This presentation explores the unique role of social work within the public dental setting and highlights how the social work department at the Royal Dental Hospital responds to family violence in meaningful and innovative ways. While family violence responses are often associated with acute health settings, dental services also provide important opportunities to identify and support victim survivors who may otherwise remain unseen within the healthcare system.
Patients experiencing family violence may present at any point along the continuum of risk, recognition, readiness, and recovery. Within the dental environment, social workers are uniquely positioned to observe indicators of trauma, build rapport through patient-centred engagement, and provide safe, trauma-informed interventions. This presentation will outline how social workers identify and respond to disclosures and indicators of family violence within the public dental context, ensuring patients receive appropriate support, validation, risk assessment, safety planning, and referrals.
The presentation will also examine the importance of creating emotional and psychological safety in a setting that can often feel highly vulnerable and anxiety provoking for patients. Through trauma-informed clinical approaches, social workers support both immediate patient needs and longer-term pathways to safety and wellbeing.
Beyond direct clinical work, the department is committed to strengthening organisational capability and embedding family violence awareness across the dental workforce. This includes educating staff, increasing workplace understanding of family violence, and contributing to the training of future dental professionals. By equipping dental clinicians with the skills to recognise signs of family violence and engage in sensitive inquiry, the dental hospital becomes an important access point for early intervention and support.
This presentation aims to demonstrate the value of integrating social work and family violence responses into public oral health services and the significant impact this can have on patient care and safety.