Programs

Program Structure

The program comprises 16 sessions plus a wrap-up, grouped below into four broad themes.

1
Understanding the dynamics of family violence
Seeing both sides: impact on the person affected, understanding the person using violence, the practitioner's lens, systemic factors, reflective practice.

2
Practitioner safety
Environmental, physical, interpersonal and psychological risks to workers; preparation; de-escalation principles and step-by-step guide; organisational responsibility for practitioner safety.

3
Building rapport
Relatability, bias and unconscious influence; balancing connection with professional boundaries.

4
Transparency, scope of practice and duty of care
Being clear about role and limits; ethical responsibility; navigating the practitioner's own lived experience.

5
Honesty and transparency
Building trust through permission; impacts of transparency; practical honesty strategies.

6
Determining risk and likelihood patterns
Risk and protective factors, children and young people, assessing likelihood, integrating risk into practice.

7
The power of language
Professional versus everyday language, mirroring, adapting to different communication and learning styles.

8
Holding space
Supporting survivors to share their story; psychology and checklist for holding space.

9
Holding accountability
Challenging behaviours and limiting beliefs while maintaining safety and support.

10
Being and becoming a specialist
The specialist mindset, professional presence, boundaries and limitations, growth.

11
Emotional regulation
Emotional intelligence in practice, reading the room and the body, regulation techniques.

12
Safety
Safety in holding space and boundary setting; physical safety in public, professional, home and outreach settings; safety for children.

13
Self-care
The cost of staying 'on', self-medication and desensitisation, burnout, switching off, a trauma-informed self-care action plan.

14
Career progression
The career landscape, competence and confidence, workplace challenges, career planning, advocacy and leadership.

15
Beyond survival – thriving in your career
Opportunities, development planning, leadership, mentoring, lifelong learning and sector contribution, with a practitioner workbook.

16
Personal values
Identifying core values, aligning goals and opportunities with values, an ethical decision-making framework, with a values workbook.

Wrap-up
Seeing, supporting and thriving
Integrating knowledge, skills and values; remembering the people behind the work; the practitioner's lifelong journey.

Program Structure

The program is delivered across 12 sessions, which move from the inner experience of leaving toward practical safety, planning and connection.

1
Stepping into the unknown
The paradox of freedom, loss of identity, self-doubt, the nervous system's pull toward familiarity, and grief as an ongoing process.

2
Triggers, supports and new horizons
Understanding triggers, support systems, new relationships and work, coping strategies and coping with the unexpected.

3
Rebuilding self and confidence
Identity beyond the relationship, routines that support growth, strengthening confidence, reclaiming social connection, celebrating growth.

4
Thriving beyond the first year
New opportunities, deepening healthy relationships, sustaining self-care and resilience, giving back, long-term wellbeing, digital safety and mindful technology use.

5
Moving forward with awareness and boundaries
Listening to instinct, boundaries with others, taking time for decisions, trusting the process.

6
Navigating interactions with the person using violence
Understanding the landscape, prioritising safety, boundaries and triggers, legal considerations, managing emotional impact.

7
Managing interactions with the person using violence
Boundaries in public, work, home and neighbourhood settings; children and co-parenting; legal protections; emotional safety.

8
Goal setting and planning my future
Imagining what I want, realistic goals, strategies for moving forward, balancing ambition and healing, with a full goal-setting workbook.

9
Being prepared – safety and planning
Emergency preparedness, preparing for fear and triggers, what to do if located, protecting identity and privacy, planning for children.

10
Everyday safety habits
Personal awareness, home safety, public and travel safety, technology and digital safety, children's safety routines, emotional safety.

11
Building a wellbeing routine
Wellbeing for self and children, key components of a routine, integrating wellbeing into daily life.

12
Building support networks Why networks matter, types of support, building a safe network, healthy boundaries, supporting children's networks, community resources (Family violence, legal, health, financial, housing and community services; online resources; national and state-by-state support directory and apps)

Program structure

The program runs across six parts. Each part combines teaching content, guided discussion prompts, individual reflection, group activities and a knowledge-check quiz. Facilitator notes, trainer scripts and safety reminders are embedded throughout.

Part 1

A story like so many

A narrative case study following a survivor's journey through hospitalisation, police and court processes, recovery, stalking, re-victimisation under an alias, and refuge. Used to help participants identify forms and risk factors of family violence, including coercive control, technology-facilitated abuse, financial and visa abuse.

Part 2

Triggers

What triggers are, how they present in the body (fight, flight, freeze, fawn), why they occur, and how to notice, name and respond. Includes daily trigger journals adapted for people who have left, people still living with violence, and co-parents.

Part 3

Exploring your options

Building a support network, developing code words and discreet signals, preparing an escape bag, connecting with professional support early, emotional safety planning, and movement and travel safety.

Part 4

Staying safer during contact

Safety strategies for face-to-face interactions, phone and messaging, social media, child contact arrangements, shared community spaces, and living with the person using violence.

Part 5

Planning to leave

Timing, destination, money, transport, who to tell, what to pack, technology and financial safety steps, the moment of leaving, and the first 24 hours, week and month afterwards.

Part 6

Extra information

Tailored guidance for young people, culturally diverse and LGBTQIA+ communities, routines after leaving, leaving with children (including a children's story and kids' safety plan), evidence and privacy considerations, and a national and state-by-state directory of support services and apps.