Who is the course for?
Women’s Health New South Wales has developed an exciting, comprehensive training program for students, volunteers, workers, managers and management who want an understanding of women’s health policy and practice.

The course aims to expand participants’ understanding of feminist principles and how these principles are applied in their day-to-day work. It aims to increase their knowledge and skills in applying an outcomes approach to planning, and to explore the challenges and opportunities of working in a women’s health setting.

The program is an excellent way to orientate new workers to the women’s health sector, with participants ranging from front desk workers to board members. It will also benefit those who have been working in the sector who may not have had access to such comprehensive training and would like to consolidate their skills and upgrade their planning and evaluation procedures.

Purpose of the course
This training package reflects the historical development of women’s health services in NSW. It explores the historical nature and development of women’s health approaches and policy which influence the way women’s health NGOs undertake health care provision today. The course aims to increase consistency within the NGO sector in approaches to health policy and health care provision. It also encourages partnerships between the NGO and government sectors.

Structure of the course
The Nature of Women’s Health: Past, Present, Future training program consists of two parts. The first part is a self-directed learning package (also known as a distance education package). This is followed by three days of face-to-face training to build on and reinforce the issues examined in the self-directed learning package.

Part 1 - Learning Package
Self-directed learning allows the participant to work through the package at her own pace. This allows for minimal disruption to work commitments because participants can schedule their time accordingly.

Activities
Throughout the modules there are learning activities to complete. A workbook is provided for you to complete the activities. The workbook is handed in at the end of the course for assessment to ensure satisfactory completion of the course. The activities are an important component of any self-directed learning program as they are designed to reinforce or apply the particular issues being discussed.

Commitment
Each module should take approximately six hours to complete but will vary depending on prior skills and knowledge of the individual.

Structure
The package is divided into six modules. A brief outline of each module follows.

Module 1: Why women’s health?
This module examines some of the history and philosophy of the Western feminist movement and the women’s health movement. It provides an historical context for examining the work of women’s health centres in Australia today, especially in relation to the politics of the larger community in which women’s services are placed.

Module 2: Health philosophies and frameworks
This module examines some of the different health philosophies and frameworks from an historical perspective and assesses the impact they have had on our approach to health today.

Module 3: Health policy
This module looks at women’s health issues in Australia at a policy level and how they have impacted on women’s health practice. It also looks at the role of NGOs in relation to women’s health.

Module 4: Planning and evaluation
This module is divided into three sections: Planning, Evaluation, and Tools for Planning and Evaluation.

Section 1 considers the planning process and the factors that need to be considered to develop and evaluate effective plans from a health outcomes perspective. Section 2 examines models for evaluating the effectiveness of a health plan, while in section 3, we look more closely at tools that can be used in the planning and evaluation process.

Module 5: Current priorities in women’s health
This module focuses on particular groups of women who, by the nature and extent of their social, economic and/or health disadvantage, tend to have poorer health outcomes than other women.

Part 2- Training Session
A three-day, face-to-face training session builds on the information provided in the self-directed learning package. The aim of the training is to challenge each participant and to provide opportunities to explore issues in more depth. Debate of key issues is encouraged.

Module 6: Issues to consider when working in women’s health practice
This module examines the challenges facing workers in a women’s health setting, such as ethics, boundaries, conflict, cultural diversity and equity.

Attendance at the training session is essential for satisfactory completion of the course and to receive a certificate of completion.

Training program session dates
Dates for 2011-2012 to be advised.