General News
13 June, 2024
Family violence training for GPs
GPs in the Central Goldfields Shire could play a major role in responding to family violence cases with free training now available for interested practices. The opportunity is being offered by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN)...
GPs in the Central Goldfields Shire could play a major role in responding to family violence cases with free training now available for interested practices.
The opportunity is being offered by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN), through an innovative training program — Family Violence A-LIVES (Ask, Listen, Inquire, Validate, Enhance Safety) Training and Support Package.
Designed for GPs by GPs, the aim of the package is to empower healthcare professionals in addres-sing family violence with their patients, by embodying a holistic method.
“[Responding] to family violence requires a multifaceted approach, across many key groups and individuals,” WVPHN primary care project lead Emily Leary said.
“Obviously we’re looking at a lot of initiatives focused on early inter-vention and access to services.
“I think GPs are a really critical gateway because the fact is, family violence is a health issue as much as it’s a human rights and welfare issue.”
According to latest statistics published by the Crime Statistics Agency, eight local government areas in western Victoria, including the Central Goldfields, are part of the 20 areas with the highest incidence of reported family violence in Victoria.
“Family violence doesn’t dis-criminate in terms of where you live but we know that regional and rural communities face [additional] challenges in terms of accessing services,” Ms Leary said.
“Which absolutely means that we need to encourage GPs in these regions to take up the offer to get trained.”
According to Ms Leary, the training and support package aims to foster a healthcare environment where patients feel seen, heard, and safely guided towards the help they need.
“The issue of family violence is really front of mind at the moment and we just want to make the case that this is a fantastic opportunity for general practices to show leadership,” she said.
“We want them to take the first step — we don’t want GPs to think we’re expecting them to be specialists in family violence but rather that this training is designed to really improve the way in which they’re equipped to respond.
“It’s really just acknowledging that we are not asking GPs to do more than what they have scope to do, but to say that this is something that you can do to show your community that you’re wanting to improve health outcomes for the people that you’re working with.”
Primary health professionals who participate in the training program receive a $2000 payment toward their practice.
This one-off financial incentive acknowledges the effort required to facilitate this critical training. This opportunity is open to any general practice located within the WVPHN region.
Applications need to be submitted by 5 pm, Sunday, June 16, 2024.
For more details visit westvicphn.com.au/ wp-content/ uploads/2024/05/A-LIVES-Supporting-Information-Sheet.pdf
For additional support, contact: tenders@westvicphn.com.au.