RP.17.05
Sustainability of identification and response to domestic violence in antenatal care: The SUSTAIN Study
March 2020
This project set out to understand and support the integration of evidence-based, effective screening, risk assessment and first-line response to domestic violence (DV) into the complex system of antenatal care. It built on existing resources and research to focus on women assessed as currently in "lower risk" situations, who are often not in contact with DV services but attended health services for pregnancy.
Key points
- A new evidence-based framework has been developed, which offers practical guidance on implementing these practices.
- The research draws on the experiences of women and practitioners in antenatal hospital clinics across Victoria and New South Wales. Their responses emphasise the importance of building relationships with pregnant women during the screening process.
- The report recommends all antenatal care services implement a comprehensive system approach for optimal DV screening and response.
Researchers
Project Lead
Prof Kelsey Hegarty, University of Melbourne
Research expertise
Prof Jo Spangaro, University of Wollongong
Prof Jane Koziol-Mclain, Auckland University of Technology
Dr Jeannette Walsh, University of New South Wales
Ms Elizabeth McLindon, University of Melbourne and Royal Women's Hospital
Practice expertise
Dr Sue Matthews, Royal Women's Hospital
Dr Angela Crombie, Bendigo Health
Ms June Dyson, Echuca Regional Health
Ms Lorena Matthews, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
Ms Ly Johnson, Western Sydney Local Health District
Downloads
Research report
Sustainability of identification and response to domestic violence in antenatal care (The SUSTAIN study)
Download
see also
Presentations
Enhancing routine screening: Better identification & response to DV in the antenatal care setting
This webinar explores the challenges of effectively implementing antenatal DV screening in complex health care settings. Drawing on findings of ANROWS research (the SUSTAIN study), this expert panel of health practitioners and researchers discuss:
- how practitioners experience routine DV screening
- how they have improved identification and response practices
- key recommendations of The REAL Transformation Model
- how the model can be implemented
Budget
$298,077
Funded by Australian Commonwealth, state and territory governments under ANROWS’s 2017 core grant round.
find out more
Contact ANROWS
PO Box Q389, Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230
Email: enquiries@anrows.org.au