NEWS & RESOURCES

Business as usual. The SiREN team were sad to say farewell to Dr Daniel Vujcich, former SiREN Sector Development and Support Manager, as he left the team to take up a new position as CEO, WAAC from 27 November 2023. SiREN team members have thoroughly enjoyed working with Daniel over the last 2 years and acknowledge the significant contributions that he has made to the sector and creating a high performing team. We wish Daniel well in his new role and are delighted to be able to continue working with him in a new capacity. 
 
It is business as usual for the SiREN team. The SiREN Management Team (Roanna, Gemma, Jacqui, Jonathan and Jonine) are managing work in progress and new requests. Planning has begun to create a new team structure for 2024/25 SiREN activities. Watch this space! Please continue to direct any questions or requests to siren@curtin.edu.au.

SiREN wishes the network a happy holidays! As 2023 draws to a close, we would like to thank you for your continued support and engagement with us throughout this year. The SiREN Team will be out of office from Monday 25 December 2023 to Friday 5 January 2024. Please remember we can be contacted via email at siren@curtin.edu.au and have a wealth of resources available on our website, and via Twitter/X. We look forward to working with you all in 2024. We wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy festive period, and all the best for the new year. 

Increasing Aboriginal women's engagement with antenatal care services to prevent congenital syphilis in Western Australia: Stories of success and lessons learned. SiREN. This research aimed to capture the subjective experiences of Aboriginal pregnant women accessing antenatal and postnatal care, following a syphilis outbreak in the WA Kimberley region in 2014. The final report and policy brief is now available. Read more about the project here. 

Secondary distribution of sterile injecting equipment: A rapid evidence review. SiREN. This report aims to review national and international evidence on secondary distribution of sterile injecting equipment to inform discussions around legal reform in WA, with a focus on public health outcomes related to BBV prevention and control. Read the review here.

YEP Annual Youth & Sector Surveys are now open. Youth Educating Peers (YEP). The team at YEP are asking young people (aged 12-25) and the professionals that work with them for their input on sexual health activities, services and education across the last year to help guide their work for 2024. If you are aged 12-25 and live in Western Australia, you can now provide a submission to the YEP youth survey. Additionally, if you work (professionally or voluntarily) with young people and live in Western Australia you can now provide a submission to the YEP sector survey.

Launch of Professional Learning Resource - Gender and Sexuality Diversity in Schools (GSDS). Western Sydney University. Recently completed Australian Research Council-funded project: Gender and Sexuality Diversity in Schools: Parental Experiences and Schooling Responses, have created a professional learning module using findings for pre- and in-service teachers to raise awareness of the schooling experiences of gender and sexuality diverse students (and their families). Explore the resources here.

HIV and Mobility: A snapshot of overseas-acquired HIV. CoPAHM. This research summary provides a brief overview of available epidemiological data and research updates since 2018 in relation to overseas-acquired HIV in Australia, with implications for practice. Download the document here.  

2023 World AIDS Day. Members of the SIREN team were pleased to attend the World AIDS Day Breakfast hosted by WAAC on 1 December 2023. Dr Daniel Vujcich (WAAC), Dr Gemma Crawford and Dr Jonathan Hallett (SiREN) with Senator Louise Pratt and Hon. Peter Foster pictured at WAAC's World AIDS Day event.

CONFERENCES

SiREN Symposium 2024. SiREN. The SiREN Symposium will be held on 30th and 31st May 2024 at The Hub, Bentley Technology Park and will be delivered online and in person. The theme for the Symposium is Getting to zero: Community and workforce actions for the elimination of HIV, hepatitis C and congenital syphilis transmission in WA. The symposium will soon be inviting abstracts for presentations on this theme. Further information on the event will be provided soon. Please visit the Symposium website for more information and contact siren@curtin.edu.au for any questions. 30-31 May 2024. Perth, Australia. 

