July 2002

The impact of domestic violence

Assistant Professor Virginia Walther of Mount Sinai Medical Center New York has compared the feelings of children who regularly sees domestic violence to those of witnesses to the September 11 events at the World Trade Centre.

Professionals dealing with women in violent situations should keep in mind the well-documented shattering impact witnessing violence has on children, Assistant Professor Walther said during her Kath Dawe Memorial Lecture.

She delivered the Every day terrorism: Domestic violence and its effect on children lecture at the Royal Children’s Hospital to an audience of about 200 as part of the Academic Practice Partnership between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The Royal Children’s Hospital Social Work Department has a ongoing relationship with Mount Sinai Medical Centre.

Assistant Professor Walther has researched and published widely on a range of issues relating to women and social work.

Through her work—she manages Maternal and Child Social Work Services at Mount Sinai Medical Centre—she has developed a special interest in the effects of domestic violence on children.

In a preceding seminar, social work and medical staff from the Royal Children’s Hospital were joined by colleagues from other teaching hospitals and Melbourne and Monash universities to explore innovative practice approaches.

Seminar speakers included Melbourne University and Royal Women’s Hospital’s Deborah Walsh on preliminary findings on domestic violence and pregnancy, Dr Brigid Jordon of Melbourne University and the Royal Children’s Hospital on infancy and domestic violence and Department of Human Services’ Director of Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Gill Callister on the Department’s vision for future service provision.