No images? Click here Dear colleagues To those who worked throughout January, we hope your start to the working year was as gentle as possible, and to those who've just come off leave; welcome back! A few February updates from us:
Wishing you a fabulous February 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. Upcoming Community of Practice eventWednesday 23 February 2022 Presenters:
A new report has found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up almost 30% of hospitalisation due to family or domestic violence. Research shows that First Nations people, particularly women and children, are disproportionately affected by family violence, including family members who are not themselves Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This violence affects entire communities and kinship networks. It’s important to recognise that family violence involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people cannot be viewed outside of the history and contemporary experiences of dispossession, colonisation, institutionalisation and the impacts of child removal policies. These systemic failures have resulted in a number of challenges for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing family violence; barriers to services, misidentification of victim survivor status, discrimination, and state-imposed violence, among others. Presenters for this event will be confirmed soon. Register here. Updates from VAADAWe've worked to update the Family Violence pages on the VAADA website. Here's a little about each page and what information they hold:
Red Flags reworkWe're in the process of re-working the popular "Red Flags" poster which outlines all the high-risk factors for victim survivors. The updated poster will be both MARAM aligned and situated within an AOD context, with key examples to how reach red flag might be interpreted when working with a victim survivor who uses alcohol and other drugs. We're looking for feedback! We've started drafting the information that will be on the poster (including examples), and we'd love your feedback. Please click here to see the text and leave any comments directly on the document or by emailing 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 trainingThe Victorian Government has provided support to VAADA to administer a fully-funded, centralised workforce development program for the AOD sector until December 2022. This training and professional development program - Elevate! - is available to all AOD workforce currently employed within funded AOD services across Victoria. Want to get started? STEP 1: Browse upcoming training
STEP 2: Sign up to become a member
STEP 3: Enrol with your chosen provider
MARAM Training eLearn: MARAM Brief and Intermediate eLearn course for practitioners working with victim survivors
eLearn: MARAM Foundations: Your understanding of family violence eLearn
Unsure which MARAM training is right for you? Consult the MARAM training decision tree. News from the FV sector"When their manhood is threatened, some men respond more aggressively than others. New research suggests who may be most triggered by such threats - younger men whose sense of masculinity depends heavily on other people's opinions." Read more on Science Daily. "A link between domestic violence and job losses and other economic stressors during the pandemic has been confirmed by a new study." Read more on the ABC. "Our analysis offers new insights into the ways in which practitioners pivoted their services to respond remotely to women experiencing violence and the challenges of effectively undertaking safety planning and risk assessment without face-to-face contact." Read more on Wiley Online Library. "The first allocation of money from a total $260 million granted by the commonwealth under the National Partnership on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence has been released to state and territory governments." Read more on The Mandarin. Resources to support your practiceMARAM Person Using Violence Guides: What Now? Web SeriesNo To Violence's webinar series - "What Now?" - aims to help workforces familiarise themselves with the newly released MARAM Practice Guides. These webinars will not be replacing any MARAM training in 2022. Responsibility 3: Intermediate Risk Assessment Watch the recordings: (video pw: NTVWHATNOW) No to Violence has created a helpful fact sheet to explain and promote the roles and responsibilities of the Victorian Specialist Family Violence Advisors. You can view/download here. Wed 23 March 2022 This presentation provides an overview of the demographic and professional profile of AOD workers with lived and living experience, and how wellbeing can be supported and promoted among this group from an organisational perspective. Tue 15 February 2022 Register for MHPN’s ‘Coercive control and its impact on mental health’ webinar on Tuesday 15 February 2022 at 7:15pm (AEDT) to gain a better understanding of how to identify coercive behaviours, their impact on mental health and practical ways to support affected individuals. 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 directoryMARAM and Information SharingContact the Information Sharing and MARAM Enquiry Line for practice and policy guidance.
Contact the Specialist Family Violence Adviser in your area Secondary consultationsAre 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:
Contact us if you're unsure and we'll help refer you; familyviolence@vaada.org.au Save to your desktopCoined by legal scholar, Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, Intersectionality refers to "the ways in which different aspects of a person's identity can expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalisation." It's important we embed an intersectional approach into all our work, becoming aware of the diversity of our client's needs, circumstances, identities and the types of discrimination they may encounter. The intersection wheel below is a visual representation of the interplay between someone's identity/circumstance and the systems of oppression they might rub against. |