AIDS 2024. International AIDS Society. This Conference will convene thousands of people living with, affected by and working on HIV to share knowledge, best practices and lessons learnt from the HIV response over the past 40 years, as well as from the responses to COVID-19, mpox and other public health threats. Abstract submissions are open. 22-26 July 2024. Munich, Germany. 

14th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference. ASHM. This Conference is being held on Larrakia country, Garamilla (Darwin), Northern Territory. This conference will bring together researchers, community members, health professionals and policymakers with the shared vision of eliminating viral hepatitis through collaboration, innovation and commitment. Abstract submissions to open December 2023. 1-3 August 2024. Darwin. 

Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference. ASHM. The Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference returns in 2024, bringing the latest state-of-the-art research and evidence to Australia. Join delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific to hear from speakers from across the globe on the latest in HIV. Abstract submissions to open January 2024. 16-18 September 2024. Sydney, Australia.

25th IUSTI World Congress. IUSTI & ASHM. This Conference, which will incorporate the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference, will provide an opportunity to meet, discuss and learn about the latest research and innovation in sexual and reproductive health. 17-20 September 2024. Sydney.

TRAINING & SEMINARS

SiREN Short Courses. The SiREN Short Courses are free online training modules designed to support those working in the WA SHBBV sector. Available on-demand, these modules will build your capabilities in health promotion planning and evaluation. Each course contains a series of modules with videos, readings and activities enabling you to apply the concepts to a topic relevant to your work. Experienced staff will join you on your learning journey. The training is open to those working in WA only. Click here to enrol.

Health Promotion 12 Week Online Course. Curtin University. This flexible 12-week online course will provide you with an understanding of the role and importance of health promotion and the broader concept of health within a community and national setting. The course aims to provide you with the skills needed to plan, implement and evaluate a health promotion program. 18 March-16 June, 2024. Find out more and register here. 

Sexuality and Disability. SECCA. This workshop explores the relationship and sexuality rights and needs of people with disabilities. The workshop aims to develop awareness of our own values and attitudes in relation to sexuality, and consider how these may be barriers to the rights of the people we support. 15 February 2024. West Perth. 

Unintended Pregnancy Counselling Training. Sexual Health Quarters. This course provides participants with knowledge and skills around non-directive pregnancy counselling. Designed for professionals who support people with unintended pregnancy and those who are the first point of contact for someone facing an unintended pregnancy. 19-20 March 2024. Northbridge.

Introduction to syphilis for midwives: Western Australia. ASHM. This course is for Western Australian midwives to develop their skills to confidently discuss sexual health with patients, conduct guideline-based syphilis screening and testing, identify health pathways of pregnancy in syphilis, and initiate contact tracing. The training can be accessed anytime on the ASHM Online Learning System by searching 'Syphilis for Midwives' in the course catalogue. An ASHM login is required.

STIs In WA primary care. Sexual Health Quarters. This course provides primary health care professionals with comprehensive education about discussing STIs with patients, and testing for and managing STIs. It includes public health responsibilities and legal issues and recommends useful online resources for ongoing use. Access anytime. Online.

Syphilis outbreak training. ASHM. Professional development training is available for health practitioners affected by the ongoing outbreak of infectious syphilis among young Aboriginal people in regions of Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. An ASHM login is required.

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship. Sexual Health Quarters. SHQ recognises that to achieve health equality more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are needed across the health work force and in the areas of sexual and reproductive health. To support this, SHQ is offering a scholarship to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, social workers or counsellors to attend their two-day Unintended Pregnancy Counselling training. Applications close two-weeks prior to each training course: 19-20 March 2024; 11-12 June 2024; 17-18 September 2024. Click here for more information.

Sexual health and blood-borne viruses – Workforce development. Department of Health, WA. The Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Program (SHBBVP) has limited funds available to assist government services and non-government organisations to apply for an organisation development grant to improve or develop sexual health and/or blood-borne virus related workforce training or services. Click here for more information.