Occupational violence and aggression training

Training principles

The Department of Health's Guide for violence and aggression training in Victorian health services provides training principles based on a tiered approach for different staff groups. These best-practice training principles will support consistency in training across the state.

The guide was developed using literature reviews of standards for developing occupational violence and aggression training in emergency and mental health.

Interactive eLearning modules

Four eLearning modules on occupational violence and aggression (OVA) are available to staff of Victorian public health services through the Mental Health Professional Online Development Program (MHPOD) Learning Portal.

These modules support the core training elements outlined in the Department of Health's Guide for violence and aggression training in Victorian health services. Topics include:

• Risk assessment
• De-escalation techniques
• Roles and responsibilities in Code Grey and Code Black responses
• Incident reporting

The training package includes 4 modules to be completed in order:

1. OVA – Read the signs
2. OVA – Working together
3. OVA – Respond to incidents
4. OVA – Put it all together

How to access the modules

You'll need an MHPOD account to complete the modules. Access is free and open to individuals seeking to build their knowledge and skills in a professional development capacity.

If you don’t have an MHPOD account:

1. Visit the MHPOD sign-in page, select Sign up, and create your account.
2. Follow the link in the confirmation email to set up your profile.
3. Choose Topic Library from the main menu.
4. In Jurisdiction-specific topics, select Victoria.
5. Choose Occupational violence and aggression from the available options.

Already have an account?

Go directly to the MHPOD Victorian page, sign in, and select Occupational violence and aggression from the course list.

Training evaluation framework

The department has developed an evaluation framework (Evaluating occupational violence and aggression training: framework for health services) to help health services assess the effectiveness of their training, and whether it meets the department's training principles.

More resources