The SARC education and training team comprises a small group of professionals with experience and knowledge in the field of sexual violence. They provide training opportunities related to sexual violence and trauma for workers, volunteers and students in Western Australia. All SARC trainers hold degrees in social work and / or psychology.

Depending on COVID-19 restrictions, we are hoping to resume delivery of face-to-face training in the second half of 2022. If you have any queries, please contact SARCTraining@health.wa.gov.au.

eLearning package

A free eLearning package on Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault is available. The package takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours to complete and includes interactive questions and two challenging quizzes. A certificate is available upon completion.

Services can use the eLearning package in a number of ways including for professional development, part of a compulsory induction for new workers and an annual refresher for everyone.

View the Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault eLearning package (external site).

Full day workshops hosted by SARC

Overview of Trauma 

7 September: Workshop flyer (PDF)   |    Registration form (Word)

Trauma Counselling Skills

9 November: Workshop flyer (PDF)   |    Registration form (Word)

Presentations

SARC Education and Training offers a range of professional development opportunities to students and professionals working or volunteering in government, non-government and private organisations. Presentations are delivered at your workplace by an experienced SARC trainer and can run consecutively to enable half-day and full-day training sessions.

• Sexual Assault and Responding to Disclosures – general 1 hour (PDF)
• Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Abuse – for health appointments involving physical contact - 1 hour (PDF)
• Responding to Disclosures with Skills Rehearsal - 2 hours (PDF)
• The Impact of Trauma - 1 hour (PDF)
• Building on Trauma Knowledge - 1 hour (PDF)
• Vicarious Trauma and Self-Care - 2 hours (PDF)

The first five presentations above are now offered free to most not-for-profit and non-fee paying organisations. A minimum of 10 attendees is required. Training is available Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Presentations for youth and university students

Consent and Relationships (PDF)
Suitable for post-school age youth including TAFE and university students (particularly first year students). Covers key concepts about sexual consent, safety and the relationship aspects of sex.
2 hours. $420. Max of 35.

Student Leader Training (PDF)
Suitable for university student leaders who are involved in running clubs and/or organising events.
2 hours. $420. Max of 35.

Presentation fees

Video presentations for regional workers

The following presentations have been recorded and are available to regional workers. The presentations can be viewed individually or as a team and allow workers to access them at their convenience. When viewing is completed, we ask workers to complete the short survey at the end of the presentation to enable SARC to gather feedback and statistics.

Contact SARCTraining@health.wa.gov.au to obtain a password to view the following presentations:

• Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault (general).
• Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Abuse – for health appointments involving physical contact (for nurses, doctors, physios, etc.).
• The Impact of Trauma.
• Vicarious Trauma and Self-Care for Workers (personal).

Medical and forensic training

SARC doctors offer a variety of training regarding the medical and forensic aspects of responding to a recent adolescent or adult sexual assault. The medical team provide face-to-face training at metropolitan emergency departments, recognised GP events, universities and various forums. Training is also offered via video conferencing to doctors and nurses in regional and remote areas of WA. Specific requests for student and work team training or speaking engagements can be directed to SARCTraining@health.wa.gov.au.

An overview of regular training events is outlined below.

Forensic training workshop

Forensic training workshop - 3 days (PDF)

This assessed, three-day forensic training workshop addresses the issues involved in responding to recent adolescent and adult sexual assault. It provides the skills and knowledge required for nurses, midwives and doctors to deliver medical care and perform a forensic examination with the collection of forensic specimens.

Following completion of the course and passing a written assessment, participants will be qualified to collect forensic specimens following sexual assault as approved by WA legislation, Criminal Investigation Act Amendment 2011.

Forensic clinical courses are generally offered in Perth approximately once each year for regional nurses and doctors. Depending on staffing and resources, courses can occasionally be offered in regional locations. The WACHS location is required to cover all costs involved in training delivery.

Currently there are no forensic courses scheduled due to resourcing issues.

Emergency management of adult sexual assault – for metro ED workers

Contact the education and training team with any requests for training SARCTraining@health.wa.gov.au.

Regional and remote WACHS workers – responding to a sexual assault in ED

Forensic presentations are delivered periodically to regional workers via video presentations.

eLearning: Responding to disclosures of sexual assault

A free psychosocial eLearning package on Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault (external site) is available. The package takes approximately two hours to complete and provides an overview of sexual violence issues in Australia and identifies the psychosocial skills required to effectively respond to disclosures.