North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) is partnering with the Safer Families Centre at the University of Melbourne in a groundbreaking research project to improve support for women facing domestic and family violence.
The Walking Beside (WEB) Project is exploring, through a trial, whether support for survivors improves their sense of safety, mental health, and well-being.
Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a significant health issue for women and non-binary people in Victoria, with many women turning to GPs or primary care nurses for help.
With your help, this project aims to strengthen the role of these services in improving women’s safety and wellbeing.
“GPs are often the first to be told about domestic and family violence or to recognise the signs of someone at risk”, says lead researcher and GP Professor Kelsey Hegarty, who is conducting the study with a multidisciplinary team of researchers.
Recruitment is currently open for clinics in the NWMPHN region. We are looking for practices that:
- use Best Practice or Medical Director
- have more than 1500 women enrolled as patients
- have at least three GPs or nurses interested in participating.
We acknowledge that being involved in any project involves time and resources. There are numerous incentives for your involvement in this project:
- $4,000 for the practice and if you are an intervention GP $100 reimbursement per patient for a longer funded appointment to enable a comprehensive first-line response using a clinical decision support tool
- CPD hours for project and training participation
- funded training for GPs and nurses in recognising and responding to DFV if you have not participated in the Pathways to Safety program plus tailored training specific to the trial
- referrals to peer support officers who will provide emotional support to victim-survivors and help them navigate the service system.
General practices interested in joining the project or learning more about participation criteria and incentives are encouraged to contact Kitty Novy on (03) 8344 4538 or via email at knovy@unimelb.edu.au.
Further information is available via the project website www.saferfamilies.org.au/web-project
