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Edition 2 - December 2021
Dear colleagues
It feels surreal that it's already December, and yet here we are! While this edition is only our second, it's also our final for 2021. A few things to note:
- MARAM Training Calendar has been updated for December. It includes information on the newly released Screening and Identification eLearn. We're told that the Brief and Intermediate eLearn should be released within the month.
- The recording for our Community of Practice event on Working with adults who use family violence is now available to (re)visit via Youtube. We'll have more details on upcoming COP events for 2022 soon.
- We've been busy creating summary posters based on the MARAM Practice Guides (scroll down to bottom of this newsletter). Please let us know if you find these useful, or not useful at all - any feedback would be appreciated. Note: these are high-level supplementary resources, the online practice guides contain much greater detail (including examples).
- Specialist Family Violence Advisors guidelines and reporting templates have been released. You can find a link to them on our website which includes a SFVA contact directory.
A big thank you to everyone that has subscribed. It's been a tough year, not least for the AOD sector, and we really hope you take a bit of time for yourselves and your loved ones during the holidays. Remember to stay safe and enjoy the sun (sunscreen mandatory).
Happy holidays,
Dejan Jotanovic and Sheridon Byrne
P.S. See something missing, or something that you think other clinicians, team leads or organisational leaders need to be made aware? Let us know! We're happy to receive any and all editorial input. You can email us at familyviolence@vaada.org.au.
Updated monthly, the MARAM Training Calendar lists all upcoming training for AOD clinicians, practitioners, team leaders, managers and CEOs. It also included foundational training in the dynamics of family violence and Information Sharing Schemes.
Professional development and training
This Program meets equivalency for all seven principles included in the new Mandatory Minimum Qualifications, enabling graduates to work as Specialist Family Violence practitioners.
RMIT’s Graduate Certificate in Domestic and Family Violence provides an exciting opportunity for current and future family violence practitioners, with subjects in gendered violence, responding to family violence, primary prevention of violence against women and specialist case coordination and management. The program is offered online and part-time to support your work/life/study balance. For more information, visit the Program Overview.
MARAM Training
[NEW] eLearn: MARAM Victim Survivor Screening and Identification
Provider: Department of Health
Delivery mode: eLearning self-paced (three modules, each module 20-25 minutes)
Audience: Professionals who may identify family violence is occurring and who engage with people in a one-off, episodic or ongoing service environment and are in a position to identify or screen for family violence. If your work has a greater level of family violence response, please choose Brief and Intermediate.
- Register here
Unsure which MARAM training is right for you? Consult the MARAM training decision tree.
News from the FV sector
"Victoria Police has launched a landmark policy for dealing with perpetrators of family violence in its ranks that it claims will stop abusive officers from being given "special treatment" and prioritise victims' safety." Read more on ABC News.
"A one-off payment of $5,000 from the federal government will be available to women escaping violent relationships, from Tuesday.
The support includes financial assistance of up to $1,500 in cash and other payments to go towards rental bonds, school fees and other essential goods and services to set up a safe home." Read more on The Mandarin.
"The Safe Always campaign features four images of LGBTIQ couples juxtaposed with various headline texts about family violence - informed by the lived experience of LGBTIQ people.
The aim is to grab the attention of viewers and achieve a wider recognition of LGBTIQ family violence amongst mainstream service providers and community as well as raise awareness within LGBTIQ communities of experiences of violence that may otherwise remain hidden." Read more on Thorne Harbour Health.
"Australia needs to view violence against women as a problem for male perpetrators, not the victims, if it is to make progress in stopping the scourge, the nation’s leading organisation in the field warns." Read more on The Sydney Morning Herald.
Resources to support your practice
Organised through the Centre for Mental Health Learning, this panel discussion provides an opportunity to hear from a Psychiatrist, Dual Diagnosis Clinician and Nurse, Allied Health clinician and a Mental Health Specialist Family Violence Advisor about how they address family violence in their work.
While pitched at mental health agencies, many of the issues can be applied to AOD. Watch here.
The recording to our 11 November community of practice event on, Working with adults who use family violence, is now available to watch via youtube.
The event featured Erin Lockington and Mark Richards from No To Violence, speaking to the MARAM Practice Guides and what best practice might look like, respectively.
If in doubt, remember to consult the MARAM Navigator on the VAADA website, or reach out to your Specialist Family Violence Advisers for a consult.
Support directory
MARAM and Information Sharing
Contact the Information Sharing and MARAM Enquiry Line for practice and policy guidance.
- 1800 549 646 (10am-2pm, Mon-Fri)
Contact the Specialist Family Violence Adviser in your area
Secondary consultations
Are you working with someone who has, is, or you suspect will use or experience family violence? Here is who you can contact for additional support and guidance:
- Men's Referral Service (operated by No To Violence) - 1300 766 491
- SafeSteps - 1800 015 188
Contact us if you're unsure and we'll help refer you; familyviolence@vaada.org.au
Save these to your desktop
To help you familiarise yourself with the MARAM Practice Guides for working with adults who use family violence, we're creating "at a glance" posters for each responsibility. You can view and download posters for Responsibilities 1 and 2 here.
These posters are a high-level look at Responsibility 1: Respectful, sensitive and safe engagement and Responsibility 2: Identification of family violence risk. Aimed at being a supplementary resource for your learning, we still suggest scrolling through the online resource as you'll find much more detail and examples of best practice.
