Maternal health nurses trained to identify and ask new mums about domestic violence

MATERNAL health nurses will ask new mums about whether they are experiencing domestic abuse in a bid to protect children from violence.

MATERNAL health nurses will ask new mums about whether they are experiencing domestic abuse in a bid to protect children from violence.

The nurses will be trained to sensitively talk to mothers about family violence and offer referrals to services and the police during key “ages and stages” meetings.

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Additional outreach visits — funded via $11 million announced in last year’s state budget — will allow the new mums to speak to nurses at a time and place that suits them.

New mums suffering domestic violence will be offered more support. Picture: iStock

The Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council’s Dr Keri Alexander, who has suffered family violence, said maternal health nurses were well placed to offer “systematic screening”, risk assessments and referrals.

“I speak from experience as a mother who had to flee family violence with young children after the birth of a baby,” she said.

“Family violence does not discriminate.

“All babies and children deserve to be safe, regardless of their parents’ race, religion, education, sexuality or financial situation.”

Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos. Picture: AAP/Stefan Postles

Families and Children Minister Jenny Mikakos said children were often the “silent victims” of domestic violence and the new training could save lives.

“One in five women are experiencing family violence in a child’s first year of life,” she said.

“Our maternal and child health nurses, in the past, have sporadically asked these questions.

“We will now be ensuring that our maternal and child health nurses will all be asking these questions of all new mothers.”

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