A 3 hour workshop for practitioners in family and domestic violence services
Victim survivors do not simply endure violence; they resist it, in ways big and small, seen and unseen. This workshop invites practitioners to shift their lens from why didn’t she leave to how has she been resisting all along, grounding practice in the principles of response-based work.
Participants will explore how resistance can look like anything from openly challenging a person using violence to quiet, private acts of defiance that go unnoticed by everyone but the victim survivor themselves. The workshop unpacks the central role of social responses, from family and friends, police, courts, child protection and service providers, in shaping a victim survivor’s recovery, safety and willingness to seek help again, and examines the evidence that positive responses build cooperation and resilience while negative ones entrench silence and self-blame.
At the heart of the session is a practical skill, learning to map the pattern of a person’s use of violence alongside the pattern of a victim survivor’s resistance to it, so responsibility stays squarely with the person using violence. Participants will also grapple with the nuance in honouring resistance, recognising strength and capacity without romanticising acts that may increase risk, and explore concrete, relationship-level practices for upholding victim survivor dignity, from the language practitioners use to how they listen and reflect back a mother’s parenting efforts or a child’s attempts to keep themselves and others safe.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to see, name and build on victim survivors’ existing strategies of resistance, making practice more accurate, more respectful, and more effective.
Duration: 3 hours
Audience: Practitioners working in specialist family and domestic violence services
A 3 hour workshop for practitioners in family and domestic violence services
This workshop explores what it means to be truly child safe and inclusive in family and domestic violence (FDSV) practice, recognising children and young people as victim survivors in their own right, with their own unique experiences, risks, protective factors and strengths. It examines the evidence on how family and domestic violence impacts children and young people’s wellbeing in both the short and long term, while affirming that no child should be defined solely by the violence and trauma they have experienced.
Drawing on key principles of child-centred practice, the session covers how to prioritise children and young people’s safety and wellbeing, assess imminent risk and holistic support needs, recognise each child as an individual with unique needs and wishes, support families to care for their children wherever possible, and involve children and young people in decisions that affect their lives in developmentally appropriate ways.
Practitioners will also consider the practical and relational risks involved in child-centred support, including the impact of disclosure on a child’s safety and on relationships with non-abusive parents and siblings, and how to apply consistent, guided risk assessment for both adult and child victim survivors. The workshop addresses culturally appropriate practice across diverse family structures, the National Child Safe Principles, mandatory reporting obligations under the Children’s and Community Services Act 2004 (WA), and responding to adolescent violence in the home.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to embed child-safe, trauma-informed, and rights-based approaches into their practice, ensuring children and young people are seen, heard, and safely supported alongside the adult victim survivors in their lives.
Duration: 3 hours
Audience: Practitioners working in specialist family and domestic violence services
A 3 hour workshop for practitioners working within coordinated, multi-agency family and domestic violence responses
This workshop builds practitioners’ confidence and skill in engaging in perpetrator-facing work through a victim-centred lens, keeping the safety, voice and autonomy of victim survivors at the centre of every intervention with a person using violence.
Participants will explore how to talk with victim survivors about family and domestic violence in ways that respect the relationship they navigate, while clearly conveying that responsibility and accountability for the violence sits with the person using it. The workshop covers how to document information about a person using violence, including the risks and impacts of their behaviour, in client records, and how this information is shared with victim survivors and other services in line with policy and information sharing legislation.
A key focus is proactively involving victim survivors in decision-making and safety planning where coordinated responses activate direct intervention with a person using violence, including practice guidance for partner or mother contact roles linked to men’s behaviour change programs or other perpetrator response programs, ensuring victim survivors remain empowered to decide how communication and coordination happens, with safety prioritised throughout. The session will also address the practitioner’s role in identifying and recording systemic failures to hold people who use violence accountable, informing broader advocacy to strengthen the family and domestic violence response system.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to engage in perpetrator-facing practice that is victim-centred, accountable and integrated within coordinated multi-agency responses.
Duration: 3 hours
Audience: Practitioners engaged in coordinated and multi-agency family and domestic violence responses, including those in partner or mother contact roles
A 3 hour workshop for practitioners working with victim survivors of family and domestic violence
This workshop equips practitioners with the knowledge and practical skills to uphold victim survivors’ confidentiality and privacy rights while sharing information safely and lawfully to support risk assessment, safety planning and case management.
Participants will explore the legislative and organisational frameworks that govern confidentiality and privacy, including how to clearly communicate the extent and limits of confidentiality to victim survivors, and how personal information is collected, stored, accessed and shared in line with statutory obligations. The session will also unpack the principles of informed consent, and how information sharing under frameworks such as the CRARMF can be balanced with victim survivor autonomy and involvement in decisions that affect them, including in situations where information must be shared without consent due to duty of care or legal obligation.
Practical strategies for maintaining confidentiality across all aspects of service delivery will be covered, along with tailored approaches for enhancing privacy in regional, rural and remote settings, and with communities where trust in confidentiality may be limited.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to confidently apply confidentiality and information sharing policies in day-to-day practice, engage victim survivors transparently about their rights, and contribute to safe, risk-informed decision-making that supports both adult and child victim survivors.
Duration: 3 hours
Audience: Practitioners and case workers in family and domestic violence services
Understanding Workplace Trauma and Self-Care Strategies is a half-day interactive workshop.
This workshop helps participants to understand the body’s stress responses when exposed to high-risk cases. Participants will also identify roles and responsibilities for their well-being as well as how to support colleagues.
Participants will have the opportunity to practice self-care techniques within the workshop and to develop their own personalised self-care action plan.
Systems and Practice Bias is a one-day workshop offering a comprehensive exploration of the intricacies of providing effective support to survivors while prioritising the well-being of staff and clients.
Through a blend of theoretical frameworks, practical strategies, and interactive activities, participants will gain valuable insights into addressing systemic biases, implementing trauma-informed practices, fostering collaborative partnerships with survivors, and nurturing staff self-care and resilience.
The half-day workshop focused on understanding coercive control as a critical aspect of family violence. Participants will be introduced to the concept of coercive control through: the definition and dynamics of coercive control, impacts on victims, legal and policy frameworks, identifying coercive control and supporting victim-survivors
Foundations in Family and Domestic Violence is a one-day awareness and response course. This course provides the foundational knowledge and skills for staff to identify and respond appropriately to the needs of clients or staff who are at risk of or exposed to family domestic violence (FDV).
This course not only equips staff to respond to immediate risk, but intermediate intervention inclusive of client support needs and referral pathways for clients. This course utilises the West Australian Common Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework (CRARMF) and has been developed in line with National Competency CHCDFV001 Recognise and Respond Appropriately to Domestic and Family Violence.
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We provide training, education and capability building for workplaces and frontline staff.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000.
For support in Western Australia, please contact:
1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732
National 24/7 sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline – 1800 007 339
24/7 crisis support, safe accommodation and referrals.
Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline – 1800 000 599
Support for men experiencing or using violence.
Crisis Care Helpline – 1800 199 008
24/7 emergency assistance, child protection, crisis support.
Lifeline – 13 11 14
24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention.
MensLine – 1300 789 978
Counselling for men with family, relationship or emotional concerns.
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
24/7 counselling for young people aged 5–25.
If you need support, please contact one of the services above.
