Family violence is a serious public health issue with significant health consequences for women and children. Early intervention initiatives are critical given women are at higher risk of experiencing family violence during pregnancy and after birth and might be identifying or disclosing family violence for the first time.
Maternal and Child Health nurses (MCH) are uniquely positioned as a universal service provider to ask women about family violence, offer support and strategies, assist with safety plans, and refer to specialist agencies.
The Mother and Child Safe Project aims to build the MCH sector and workforce understanding of family and sexual violence, develop skills and confidence in effectively identifying and responding to disclosures, and provide appropriate support and referral pathways for the women and children who seek MCH services.
It will provide context-relevant education and training for the council and Aboriginal Cooperative Enhanced Maternal Child Health (EMCH) and Maternal Child and Health (MCH) nurses working with families and young children. This training will be expertly facilitated by two facilitators – an experienced therapeutic counsellor specialising in working with mothers and infants and a training officer.