Hon. Groenewald questions the Minister for Health regarding guidelines and training for frontline health practitioners in detecting coercive control, particularly concerning medical treatment coercion. The Minister responds that WA Health staff regularly screen for FDV and receive mandatory training in relevant departments.

AnsweredQoN 443Legislative Assembly
Asked
25 June 2025
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

Coercive control—Medical treatment
443. Hon Maryka Groenewald to the parliamentary
secretary representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the loss
of mandatory counselling in the Abortion Legislation
Reform Act 2023 and recent Australian research that women generally
reported intimate partner violence and coercive control only when asked.
(1) What guidelines are given to frontline health
practitioners to detect whether a patient is a victim of coercive control,
including coercion to a particular treatment?
(2) What training is given to frontline health
practitioners to detect whether a patient is a victim of coercive control,
including coercion to a particular treatment?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following answer has
been provided by the Minister for Health.
(1)–(2) WA Health frontline staff
regularly screen for family and domestic violence (FDV), including for coercive
control. Mandatory training is provided to WA Health staff in antenatal,
postnatal, mental health and emergency departments. Social workers are trained
in FDV identification, assessment and intervention, as well as trauma-informed
practice.

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