Welcome to SiREN’s E-News. This is your go-to source for the latest sexual health and blood-borne virus related news, training, conferences, events, funding opportunities, jobs, and more. If you have something you would like to share via our E-News let us know. You can find past E-News (and lots of other resources) on our website www.siren.org.au.

Keep an eye out for our Evidence Update emails where we share summaries of the latest sexual health and blood-borne virus related journal articles, reports and podcasts.

Don’t forget SiREN is here to assist you with your evaluation and research activities. We can help you write funding applications, draft conference abstracts, plan and evaluate your program, and develop evaluation strategies such as writing surveys or running focus groups. Support is free but there are a few criteria we require you to meet. Start a conversation with the SiREN team by emailing siren@curtin.edu.au or phoning us on 9266 7819.

NEWS

SiREN welcomes two new team members. Dr Belinda D’Costa has come on board as an Evaluation Project Officer and will be supporting the Young Free and Deadly Project and Myra Robinson is joining us as a Research Officer. 

Statement on Australia providing Heroin Assisted Treatment. Harm Reduction Australia has made a statement on why Australia should provide Heroin Assisted Treatment to severely dependent heroin users after all other treatment options haven’t worked. Read more here.

The Community of Practice for Action on HIV and Mobility E-News released. This is your go-to source for the latest updates regarding HIV and mobility issues. To read it click here.

Marriage Equality Postal Survey Counselling. The WA AIDS Council, with assistance from the Government of Western Australia Mental Health Commission, is providing counselling in relation to the Postal Survey. More information is available here.

How is HIV changing in our community - share your journey focus group.  11 October, 6pm-8pm. This study aims to understand how gay and bisexual men are learning about all the changes that are occurring and what role the AIDS Councils might play in supporting this. To register your interest and to receive a Participation Information Statement, please contact ladams@waaids.com.

Chlamydia Treatment Options Focus Group. TBC, UWA. Researchers from UWA are interested to find out the views of prescribers, regarding the potential for an alternative pathway for partners to be treated. If you're currently practicing as either a general practitioner, sexual health physician or nurse practitioner in WA and have treated at least one patient diagnosed with chlamydia in the past 3 months please contact Helen Wood at UWA.

Participants needed for PrEP Research. Do users of your service, or members of your networks use PrEP (Truvada)? Curtin is looking for looking for adult male participants to complete a 30-minute online survey on their experiences of taking PrEP. Further details can be found here.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

2017 YACWA/ YEP Every Body Every Mind Summit. October 4, Boulevard Centre Floreat. This FREE Summit will bring together young people, youth services and the sexual health sector to explore, share and increase understanding and capacity to support WA young people around their youth sexual health needs. For more information and registration click here.  

2017 Australian HIV & AIDS Conference. November 6-8, joint with the 2017 Australasian Sexual Health Conference, November 7-9, Canberra. These conferences will present new and innovative research findings across the Australasian HIV and sexual health sectors. Click here to find out more.  

9th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights Conference. 27-30 November, Hanoi. The conference aims to gather practitioners, researchers and experts to share information about sexual and reproductive health and rights. For more information, visit the APCRSHR here.

JOBS

Senior Policy and Planning Officer. Department of Health, Communicable Disease Control division. This role will be responsible for developing, reviewing and monitoring existing policy, programs and practice across strategic functional areas of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention and control. The Officer will coordinate and manage the establishment and maintenance of operational linkages with regional health services and other organisations which contribute to STI control, particularly in rural and remote Aboriginal communities, with young people and sex workers. Applications close October 6. For further information click here.  

Project Coordinator. HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney. The role is to coordinate a new Federal Department of Health-funded project entitled “Identifying Gaps in Achieving the Virtual Elimination of HIV Project (The Gaps Project)”, which aims to assess (1) which groups are not being reached in the areas of HIV testing, treatment and PrEP, and (2) where the gaps are in the available data and how they could be filled. Applications close October 7. To find out more click here.

TRAINING

Workshop: Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation. October 18, Perth. This 1 day workshop introduces participants to basic concepts related to evaluating projects and programs. The workshop is designed to de-mystify the evaluation process exploring such topics as: fit for purpose evaluation processes and approaches; interpreting data and much more. For information click here.

What’s out there? The spectrum of Sex Ed in WA schools. 6pm - 8pm October 19, West Perth. The WA branch of the Society of Australian Sexologists presents a conversation with Sue Dimitrijevich on the introduction of the mandated Health and Physical Education Curriculum for all WA schools. For more information and registration please contact SASWA.

Social Marketing and Behaviour Change Workshop Series: Social Marketing Principles and Practice. November 9, 8:30 - 12:30, Wembley. Presented by Rob Donovan, this half-day workshop will take you through the principles and practice of social marketing.The workshop will explore real world examples and also give you the opportunity to workshop your own ideas and priorities. For more information and registration visit the Know Injury website here.  

How to Write and Publish in the Peer Reviewed Journals: Top Tips from Editors. 9:15am - 12pm November 13, Curtin University. This FREE workshop is aimed at people with little or no experience in publishing peer-reviewed papers. Lin Fritschi and Jonine Jancey will use their experience from both sides of the publishing process to help you get your work into print. To register or for more details please email Sonia El-Zaemey.

Relationships and sexuality education: Communicating with families. 4pm - 5:30pm November 14, Online. This 90-minute webinar will be facilitated by the team from True Relationships & Reproductive Health. Key topics covered include: how children and young people learn about sexuality, strategies to support parents and carers communicating about relationships and sexuality and much more. For more information and registration visit SRE Teacher Training

Birds and BBVs Sexual Health training. Date and location by request. The Birds and the BBVs is a two day training course for anyone who works with Aboriginal people to increase their knowledge, skills, and confidence to yarn with clients and community about STI, HIV and BBV testing. Delivered by AHCWA in partnership with Hepatitis WA. If your health service is interested in this training please contact Veronica Walshe

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The Australian Health Promotion Association Scholarship Program is offering four health promotion scholarships during 2018. There is one graduate scholarship, one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholarship, one regional scholarship, and one of any category. Each scholarship offered is a six-month full-time health promotion work placement. Applications close November 13. To find out more visit their website.  

The Smartraveller Grants Program provides competitive funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for projects that encourage smarter, safer overseas travel by Australians. Submissions close October 6. Visit their website for more details.    

Department of Local Government and Communities. Grants of up to $10,000 are available on an ongoing basis for organisations to implement projects addressing the unique issues faced by women. To find out more, click here.  

Healthway Grants. Healthway has two types of grants available on an ongoing basis. The Health Promotion Project Grants and Health Promotion Research Grants. To find out more click here.  

Youth Engagement Grants Program. Grants up to $10,000 for organisations to implement projects that creatively engage young people and help achieve positive outcomes. Applications close December 31. Click here for more.  

Bupa Health Foundation Grants Program. Grants available for projects that: empower people to either prevent or better manage health conditions; or positively impact on health policy and practice to improve the health and care of Australians. An opening date is yet to be announced. Visit BUPA for more.  

To find more grants and scholarships you can visit the 'Funding Opportunities' section of the SiREN website.