Elderly Hands holding each other in a supportive manner.

Specialist: Older Person Violence Advisor (OPVA) training

Our specialist Older Person Violence Advisor (OPVA) training aims to enhance professionals practical knowledge to best support older victims of domestic abuse.

Key course features

Our specialist OPVA training will focus on:

The dynamics of older people’s domestic abuse
Engaging with older people and what the barriers are to help seeking
Improving wellbeing and safety in the relationship / ongoing contact (trauma)
Multi-agency working and the referrals process
The barriers for older people keeping safe

Course overview

SafeLives OPVA specialist 5 day course is made up of specialist content focusing on supporting older victims of domestic abuse. The course aims to enhance your practical knowledge to best support older people who are victims of domestic abuse.

The course is designed as further development following the foundation IDVA or YPVA course, which covers the core domestic abuse knowledge you would want as an OPVA.

This ensures professionals are able to respond to older victims of domestic abuse, understanding the unique risks and reduced options available to safeguard older people and reduce risk.

Topics include:

the family and community dynamics that may affect older people experiencing abuse
effective risk management and safety planning with older people in a multi-agency context
the unique forms of economic abuse that older people can experience
identifying and responding to adult safeguarding concerns
age-related health issues and their implications for practice
how to address barriers to engagement, to build an age-inclusive service.

The OPVA specialist training is supported by relevant specialists from many different fields around adult safeguarding and domestic abuse.

This course is aimed at OPVAs, IDVAs, domestic abuse practitioners and service managers who currently carry an active caseload of domestic abuse victims or are about to start doing so. Learners who also complete a foundation course (e.g. IDVA) will become accredited Older People’s IDVA (OPVA) on completion of this qualification with OCN.

Please note the course uses the term older people to describe those aged 60 plus.

Time commitment

The OPVA specialist course comprises 5 days online training over 2 blocks; e-learning modules which must be completed prior to attending each block of training; and the completion of one assessed worksheets that is submitted online.

You must attend all 5 days.

The list below provides guidance on recommended study time you should allow:

Guided learning (training blocks, pre-course reading and e-learning modules) – 40 hours
Worksheets – 15 hours
Notional study – 40 hours
Total course time requirement – 95 hours

Eligibility

Our OPVA specialist course is available to practitioners who meet the following eligibility criteria:

Anyone with a current, active caseload supporting domestic abuse victims. This is to ensure that you have a variety of cases for practice reflection as part of your assessment.
Has a line manager or equivalent supervisor within an appropriate organisation. They should confirm your application details and support you for the duration of the course and whilst you are completing the worksheets.
Applicants must have completed either the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA), or Young Person Violence Advisor (YPVA) Foundation training.

Price

£845 per learner

Subsidies

A limited number of subsidised places are available specifically for by-and-for services. These reduced-fee places will be allocated through a random selection process from the pool of successful applicants who meet the eligibility criteria.

Please ensure your application is completed as fully as possible, as the information provided will be used to determine eligibility.

How to apply

Simply click on a suitable date below. If you can’t make the current dates on offer, please register your interest by submitting the following form, and we’ll contact you when future sessions are confirmed.

Accessibility

We welcome learners of all backgrounds and abilities. We encourage you to share with us any details on accessibility and diversity needs so we can ensure the right support is in place. You can also contact us if you have any queries via [email protected].