Primary care grant to help Tasmanians affected by violence
Posted on August 25, 2023
Primary Health Tasmania welcomes a new Australian Government funding grant that will result in better access to support services for Tasmanians affected by family, domestic and sexual violence.
The Government announced on 24 August that Primary Health Tasmania (Tasmania PHN) had been successful in its application for a Supporting the Primary Care Response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence PHN Pilot grant.
Primary Health Tasmania spokesperson Susan Powell said the grant will be used to develop education, training and resources to help GPs and other primary care providers care for victim-survivors and connect them with specialist support services.
“Exposure to family, domestic or sexual violence – including child sexual violence – can cause long-term effects on a person’s health, wellbeing and relationships,” she said.
“GPs are one important avenue to access care, with many victim-survivors visiting their GP while experiencing abuse.
“They are also often seeing both the victim-survivor and the person using violence.
“This project will give them and other primary healthcare providers the knowledge and skills they need to provide the best possible care to people affected by violence and refer them into the range of excellent specialist support services available.”
Ms Powell said a large part of the project will focus on building collaboration between primary care and specialist support services so there is a more coordinated approach to supporting victim-survivors.
“Our first step would be further consultation with the family, domestic and sexual violence support sectors and survivors to get a deeper understanding of local needs, challenges and opportunities so activities funded could be as targeted as possible,” she said.
“We are grateful for the expert advice we received in preparing the application that has resulted in this extra funding coming to Tasmania.
“We look forward to working with the support sectors, the primary care sector and survivors to better understand needs and then develop and put in place a program that will really make a difference for people affected by violence.”
Primary Health Tasmania will receive a total of $5.4 million in grant funding, with the grant period ending on 30 June 2026.
If you or someone you know is experiencing or at risk of experiencing family, domestic, or sexual violence, you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.