including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the College of Emergency Medicine and the College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
\nEach module will be supported with practical guidelines and assessment tools, and units two and three are expected to be delivered later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monash University has developed Australia\u2019s first training course accredited by multiple professional bodies to help health professionals and frontline workers better recognise and respond to victims of sexual violence. Over the next 18 months the training will be delivered to hundreds of health professionals including GPs and nurses in rural and remote areas who work … Continue reading “Australia\u2019s first accredited training for health practitioners and frontline workers to improve responses to victims of sexual violence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}