The Australian Government is investing $1.9 million to better care for victim survivors of Family, Sexual and Domestic Violence (FSDV) in the Nepean Blue Mountains area of New South Wales
The program will be run out of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network (PHN) and will ensure local primary care professionals are equipped to identify and respond to sexual violence and child sexual abuse.
This pilot program involves training primary care staff to recognise, respond to and refer victim‑survivors to specialist services. The program will also have dedicated staff to help with referrals, improve integration and coordination between primary care and specialist services. This work builds on an existing pilot in the PHN that supports the primary care response to family and domestic violence.
One in three women in Australia has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one in five has experienced sexual violence.
The pilot is being launched this evening by Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP.
The Australian Government is establishing or expanding the Supporting Primary Care response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence pilots in all eleven PHNs across the country. The program is one of a range of Commonwealth government measures to support the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
The government provided $48.7 million in the 2022-23 Budget over four years for the issue. The funding is for increased support to primary care providers to help them identify and respond to family, domestic and sexual violence.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care
Ged Kearney MP:
"Australians are rightly shocked by the ongoing violence against women. It must end.
"GPs are often the first point of contact for victim-survivors, but many are not equipped to support these women. This pilot will help change that.
"As a nurse I know having more primary healthcare workers who can recognise signs of violence and abuse and who know where to refer people will make a big difference to people's recoveries and their future lives."
"We know that trauma is a complex issue that can take many years to recover from. The new pilot is designed to simplify the healthcare system around the victim-survivors to make it as easy as possible to get the help they need.
Quotes attributable to the Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP:
"There's no one answer to ending sexual violence and child sexual abuse, and we know that it takes a whole of community and whole of government response. Programs like this one play a crucial role.
"The Care and Connect was first launched in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District as a pilot in 2020, the successful uptake by our dedicated primary care staff and GPs has made expanding the program possible.
"This federal government investment will mean more GPs can recognise and respond to signs of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, so more victims and survivors can receive support from a safe, trusted source."
