Women's Health Services Network

Featured

12 Mar 2019

We prevent the underlying causes of ill-health and harm for women in Victoria.

12 Mar 2019

We provide a statewide infrastructure to promote Victorian women’s wellbeing.

12 Mar 2019

We promote good health and wellbeing to Victorian women.

12 Mar 2019

We apply an expert intersectional lens to health issues and systems to improve outcomes for women.

12 Mar 2019

We prevent the underlying causes of ill-health and harm for women in Victoria.

12 Mar 2019

We provide a statewide infrastructure to promote Victorian women’s wellbeing.

12 Mar 2019

Image of young Indigenous Australian woman sitting on a stair while studying.

The Victorian Women's Health Services Network is a collective of 12 state government-funded women's health services, each a centre of excellence in gendered health promotion, primary prevention and gender equity.

We work collaboratively for a fairer, safer and healthier Victoria.

We lead and coordinate local and statewide health promotion activities that reach across every region of the state.

We use evidence-based research to support legislation, policy and programs that ensure women stay well, and if they do need to access healthcare services, that they receive the care that supports their return to health.

We are the only state or territory with this unique infrastructure and reach, supporting the health system to create the best possible health outcomes for women and gender-diverse people.

Our network consists of:

Case Studies

Case studies

Case study 1: Putting women’s health and equality on the state agenda

We gather evidence and speak up for women's concerns, making sure they're always part of the state's plans. This includes contributing a gender perspective to laws, policies and programs. Because of this, Victoria is now a leader in making positive changes for women's health and equality in Australia.

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Case study 2: Advancing women’s sexual and reproductive health through state reform

We collaborate to drive crucial reform in areas such as sexual and reproductive health. This has contributed to life-saving advances towards a safe, accessible and empowering Victorian sexual and reproductive health system.

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Case study 3: Leading the way in evidence-building and best practice approaches

We lead the way in finding out what really works to keep women safe and healthy. Our innovation led to delivery of some of the very first primary prevention projects in Australia. This has helped shape what is considered the most effective way to do things and is now a crucial part of the state government's plans and strategies.

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Case study 4: Building capacity for inclusive and intersectional women’s health and equality work

Bolstered by the leadership of our specialist women’s health services, our sector is helping build Victoria’s capacity to undertake inclusive and intersectional health promotion and primary prevention practice.

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Case study 5: Keeping gender in focus – COVID-19 response and recovery

From the start of the pandemic, we've been providing ongoing analysis and advice to make sure the pandemic response and recovery don't make women's health and equality issues even worse.

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“A key role of the women’s health services is that they are able to focus on all the different women’s health issues and draw connections between the various issues – for instance, rates of sexual violence, access to reproductive health services, and mental health indicators – and look at the whole picture of women’s health. All these issues coalesce and impact ultimately on health status for women.”

– Cath Hannon, Project Manager, Clinical Champions Project at Royal Women’s Hospital
“Women’s health services are specialists in the social construction of gender, and how gender functions to sustain structural inequalities that in turn produce inequities in living conditions and disparities in population health … Women’s health services are unparalleled in their understanding and prioritisation of violence against women, and in their leadership, reach and practices for preventing violence. They are like no other stakeholder in Victoria’s prevention system in this regard.”

– Dr Wei Leng Kwok, independent consultant in gender equality and primary prevention of violence against women
“Women’s health services are very connected to the needs and related services that exist in their neck of the woods – they are anchored in place. Primary prevention work when done well should be grassroots. It’s about hearts and minds and shifting behaviours at a grassroots level – and that comes from community-led work and the women’s health services do this very well.”

– Matt Tyler, Executive Director, The Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services
“One of the things the sector does beautifully is share what we have learned with each other at every stage of our work, building and refining that work along the way. One organisation will focus on a topic because it is important for their region. They undertake the projects – provide the evidence, the information, the lived experience – then share that with other women’s health services. The scale up that is possible is incredible.”

– Dr Robyn Gregory, women’s health, family violence and prevention of violence against women consultant (Women’s Health West 2008–2021)

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