In Australia, family violence is a leading contributing factor to death and illness, it is the leading cause of homelessness, and at least one woman is murdered by a current or past partner every single week. We know that paramedics are seeing patients experiencing family violence, and yet it is rare that paramedics receive any meaningful education or training in how to respond. In this presentation, Simon will explore how patients experiencing family violence are presenting to ambulance services, and explain how the paramedic workforce can become advocates for our patients to access the right care and support, and reduce the overall burden of family violence on society.

Simon Sawyer is a lecturer in the Department of Paramedicine, where he is the first year coordinator of the Bachelor of Paramedicine program. Simon has worked as an Advanced Life Support paramedic since 2013, and continues to work on the ambulance in Southwest Victoria. Simon completed his PhD on the paramedic response to intimate partner violence, and is a leading advocate for the introduction of comprehensive training for paramedics on the topic of family violence. In 2018 Simon was awarded the Monash University Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence (early career) for his efforts in implementing family violence education for paramedic students. Simon is currently lead investigator of a interdisciplinary team of educators studying the implementation of comprehensive family violence education for Monash healthcare students. Simon's research interests include training the healthcare sector to respond to family violence, paramedic education, paramedic well-being, and building a resilient paramedic workforce.

Simon Sawyer is a lecturer in the Department of Paramedicine, where he is the first year coordinator of the Bachelor of Paramedicine program. Simon has worked as an Advanced Life Support paramedic since 2013.