RAWA was fortunate to be involved in a collaboration to bring one of the world’s most acclaimed voices in Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) to WA this month.
Working closely with Tori Cooke from Pandora Projects - Perspectives in Practice was an industry collaboration between Relationships Australia WA, Centrecare and Communicare. The cross-agency partnership sponsored the visit of Melissa Petrangelo Scaia from Minnesota US — a globally recognised expert in domestic and family violence response and perpetrator interventions — from 2 – 5 September.
CEO Danielle Newport said this was an exceptional opportunity for our staff and the broader sector.
“It is rare to learn from one of the world’s most influential voices in family and domestic violence,” she said.
“This opportunity allowed our sector to continue to foster best-practice approaches that prioritise victim survivor safety, support and grow practitioner development, and ensure accountability in intervention responses.”
Over four days Melissa delivered sector-leading training and strategic engagement to nearly 150 practitioners through half-day practitioner training —Understanding and Working with Reactive and Resistive Abuse, a full-day masterclass — Working with Men Who Use Family Violence, and networking opportunities.
Through these forums, participants experienced cross-sector reflection on trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches with a focus on:
Resistive violence and abuse in family violence contexts
Trauma-informed accountability in work with men who use violence
Systems responses to domestic and family violence, including women’s who use force
The training focused on increasing practitioners understanding of the three different types of abuse and enhancing understanding related to the provision of the safest, most effective therapeutic intervention for clients.
The three types of Family and Domestic Violence presented by Melissa were:
Coercive Controlling Violence and Abuse
Resistive Violence
Violence Unrelated to Coercive Control.
Clinical Lead FDV Sheila Fogarty said the capacity to appropriately identify and screen for FDV was core to safe client service delivery.
“The insights, discussions and learning opportunities offered during the training enabled practitioners to refine and strengthen their skills and knowledge to directly impact client experience and improve service quality,” she said.
Melissa is an internationally recognised expert in domestic and family violence intervention, with more than 26 years of experience spanning local, national, and global contexts. Her work focuses on addressing gender-based violence based on the lived experiences of survivors, trauma-informed practice, program development, and international consulting.
Currently a consultant with UN Women, Melissa provides global training and technical support on domestic and family violence. She also facilitates men’s behaviour change groups and co-coordinates the Minneapolis Coordinated Community Response (CCR)
Learning and Development Manager, Anneke Wiesner said the training was an impactful learning experience that went beyond awareness raising.
“The calibre of facilitation was exceptional, combining theoretical frameworks with practical, experiential activities,” she said.
“Staff walked away not only with a deeper understanding but also with concrete tools, reflective insights, and collaborative practices that they can apply directly in their client work.”
“This represents one of the strongest examples of targeted, sector-specific professional development we’ve been able to offer.”
The Perspectives in Practice initiative reflects a powerful collaboration between leading WA organisations committed to improving outcomes in family and domestic violence work.
“By working together, we are strengthening our sector and workforce capability to improve the support we all provide to those impacted by FDV,” Danielle said.