Introduction to
local link
one stop referral and advice point for GPs
for Domestic and Family Violence
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The DFV Local Link is a one stop referral and advice point for GPs and other primary health care professionals to support patients who are experiencing domestic and family violence.
Our service is a current initiative within the Logan and Redlands area provided by The Centre For Women & Co. in partnership with Brisbane South Primary Health Network.
We can support you to identify cases of DFV in your patients, work with them to find out how best to support them, as well as identify the most suitable referral pathway for the patient.
hello from our dfv local link team
Our Domestic and Family Violence S Local Links have worked within the Logan & Redlands regions with The Centre For Women & Co. for several years.
Our Local Links have had the opportunity to work with victim-survivors and perpetrators of domestic and family violence in multiple roles and throughout their experiences in these roles they have seen the importance that an integrated service response to DFV has in keeping families safe.
We recognise the importance that primary care has within the integrated response to DFV. As primary care staff, we understand that you have experience in managing your patients who are impacted by DFV without any or limited support.
We offer one point of referral, advice and consultation for primary care staff to refer patients for specialist DFV support. In this role we home to bridge the gap between the DFV service system and primary care to best support your patients.
Within their roles as the Domestic and Family Violence Local Link Coordinators, our Local Links are able to work alongside primary care professionals to support people in accessing DFV specialist services to improve the safety and wellbeing of families in the Redlands and Logan communities.
Climate for disclosure
Our Local Link team can work with all of the staff in your centre to help both medical and support staff recognise signs and cues from patients attending your practice.
We can support your practice in implementing processes which routinely screen all patients about partner and family violence.
We can help to supply visual invitations to encourage patient disclosure to practice staff such as posters and flyers you can display in different areas of your practice.
We can also support staff in the response to this disclosure should this situation arise
working with disclosure
A supportive and professional response from a primary health care professional can reinforce a victim’s/survivor understanding that they are entitled to a healthy relationship and a life free from violence.
Non-judgemental and careful listening – this can be empowering for a patient who has been abused.
Our Local Link team can provide practical advice and support about how to interact with patients who do choose to disclose this information, including how to acknowledge what the patient is saying, as well as ensuring any action you take incorporates the patient's informed consent .
making meaningful referrals
Our team can provide initial information about referral pathways, but also provide advice on a case-by-case basis.
The DFV Local Link is also your one point of referral for patients impacted by domestic and family violence.
We can respond by phone or email to queries you might have about specific situations and work with you to find the most appropriate referral pathway for that patient.
staying involved
We understand that the patient's disclosure to your practice is a significant milestone for that patient. We can work with your staff to support your ongoing involvement with this patient.
At this stage, patients may not be ready for referrals to support services such as the DFV Local Link but we encourage GPs to stay involved.
We can also support GPs to take any necessary next steps such as providing ongoing support or support documentation for providing recommendations for the Medical Radiographic Evaluation.
DFV & COVID-19
Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased risk for people living in a household affected by domestic and family violence.
Isolating at home is a dangerous situation when that environment is not safe, especially when compounded by increased financial and emotional stress.
Without distance from the perpetrator to safely make a telephone call or a reason to leave the house, it is challenging to get support in the current circumstances.
A visit to a general practice or other health service is a legitimate, legal outing under the current restrictions and it may be their only opportunity to access a pathway to safety.
Case Study
I was due to co-locate for the day at a practice in Mt Cotton. At the organisation in which I work – The Centre for Women & Co. we have an open door policy for clients, before I was due to leave, a woman came in and reported that she had been strangled the night before by her partner. The woman had bruising in the shape of finger prints up her neck, bruising under her jaw, on her ears and on her eyelid. The woman had presented to Redlands ED however they had not performed any check-ups to look for any internal damage.
