Training Resources to Support Clinicians

By: Queensland Health
QUEENSLAND, AU – The health system is often a first point of contact for individuals who have experienced domestic and family violence. Queensland Health has developed a toolkit of resources to help health workers respond appropriately if they become aware of an incident or disclosure of domestic and family violence.

Strengthening the health system response to violence against women

One in three women throughout the world will experience physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or sexual violence by a non-partner. This violence has a wide range of short- and long-term health consequences. The health system is a place where women who have experienced violence can go in order to receive services and support for their physical and mental health needs.

Video transcript
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and the Queensland Police Service (QPS) are often the frontline first responders to incidents of domestic and family violence. In recognition of this QAS and QPS collaborated in the development of the training video below to be used to raise health worker awareness of the challenges faced by first responders.

Video transcript

Training

Read the Health workforce domestic and family violence training guideline (PDF 308kB)
Domestic and Family Violence train-the-trainer sessions have been facilitated in HHSs and private health services throughout Queensland.  Health workers and professionals in both the private and public sectors can request to participate in DFV training for the health workforce be delivered by skilled, local trainers. If you would like to find out your local DFV training contact, please email StrategicPolicy@health.qld.gov.au.

Understanding Domestic and Family Violence

The Understanding Domestic and Family Violence training module aims to raise awareness of domestic and family violence among all health workers, and provides guidance on how to respond to a disclosure of domestic and family violence.
It provides information for all health workers, both clinical and non-clinical, in public and private health facilities.

The information is also available in other formats:

Clinical response to Domestic and Family Violence

The Clinical response to Domestic and Family Violence training module aims to support clinicians working in a range of clinical areas (e.g. maternity services, emergency department and mental health) to identify domestic and family violence through a sensitive inquiry model and to respond appropriately.

Train the trainer

These train the trainer resources are targeted towards clinical leads in domestic and family violence from a range of clinical areas.

  • Facilitators guide (PDF 12.4MB) designed to help trainers in your organisation provide face to face training sessions.
  • Training presentation (PPT 4.4MB) to support the delivery of the face to face training sessions.

Referral model

A Referral model (PDF 2.7MB) and flowchart (PDF 2.9MB) have been developed to guide clinicians through the process of referring a client to specialist services, in cases where this becomes necessary.

Information sharing guidelines

The Domestic and Family Violence Information Sharing Guidelines support the implementation of new information sharing provisions under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012. The guidelines support practitioners to share information appropriately with each other in order to appropriately assess and manage domestic and family violence risk, and in a manner consistent with legislative amendments.
A quick-reference DFV Information Sharing Factsheet (PDF 82kB) and Flowchart (PDF 97kB) are also available for use by the health workforce working in busy and complex clinical environments.

Non-lethal strangulation in DFV

Non-lethal strangulation in DFV became a stand-alone criminal offence in Queensland in April 2016. The intent of a stand-alone strangulation offence is primarily to improve justice responses and to increase women’s safety. To better understand what the evidence can tell us about health responses to non-lethal strangulation in DFV, refer to Non-lethal Strangulation in Domestic and Family Violence – Literature Review (PDF 378kB).
A Non-lethal Strangulation in DFV Factsheet (PDF 170kB) and Flowchart (PDF 268kB) have been developed. These resources aim to provide the health workforce with easy-to-access, evidence-based information for use in busy clinical environments.

Background

The Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland was established to examine Queensland’s domestic and family violence support systems and make recommendations to the Premier on how the system could be improved and future incidents of domestic violence could be prevented. The Not Now Not Ever: Putting an end to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland report was presented to the Premier in February 2015.

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) is a Commonwealth-funded not-for-profit company established to deliver relevant and translatable research evidence which drives policy and practice leading to a reduction in the levels of violence against women and their children.
Last updated: 9 January 2018
Article Source: Training Resources to Support Clinicians

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