Dealing with Intimate Partner Violence and Family Violence in a Regional Centre of Western Australia: A Study of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Local Social Workers.

In the Midwest region of Western Australia, rates of intimate partner and family violence (IPV/FV) are high. We undertook research into social workers' knowledge, attitudes, and skills as part of addressing this significant public health issue. Social workers come into contact with people experiencing IPV/FV in multiple settings, so their understandings and responses are critical to the prevention and interventions related to violence against women. The goal of the research was to determine the issues that the social workers in this region needed to be addressed that could assist in tackling the problem of IPV/FV. A questionnaire included open-ended questions to capture information on respondents' profiles, knowledge, attitudes, practices, and education around IPV/FV, with 29 of 37 social workers working in the region responding. We also elicited respondents' recommendations related to training and service delivery. Despite working in many settings, most social workers had contact with people experiencing IPV/FV and had reasonable confidence and knowledge that showed an understanding of the complexity of FV, including why women stay in violent relationships. This paper identified social workers' need for more education, including during their university training, resources, and service coordination to support best practice delivery of services to people affected by IPV/FV. Training to develop skills for conversations about IPV/FV with clients, around safety planning, and greater access to safe alternative accommodation for those leaving FV were identified priorities.

Necessity as the Catalyst of Change: Exploring Client and Provider Perspectives of Accelerated Implementation of Telehealth by a Regional Australian Community Service Organisation during COVID-19 Restrictions.

Community services have played a significant role in supporting the psychosocial health and well-being of vulnerable populations during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. To meet increased community needs, organisations were required to rapidly modify service provision, often using remote delivery systems. This in-depth study, undertaken early in the pandemic, explored staff and clients' experiences of adapting to using telehealth to provide and access services in one regional social services agency. Semi-structured interviews from 15 staff and 11 clients from a regional not-for-profit agency in Western Australia were recorded and transcribed. Inductive coding, and thematic analysis identified eight subthemes, with experiences and perceptions of telehealth varying substantially among staff and client groups. Distinct benefits and challenges were associated with telehealth. Participants highlighted tensions and complexities and commented on the place of telehealth in the community service sector. Clients expressed the importance of relationships and communication. This study provides in-depth insights into the contextualised experiences of staff and clients during a time at which change was both enabled and necessary. The findings highlight the need for tailored service delivery; choice; client collaboration; ongoing staff training relating to telehealth; and guidelines specific to telehealth in the community service sector.