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Family and domestic violence (FDV) learning pathway

Emerging Minds, February 2023

Related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, Child and family, Child mental health, Family and domestic violence, Family and social relationships, Family conflict, separation and divorce, Homelessness, Infant mental health, Mental health care, Parental mental illness, Substance use, Parenting

Resource Summary

Family and domestic violence (FDV) is one of the most common social issues in Australia right now. Research shows 1 in 6 women over 15 years of age has experienced physical of sexual violence at the hands of a partner, while 1 in 4 has experienced emotional abuse.1 These rates are even higher among LGBTQIA+ and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.2,3 In addition, 68% of women whose current partners were violent and 50% who had experienced violence by a previous partner said their children had witnessed the violence.1

This means that many of the adults and children you work with have likely been affected by FDV in some way – not to mention that children do not even need to witness violence directly to be impacted by it. Without support, the effects of violence can cause long-lasting harm to children’s health, development and wellbeing. But these negative outcomes are not inevitable.

This learning pathway is designed to support all practitioners to better understand how violence affects children’s physical and mental health, and the signs that a child or parent might need help. They offer a conversation guide to help you to ask about a parent’s experience of violence safely and sensitively, and how the violence may be affecting their child’s wellbeing.

The earlier family violence can be identified and addressed, the better. The courses in this learning pathway aim to build your confidence in having these sometimes-difficult conversations, to give children and parents the best chance of recovery.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that the resources in this learning pathway may contain imagery, audio or names of people who have passed away.

Explore our online family and domestic violence courses

The impact of family and domestic violence on the child

This course is the first in the family and domestic violence (FDV) pathway. The second course, Family and domestic violence and child-aware practice, can be completed next.

This course provides you with an introduction to the impact of family and domestic violence on children.

It provides a definition of family and domestic violence, and aims to improve understanding of the effects of FDV on children by highlighting the impact that it can have on a child’s relationships, physical health, and social and emotional wellbeing.

This foundation course will also introduce you to the case for incorporating child focused practice (in adult services) when working with parents effected by FDV. The high prevalence of FDV in Australia combined with the short, medium and long-term effects on the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of children make these understandings crucial for all professionals working with adults and children.1

Family and domestic violence and child-aware practice

This course is the second in the family and domestic violence pathway. The foundation course, The impact of family and domestic violence on the child, should be completed first.

This course examines opportunities for practitioners to engage in a prevention and early intervention approach to promote children’s mental health and wellbeing in the context of family and domestic violence (FDV).

It will provide you with a conversation guide to assist your engagement with parents who are living with FDV to enquire about their children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

While this area of work presents challenges for practitioners, it is important that they work in a way that actively considers the safety and social and emotional wellbeing of children in families where FDV is present.

This course is based on the following understandings:

  • FDV is prevalent in the lives of many Australian women and children.
  • Women experiencing FDV will typically not present at specialist FDV services.
  • There is a role for workers in non-FDV services to gain skills in crisis response, risk assessment and safety planning to recognise and respond to FDV.
  • It is important that this response has a focus on the children in these families to minimise the effects of FDV on children’s mental health and wellbeing.

This course will not equip you in the skills of crisis response, risk assessment and safety planning to recognise and respond to FDV. It assumes you have a basic understanding of these. It will explore an approach that will help you to focus on the children in families where FDV is a presenting issue.

As you work through this course, you will engage with examples of situations where:

  • a father presents to a service and it becomes evident that he is using violence and abuse in the family, affecting his female partner and children
  • a mother presents to a service and it becomes evident that she and her children are living with her male partner who is using violence and abuse in the family.

Although family and domestic violence can occur in many different kinds of intimate or family relationships, it is most frequently perpetrated by men towards their female partners and children1. It is within this context that this course looks at the ways in which children are impacted by violence.

Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in healing family violence

The Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in healing family violence online course has been co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners and community members. Its trauma-informed and hope-inspired approach can help you to develop trusting relationships with First Nations families, allowing space for them to share their stories and take the lead in their healing journey.

In this online course, you’ll focus on reinforcing connections, strengths and skills through the support you provide to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders experiencing family violence. You’ll be encouraged to think about the whole family – their hopes, aspirations, strengths and stories of connection, as well as the individual and collective challenges they’ve faced.

You’ll explore how the impact of colonisation, racism, the forced removal of children, and other intergenerational traumas have led to the high rates of family violence seen in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities today. You’ll also learn how to set aside your own unconscious biases and hold space for families’ feelings of shame, while remaining compassionate, direct, honest and clear in your conversations.

This online training is designed for non-Indigenous practitioners in mainstream health, education and social and community services working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families experiencing family violence. It features video interviews with experts and fictional scenarios, along with reading materials and reflective activities.

View all Family and domestic violence learning pathway courses on Emerging Minds Learning.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2017). Personal Safety Survey 2016 (ABS Cat. No. 4906.0). Canberra: ABS.

2. Hill, A., Bourne, A., McNair, R., Carman, M., & Lyons, A. (2021). Private Lives 3: The health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people in Australia (Version 1). Melbourne: La Trobe University.

3. Our Watch. (2018). Changing the picture: A national resource to support the prevention of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait women and their children. Melbourne: Our Watch.

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