Since 2014 the Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence (SHRFV) Project has focused on improving hospitals’ capacity to identify and respond to patients and staff who are experiencing family violence. SHRFV is now operational across 88 Victorian hospitals and health services, and delivers on recommendation 95 of the Royal Commission into Family Violence and five editions of the toolkit for training and clinical support have been completed and used by practitioners around the state.
The purpose of the State-wide forum is primarily to share the learnings and challenges since the inception of SHRFV and the Royal Commission into Family Violence and latest research into implementing a framework for a hospitals’ system-wide approach to responding to family violence. The aim is also to continue to raise awareness amongst Victorian Hospital administrators and the broader family violence sector about the importance of early intervention and identification programs to support health staff and patience who continue to choose health services to access support.
