General practitioners and clinical staff are the highest professional group disclosed to by individuals experiencing family and sexual violence, yet many feel they lack the resources, confidence or strategies to respond safely and effectively. Evidence shows a full‑time GP may see up to five unidentified women experiencing abuse each week.
The Pathways to Safety workshop, developed by the Safer Families Centre, the University of Melbourne, is a practice-centred education program designed to strengthen the clinical skills required to recognise, respond and refer patients experiencing family and sexual violence using a trauma- and violence-informed approach.
“A health professional may be the only person that sees a victim who is experiencing family violence. Your report could save a life.”
Jasmine, WEAVERS lived experience group
“The training changed my own feelings of readiness to bring up the topic of FV.”
Adam, GP training participant
This workshop will provide practical tools and knowledge to help distinguish patients presenting with signs of family and sexual violence, assess safety risks, apply appropriate first line responses and connect patients and families with appropriate services.
Additional workshops for practice staff will be offered to provide a whole-of-practice approach to addressing the issue of family and sexual violence. Details can be found here:
Don’t live in north-west Tasmania? Please submit an expression of interest to be notified when a workshop will be held in your area via this form.
Learning outcomes:
- Identify respectful and culturally safe ways to engage with patients experiencing family and sexual violence and assess risks.
- Distinguish families presenting with symptoms and signs of family and sexual violence.
- Assess safety risks for women and children experiencing family and sexual violence.
- Apply appropriate clinical responses to disclosures of family and sexual violence in Tasmanian general practice, including assessing readiness to take action, supporting safety planning, and facilitating access to Tasmanian support services and referral pathways.
- Assess current clinic protocols and resources for responding to family and sexual violence to identify areas where changes are needed to enhance response.
Speaker information:
Anjelina (Anj) is a family violence specialist who brings deep practice experience, critical insight, and a strong commitment to social change. With a background in education and social work, she has worked in the specialist family violence sector for over ten years as a therapeutic practitioner, therapeutic practice lead, and educator. Anj’s work is informed by an intersectional feminist framework and a human rights lens, with a particular focus on power, privilege, and systemic harm. She approaches education as a relational and reflective practice, prioritising learning environments that are safe, accessible, and responsive to the lived experiences of participants. Through dialogue, shared understanding, and allyship, Anj seeks to support meaningful shifts in practice and contribute to more just responses to family and sexual violence.
Further speaker information will be shared soon.
Disclaimer: Deidentified registration and evaluation data for this workshop will be shared with the SAX Institute for reporting to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. All data handling will comply with Primary Health Tasmania’s ISO27001 Certification requirements