Students of Australia's first Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence, offered by QUT's School of Justice, will begin study in February.
Course coordinator Associate Professor Molly Dragiewicz said the course had received a huge amount of interest as soon as it was announced this year.
"I am thrilled to see the Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence coming online," said Professor Dragiewicz, from QUT's Crime and Justice Research Centre.
"We designed this course after extensive community consultation with more than 100 community organisations and stakeholders.
"It stands to make an important difference in the level of training for those who come into contact with victims and perpetrators of abuse. It's really exciting to be part of the first domestic violence course in Australia."
Professor Dragiewicz said the GradCert Domestic Violence was offered online for flexible learning and would supplement research with multimedia, discussion with other students, guest speakers, and tutorials with lecturers.
"Most people would be surprised to learn that social work, psychology, and law courses in Australia do not include compulsory domestic violence units, yet these degrees are key qualifications for work in the field," Professor Dragiewicz said.
"This course will provide essential education for people looking to enhance knowledge for practice, improve their qualifications for employment, or continue on to higher degree research.
"It's designed to provide an in-depth look at the latest studies to inform research, policy, and practice in the field. It is a truly interdisciplinary course, drawing from criminology, law, social work, sociology, psychology, health, and economics."
The postgraduate course Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence consists of four units:
- Dynamics of Domestic Violence which covers different types of violence and abuse, including its prevalence and distribution. It also reviews relevant state and national laws as well as major reports and action plans from government.
- Children and Family Violence centres on the implications of domestic violence for children. It includes domestic violence against pregnant women, the overlap between domestic violence and child abuse, and the latest research on trauma and the impact of exposure to adult violence. It includes skills training around interviewing children.
- Reducing Lethal Risk is focused on preventing domestic violence homicide. It reviews the research on domestic violence related homicide and suicide, including risk factors for child fatalities. The unit covers risk factors like separation, stalking, and strangulation and provides skills training in assessing lethal risk and safety planning
- Working With Domestic Violence Victims is all about domestic violence services. It reviews Queensland services and provides practical information about referral networks, integrated response teams and other coordinated models. It also looks at meeting the needs of diverse communities, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to immigrant, disabled, rural, and LGBT communities.
Full details about the course are available here. This course is subject to final university approval.
QUT also offers an undergraduate unit in Domestic Violence
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media, 07 3138 299 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
