Primary Health Tasmania has partnered with the Safer Families Centre at the University of Melbourne to deliver education that supports both clinical and non-clinical primary care staff in Tasmania to identify and respond to family and sexual violence.
GPs are a crucial entry point to support for many victim-survivors and complement the support service launched by Engender Equality earlier this year. This education aims to strengthen the primary care response by:
supporting early identification and intervention for family and sexual violence and child sexual abuse
enhancing health system navigation and warm referral pathways
integrating general practices with Tasmania’s specialist family and sexual violence services.
Strengthening the response to family and sexual violence in Tasmania will consist of online modules and face-to-face workshops, delivered as part of a whole-of-practice approach to build confidence and capability across all staff. The content has been tailored specifically for Tasmania through close collaboration between Primary Health Tasmania and the Safer Families Centre.
Face-to-face workshops
Primary Health Tasmania is offering separate Pathways to Safety workshops for general practice clinical and practice staff across the state to support a whole‑of‑practice response to family and sexual violence.
The clinical workshops will provide GPs and clinicians with practical, trauma‑informed tools to recognise, respond and refer. The practice staff workshops for reception, administrative and practice management teams will focus on creating safer practice environments and supporting patients within scope of role.
Thus far, clinical and practice staff workshops have been held in southern Tasmania (Hobart).
There are two upcoming workshops in the north-west (Devonport). For more information and to register, please the event pages below:
There are two eLearning modules designed for GPs and other primary care providers: Identifying and responding to domestic and family violence and Identify and Respond to Intimate Partner Sexual Violence & Reproductive Coercion.
Module 1: Identifying and responding to domestic and family violence
Designed for GPs and other primary care providers, the Identifying and Responding to Domestic and Family Violence and Identify eLearning module is also relevant for practice managers, reception and administrative staff. This module will enhance your understanding of what can be achieved in the primary care setting to better respond to the needs of patients experiencing family violence. It will assist you in providing a first-line response to patients experiencing family violence, including how to sensitively enquire, assess risk and understand safety considerations, and understand options for support and referrals.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Discuss the nature, prevalence, and impact of domestic and family violence.
Enquire sensitively to a diverse range of patients about domestic and family violence.
Assess the level of risk and safety of patients experiencing domestic and family violence.
Provide a first-line response addressing the needs of patients, including brief safety planning and options for support and referrals.
Distinguish methods and resources for changing the environment you work in and getting support for yourself.
eLearning module 2
Module 2: Identify and Respond to Intimate Partner Sexual Violence & Reproductive Coercion
People who experience sexual violence have an increased risk of poor mental and physical health, including chronic conditions, sexually transmitted infections, depression and anxiety. Victim/survivors have greater usage of healthcare systems, and much of this is a result of preventable conditions. As a result, sexual violence costs the economy more than cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or HIV. It is critical that health services rise to the challenge of identifying and responding to sexual violence so that we can reduce the prevalence of trauma, and increase safety for victim/survivors.
Learning Outcomes
Discuss the prevalence and impacts of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) and reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA) in intimate relationships
Describe the nature and context of various forms of sexual violence and RCA in intimate relationships and explain why it can be difficult to recognise these experiences
Inquire sensitively to a diverse range of patients about their experiences of IPSV and RCA
Provide a first line response to patients disclosing IPSV or RCA, including validation of experiences, safety planning and options for support and referrals both nationally and in Tasmania
Please read the enrolment instructions below.
How to enrol in eLearning
Click here to enrol in module 1 and here to enrol in module 2
Clicking the ‘add to cart’ button will take you to an order and enrolment form (you will not be charged)
Once you complete the forms and check out of your shopping cart, you will receive two confirmation emails from the University of Melbourne (your University of Melbourne order confirmation and invoice for your University of Melbourne order). These emails can be ignored.
To access the eLearning module please wait for a Welcome to the learning portal email from mobile-learning@unimelb.edu.au and then click the Access here button
Please check your junk mail if you do not receive your Welcome email within 15 minutes
Once activated, you can access the module at any time you wish. Please bookmark the learning portal link: https://mlu-portal.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au so you can return to the course whenever required using the login and password provided to you upon enrolment
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine CPD hours for GPs are administered once you have completed the module and answered all the mandatory assessment questions. You can then make a request for a Completion Certificate.
