Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a significant health and welfare issue and is prevalent across culture, gender and sexuality. It affects family members and intimate partner relationships across communities, but women and children are most at risk.

In Australia, one in six women and one in 16 men having been subjected to physical or sexual violence since the age of 15 – usually in the family home. And while women and children are most at risk, men are affected but are far more likely to experience violence from strangers in a public place.

There are different types of domestic and family violence. A person doesn’t need to experience all types of abuse for it to be a crime.

Types of abuse include:

• Verbal abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Economic abuse
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Harassment and stalking
• Spiritual or religious abuse
• Image-based abuse
• Coercive control
• Elder abuse
• Child abuse

What is Family and Domestic Violence?

Family violence refers to abuse that occurs between family members, intimate partners and ex-partners. Domestic violence is a subgroup of family violence and describes the abuse between current or former intimate partners. It is a form of abuse that typically involves one partner exerting control or power over the other using intimidation, which invokes fear.

Sexual Abuse

While sexual abuse can occur outside of relationships, a significant proportion of victims know their perpetrator. Sexual violence and abuse in a relationship include any sexual activity without consent. It can also include inflicting pain during sex, coercive intercourse without protection and degrading insults.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is damaging to self-esteem and self-worth. It occurs when one partner manipulates, bullies or uses coercive control to intimidate the other.

Economic Abuse

Economic abuse is when an intimate partner has control over the other’s financial resources. This type of abuse reduces the victim’s ability to support themselves and forces them to depend on their perpetrator.

Social Abuse

Social abuse occurs when perpetrators cut victims off from support people like family, friends and their community. It can also involve efforts to harm the victim’s relationships or reputation.

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse, also known as religious abuse, involves the misuse of religion to hurt, scare or control a victim. It can involve making a person participate in spiritual or religious practices when they don’t want to.

Elder Abuse

Elder abuse is also a form of domestic violence when an older person is abused by a person, commonly a family member, when there is an expectation of trust.

Child Abuse

Child abuse is any physical or emotional harm caused by a person in a position of power that endangers a child’s health, survival, development or self-worth.

Coercive Control

Coercive control is domestic and family violence where there are patterns of abuse behaviour designed to dominate and control an intimate partner. It can include physical, emotional, economic, social and spiritual abuse.

Most at Risk Groups for Domestic and Family Violence 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• Young women
• Pregnant women
• Women with disabilities
• Financial hardship
• Women and men who have experienced abuse or witnessed domestic violence as children

The statistics are scary – but education is vital to more positive outcomes for those experiencing domestic and family violence. It’s not just victims and perpetrators that need education but also support people and professionals, from family and friends to health care and service providers.

Our domestic violence courses are designed to educate those experiencing domestic abuse and their family, friends, carers and health care providers to offer support.

Certificate of Domestic and Family Violence

One of the best defences against domestic and family violence is knowledge. This knowledge is powerful for those who offer services to meet the needs of adults and children affected by domestic and family violence.

In this domestic violence course, you will learn how to apply lived experience to counsel and facilitate programs for victims of domestic and family violence. This will enable you to thoroughly explore client issues and identify possible options by providing a safe and supportive environment for clients to actively seek solutions.

Certificate of Domestic and Family Violence – Lived Experience

If you have lived experience of domestic and family violence, our domestic violence course, the Certificate of Domestic and Family Violence (Lived Experience), will help you support others.

Our online domestic violence course will provide you with the knowledge to use your experience to empower others in domestic and family violence situations.

You will also gain the knowledge and skills required to recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence and advocate to promote awareness in the community.

Learning Outcomes

Topics covered in our online domestic violence courses include:

• Women and children at risk
• Indigenous communities
• Prevention strategies
• The Danger Assessment Scale (DA)
• Types of abuse
• Perpetrators
• Child abuse allegations
• Family violence orders
• Personal safety
• Develop rapport and confidence
• Domestic violence information
• Intervention strategies
• Community activities services
• Gaps and inadequacies in services
• Controlling behaviours
• Prevention strategies
• Community service organisations
• Reciprocity with organisations
• Establish client confidence / relationship
• Review existing case information
• Positive behaviours
• Conduct client interviews
• Prevention strategies
• Characteristics of perpetrators
• Safe environments
• Cultural differences

Our lived experience domestic violence course includes extra topics for those who have personally experienced domestic violence. It helps those people support others in similar circumstances.

• Expectation of the use of lived experience
• Basic framework and guidelines
• Ways of communicating lived experiences
• Policy and guidelines for disclosure
• Sharing stories from own lived experience
• Disorders, fears and phobia’s
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders
• Establishing personal boundaries and guidelines
• Clear understanding of an appropriate relationship
• The Recovery Model
• Job roles within an organisation
• Working to reduce the stigma of mental illness
• Overcoming barriers
• Providing hope
• Goal setting

And more …

 

If you want to undertake a short domestic violence course to understand how to support those affected, whether through your workplace or in your personal life, our Understanding Domestic Violence course is ideal. In this short online domestic violence course, you’ll learn the practical skills and knowledge required to recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence.

 

Gain the knowledge and power to confront domestic violence and improve outcomes for those affected with one of our domestic violence courses, including the Certificate of Domestic and Family Violence, Certificate of Domestic and Family Violence (Lived Experience) or Understanding Domestic Violence.