The crisis response team leader approached me and asked if I knew of any medical practices whom could do some check-ups for the woman. I advised the crisis team of the practice in Mt Cotton and called the practice manager, advised her of what was going on and if it was ok for the woman to come into the practice to have some check-ups done to look for any internal damage following the strangulation. The practice manager checked that the female GP was available, which she was, and advised me that they were more than happy to have the woman come into their practice for the check-ups. I then met with the woman at the practice, the staff at the practice were incredible and greeted the woman with so much warmth and compassion. The reception staff offered for the woman to either sit in the main waiting area or in a separate room. The woman chose to sit in the separate room, and I helped her go through some paper work. The reception staff offered her water and a blanket and advised her that she was safe in their practice and that they were more than willing to help her and wanted to make sure she was ok.
The woman and the GP wanted me to sit in during her appointment which I was more than happy to do. As the GP was asking questions, a lot of what had happened on the night of the strangulation was disclosed by the woman. Throughout conversations the GP was constantly validating the woman’s feelings, acknowledging that her partner behaviour was not ok and that she was safe now and that she is happy to help. The GP then did some check-ups, during this time I discussed the strangulation training which DFV LL completed and advised of the recommended scans following strangulation. I then provided the GP with the list of recommended scans which the GP was more than happy to look at. The GP then referred the woman for 2 of the scans. The woman then saw the practice nurse for some further testing and she was also very compassionate and was constantly reassuring the woman that she was safe.
The woman then left the clinic, and as she left she hugged, kissed and thanked all the staff so much for their help. She then went back to the CFW office where the crisis response team organised temporary accommodation for the woman who then had the 2 scans done the next day.
I was also able to de-brief with the GP Practice about the whole situation which they found really helpful. Their response was amazing and they even open to feedback on what they can do next time.
Recognise, respond and Refer TRAINING
Do you know how to identify Domestic and Family Violence in your practice?
The Centre for Women and Co in conjunction with the Brisbane South PHN are offering a training program, Recognise, Respond, Refer: An Integrated Health Response to Domestic and Family Violence. This training was created specifically for general practice staff to deepen their knowledge and skills to recognise and respond to domestic and family violence (DFV).
Recognise: There are signs to recognize when working with Domestic and Family Violence. This training provides practice staff the confidence and awareness to identify the signs of domestic and family violence that victims and perpetrators display, from the initial phone call to the appointment with a general practitioner.
Respond: Responding to Domestic and Family Violence can be a very difficult task. This training provides key skills for when general practice staff identify patients are being impacted by domestic and family violence by teaching them to respond appropriately and sensitively whilst providing a safe place for disclosure.
Refer: This training provides information on how to complete a specialist referral and connect with the Local link as a pathway for people impacted by Domestic and Family Violence to receive support.Face to Face or Webinar 1 hour WHOLE of practice training .
- Bonus CPD 2 point activity for GP’s
- No cost
- Commencing October 2020
To register, please call Linda, DFV Local Link Trainer, on
0490 163 644 OR email
LindaJ@centreforwomen.org.au
contact
The DFV Local Link service is a current initiative within the Logan and Redlands area provided by The Centre For Women & Co. in partnership with Brisbane South Primary Health Network.
We encourage and appreciate any feedback or reflections you are able to share. We are committed to ensuring the DFV Local Link is meeting the needs of health professionals within the primary health care sector.
If you have any questions about the DFV Local Link, wish to make a referral or get some information or guidance about a patient who may be experiencing domestic violence please do not hesitate to contact our team.
Redlands
redlandslocallink@centreforwomen.org.au
Phone - 0482 811 980
Logan
loganlocallink@centreforwomen.org.au
Phone - 0460 626 502
We would appreciate if you could take some time to complete our online five-minute survey and tell us your feedback to help us improve our service. Thank you!
Resources
View and download DFV Local Link information
If you would like to know more, please ask one of our Local Link team.
This service is supported by the Australian Government through Brisbane South PHN.
While the Australian Government helped fund this service, it has not reviewed the content and is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage however arising from the use of or reliance on the information provided herein.
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