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.
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.
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 non-clinical 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: Non-clinical session
Don’t live in Hobart? 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:
Alina Thomas has an established career in the Community Sector with over 30 years of experience across health and community projects with a focus on women’s rights, health and wellbeing. Residing in nipaluna/Hobart, lutruwita/Tasmania, she is a spokesperson on family violence and gender inequality. For the past 13 years she has served as the CEO of Engender Equality, where she has developed Engender’s therapeutic services and delivered comprehensive family violence prevention and response strategies. She holds a degree in Social Sciences (Community Services) and a postgraduate degree in Women’s Studies. She has also trained under the United Nations in Gender Mainstreaming. She is a dedicated ally to people who use illicit drugs, sex workers, and criminalised women. She advocates for rights, safety, and dignity, working to challenge entrenched stigma and systemic barriers.
Shell is a passionate domestic, family and sexual violence advocate who is engaged with a number of Tasmanian and interstate Government and community organisations, using her lived experience and insights to help improve the primary health care response to domestic, family and sexual violence and is currently co-facilitating the Pathways to Safety training program nationally for Safer Families Centre. She has an interest in domestic, family and sexual violence technology facilitated abuse and she has participated in many research opportunities that seek to encapsulate domestic, family and sexual violence short- and long-term repercussions that detrimentally affects an individual and their community and Australia as a whole.
Disclaimer: De‑identified 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
Identifying and Responding to Domestic and Family Violence eLearning Module
Participants are encouraged to complete the 90‑minute Identifying and Responding to Family Violence eLearning module prior to attending this session. Completion of the course attracts 1.5 hours of RACGP and ACRRM educational activities.
The self paced module introduces key concepts around the nature, prevalence and impact of family violence, guidance on safe enquiry, responding to disclosures and referral pathways.
Enrol in the fully funded eLearning Module here. For more information on Strengthening the response to family and sexual violence in Tasmania: A primary care learning initiative including Pathways to Safety workshops and collaborative learning opportunities, visit the Primary Health Tasmania website