OVA training content

DHHS OVA training guide 2017

The content of this training package is aligned with all of the relevant OVA guidelines and initiatives released by the Department of Health, and the Office of The Chief Psychiatrist.

The standard for OVA training in Victorian Healthcare is the DoH “Guide for violence and aggression training in Victorian health services (2017) - MOAT: Mental Health Services’ OVA training package has been mapped to every element of that standard.

The single-day OVA training sessions include the following topics:

Moving towards zero tolerance:

  • Duty of Care and OH&S legislation

  • Defining occupational violence

  • Crimes Act Victoria – potential charges

  • Defining and creating a culture of zero tolerance

  • Why people escalate and some have difficulty self-regulating

Potential barriers to a safe workplace:

  • Neurochemistry

  • Best practice when de-escalating people with mental illness

  • Social and interpersonal barriers

  • Forming therapeutic relationships

  • Strategies to defuse potential anger

Risk Assessment:

  • Assessing OVA risk in the workplace across four domains –

    • elements particular to outreach practitioners

    • environmental factors

    • factors related to the potential aggressor

    • factors that we introduce to the scenario

  • Duress alarms

  • Self-awareness of stress and anxiety

Layers of the brain and managing escalations:

  • The layers of the brain and their general functions

  • How stress impacts on our ability to remain cognitive, and may lead to explosive behaviour

  • Strategies to remain in the cognitive brain in times of stress

  • Strategies to de-escalate the explosive behaviour

  • Multi-sensory de-escalation theory and practical strategies

Challenging behaviours:

  • Why de-escalation skills are imperative

  • Ten considerations when de-escalating the angry person

  • Was their violence controllable?

  • The ABC approach to understanding behavioural change

  • Functions of inappropriate behaviour

  • Natural consequences of inappropriate behaviour

  • Consistency throughout the staff team

  • The use of behavioural contracts

  • Running a de-escalation (Code Grey / Black where relevant)

  • Considerations when restraining patients / consumers (where relevant)

Data from 2016 – 2021 healthcare post-training evaluations for a metropolitan Melbourne health network (4,978 participants).

Percentage of participants who responded positively to each post-evaluation question:

  • “Facilitator’s ability to answer questions” – 99.88%

  • Program content

    • “Appropriate content” – 99.80%

    • “Current material” – 99.93%

  • Participants would “recommend the course to others” – 99.65%

Please contact Bryan Jeffrey to discuss providing MOAT: Mental Health Services’ OVA training package for your staff team.