Family and domestic violence — structured oral station (12 minutes)

Opening prompt — "She has just disclosed this to you. What do you do?"

Model response — say it in this order (LIVES): [1]

• "First, I would acknowledge that telling me took courage, and I would validate her: 'I believe you. This is not your fault. You are not alone.' I would not interrupt or rush to advice."
• "I would ask about her immediate safety and her child's safety — is she safe to go home today? Where is her partner now? Does she have any injuries that need attention?"
• "I would listen to what she wants and needs: her concerns, her housing, her support, her feelings about the relationship. This is her decision to make; my job is to support, not to direct."
• "I would then risk-assess, safety-plan, document and refer — in that order."[1]

Examiner is listening for: validation first, safety inquiry, respect for her autonomy, and a structured plan — not a lecture. [1]

Probe 1 — "Tell me about your risk assessment."

• "I would assess her risk of lethal violence. The named tool is the Campbell Danger Assessment, a validated lethality-risk instrument."[2]
• "The most concerning feature here is the non-fatal strangulation. In the Glass case-control study, a prior history of non-fatal strangulation was associated with over seven-fold increased odds of a completed intimate-partner homicide — it is one of the strongest single predictors of femicide."[3]
• "I would also weigh: the escalation (twice this month, and now strangulation), pregnancy itself as a high-risk window, the presence of a child, and I would ask about partner access to firearms, substance misuse, and threats to kill."

Probe 2 — "She says she does not want to leave him. How do you respond?"

• "I would respect her autonomy. Leaving is statistically the most dangerous time, and a woman who leaves impulsively before a safety plan is in place may move from controlled violence into a fatal escalation. The timing of leaving is her decision."
• "I would not pressure her or make her feel judged. Instead I would safety-plan with her, ensure she knows how to reach help, and leave the door open — 'you can come back to me any time.' The relationship I build with her across the pregnancy is itself protective."[1]

Probe 3 — "What is your safety plan and referral?"

• Safety plan: "I would help her build an emergency bag — identification, money, keys, medications, copies of documents — hidden where he cannot find it. We would agree a safe destination she could reach, emergency contacts stored securely, and a code word with a trusted person. We would plan for the child."
• Referral: "I would refer her to social work and to a specialist domestic violence service — 1800RESPECT in Australia — and offer perinatal mental health support. The Cochrane review found advocacy may reduce abuse, particularly in pregnant women, so the referral is the evidence-based intervention, not a box-tick."[4][5]

Probe 4 — "How will you document this?"

• "Contemporaneously, with her verbatim words in quotation marks — 'he grabbed me by the throat until I felt dizzy.' I would use a body map for any injuries, offer forensic photography with her written consent, and date, time and sign the entry."
• "Crucially, I would flag the record confidential so that discharge summaries, posted letters and patient-portal messages do not reach her partner. A letter home that reveals the disclosure can be dangerous."[1][5]

Probe 5 — "What about her three-year-old child?"

• "The child is a separate mandatory-reporting consideration. In every Australian state and territory and in New Zealand, child abuse and neglect is mandatorily reportable, and a child exposed to family violence in the household may meet the child-protection threshold even without direct injury. I would engage social work and make the appropriate notification for the child, separately from respecting the mother's confidentiality about her own situation."[5]

Probe 6 (communication) — "She is in front of you and she is frightened. Talk me through how you actually speak to her."

This is a scored domain, not a courtesy. Demonstrate it out loud: [1]

• Sit at her eye level, not over her. Use her name. Slow down.
• "Thank you for telling me this. I'm glad you did. What's happening to you is not your fault, and you are not alone. We don't have to decide everything today — I'm here to help you find what's safe for you and your child."
• Do not use jargon. Do not look at the screen while she speaks. Do not ask "why don't you leave." Acknowledge her fear and her courage, and commit to seeing her again.