These are free events designed for members of the public clinical mental health workforce in Victoria, (staff employed at Area Mental Health Services, Forensicare or mental health staff from RCH) and lived experience workforces (LEW) working in either public clinical or community mental health state-funded roles. Other workforce in partner organisations, such as AOD organisations or ACCHOs, may sometimes be eligible.

This training aligns to Capability 7 (Understanding and responding to family violence) of the Victorian Mental Health & Wellbeing Workforce Capability Framework.

What is Resisting Collusion & Motivating Change: Working with Men who use Intimate Partner Violence training?

It is a full-day (9.30am – 3.30pm) interactive, online training module, which assists professionals to effectively identify, understand and resist invitations to collude with men who use intimate partner violence.

Participants who attend the training will be able to:

Explain what family violence is and it’s causes
Articulate elements of perpetrator accountability
Identify core beliefs held by men who use violence
Examine, understand, and resist invitations to collude
Examine shame as a change motivator
Use invitational approaches to keep men who use violence in view
Consider how to motivate change and referral readiness
Name key referral and secondary consultation options

Who should come to this training?

This training is open to any professional who may interact with men who use intimate partner violence, but where the focus of their practice is not behaviour change work specifically. Family violence professionals who support and respond to victim survivors are also welcome to attend.

The training is delivered online, via zoom, and the link to the training will be emailed to participants two days prior. It has been designed to be interactive, and includes large group discussion, small group break out room activities, PowerPoint presentation slides, case studies (for practical application of learning) and trainer demonstration videos. The training is aligned with adult learning principles, as well as the MARAM Framework.

In addition to this, participants are given a Participant Guide Book to support their learning throughout the day, which provides an array of relevant resources to enhance their practice. Throughout the session, multiple links to relevant websites, and academic articles related to working with men who use violence are also shared with participants.

NOTE: It is a requirement that professionals attending this training already have a good understanding of the dynamics of family violence, through previous and recent (within the last 2 years) training, such as Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM). It is also recommended that all participants watch the Introduction to Family Violence Response webinar (60 minutes) featuring Ada Conroy.

Facilitators:

Kelly Finch, Family Violence Training Specialist

I have a 20 year career both in Australia and the UK working with families across the social services sector, with a specialism in Family Violence response practice, including refuge provision to women and specialist support to children and young people experiencing FV. I have worked across education, housing and health, both in practice and in a number of training roles, including the Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence program, and delivering the suite of MARAM training across VIC.

Working for several years with men who use family violence, both in practice, and as a senior practitioner in a Men’s behaviour change program, led me to meet my colleague Ada Conroy, and together we updated and redeveloped the full day Resisting Collusion with Men who use Intimate Partner Violence training, which we are now offering to organisations across Australia and New Zealand.