This submission from the Women’s Mental Health Alliance (the Alliance) responds to the Statewide Trauma Service consultation.
The Women’s Mental Health Alliance (the Alliance) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to inform the Expression of Interest for prospective consortia seeking to tender for the establishment and operation of the Statewide Trauma Service (STS).
Due to the prevalence of violence against women (including domestic, family and sexual violence) in Victoria and Australia and the associated mental health impacts, the Women’s Mental Health Alliance believes a specialist trauma-recovery service for victim-survivors of gender-based violence, including family and sexual violence is urgently needed. This is in addition to building the capacity of practitioners across the mental health system to meet the needs of victim-survivors and builds on the recommendations of both the Royal Commission into Family Violence and the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. Accordingly, it is our position that the Victorian Statewide Trauma Service must be gender-responsive and have a key focus on trauma that comes from gender-based violence.
Our submission is structured according to the three consultation questions:
- What breadth and depth of expertise the winning consortium should be able to demonstrate in the EOI to successfully support the STS’ role in improving trauma capability.
- What needs to be included in the EOI to ensure that the perspectives of people with lived experience (consumers and carers) is at the heart of the STS’ design?
- What should a statewide specialised service delivery look like for trauma, and what provider competencies are required to support this?
Women's Mental Health Alliance (2022) Response to the Statewide Trauma Service consultation. Women's Health Victoria. Melbourne.
