A Ballarat training program will help frontline workers in health, community, education and childcare identify the signs and respond to family violence.
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Lifeline Ballarat is hosting a series of two-day domestic and family violence training workshops to build the capacity and skills of workers in responding to family violence when it is not a core function of their role.
Lifeline Ballarat community training co-ordinator Belinda Collihole said the training would provide frontline workers with the tools they needed to deal with family violence.
"Family violence doesn't discriminate and because it most often happens behind closed doors, it's largely hidden and often until it's too late," she said.
"It might be happening to a work colleague, a friend or your next door neighbour - it can and does happen to anyone and that's why we all need to know the signs."
Participants must work or volunteer in health, allied health, community, higher education or childcare or in a frontline capacity supporting the community to be eligible for the free workshops.
It might be happening to a work colleague, a friend or your next door neighbour - it can and does happen to anyone and that's why we all need to know the signs.
- Belinda Collihole, Lifeline Ballarat
Ms Collihole said this was because these workers had potential higher levels of exposure to people who may be living with or experiencing domestic and family violence.
"For these people to have the skills and resources to start those conversations or identify people at risk it means we can have early intervention and put support in place when it otherwise wouldn't have been," she said.
Participants will learn to recognise the signs of domestic and family violence, respond with appropriate care, and refer people to support services.
Ms Collihole said victims of family violence often did not want to speak up or seek help because they were scared or embarrassed.
"The ultimate goal is to reduce violence against women and children and to have safe community where we can start having conversations about respectful relationships," she said.
"In order to have prevention we need to have education."
Family violence is the single largest contributor to homelessness for women in Australia and the leading contributor to preventable illness, disability and death for women aged 15 to 44.
The workshops will be held on May 5 and 6 and June 1 and 2, with workshops for frontline workers supporting multicultural communities on May 25 and 26 and frontline workers supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities on June 8 and 9.
For more information phone Lifeline Ballarat's Training Coordinator Belinda Collihole on 0466 852 016 or visit www.dvalert.org.au. To register for the workshops, e-mail Training.LLB@vt.uniting.org.
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