We know that violence is not God’s intention for families and communities but do we know how to recognise it? Do we know how to make our churches safe and supportive places for people who experience violence? Do we understand why violence against women is so prevalent and what we can do to help prevent it?

With the right knowledge and skills, church leaders can play an important and influential role in preventing violence against women and supporting people who experience family violence. In light of this, the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne’s Preventing Violence Against Women Program has created a one-day training program to equip church leaders for this task.

This specialised training is available for all active clergy and key lay leaders in Anglican parishes in the Diocese of Melbourne.

Participant testimonials:

• ‘Great ways of presenting material. Good practical lessons and tools to take away’.
• ‘Superb content, great pedagogy. Great knowledge and information’.
• ‘I have a much better knowledge of the resources that are available to help someone who is experiencing domestic violence’.
• ‘Excellent list of referral resources and resource pack’.

What participants took away from the training day:

• ‘There’s help out there for leaders like me who are not professionals in this field’.
• ‘What I can begin to do as a leader to lead change’.
• ‘There is hope, we can change attitudes, that will create a better world, better outcome’.
• ‘Clear honest discussion on the structures we set up in church that lead to/permit violence against women to remain secret.’
• ‘The Church, as part of the community, can lead in addressing this problem’.