Improving sexual safety within Victorian mental health inpatient units

Safer Care Victoria

Improving Sexual Safety – Mental Health Inpatient Units

Video Transcript – August 2025

Prepared for internal and external distribution.

Transcript – Improving Sexual Safety - Mental Health Inpatient Units

GRAPHICS:

Safer Care Victoria logo

Improving Sexual Safety

Mental Health Inpatient Units

Mental Health Improvement Program logo

00:00:10 – Misha Adair

Improving sexual safety in mental health services is a first-of-its-kind initiative – part of Safer Care Victoria’s Mental Health Improvement Program.

00:00:19 – Misha Adair

The 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommended this important work be done to drive changes and improvements that help create safety for all.

00:00:30 – Misha Adair

We’re working with inpatient units to trial and implement real solutions that positively impact the experience of sexual safety for consumers, carers, and staff, and reduce sexual safety incidents.

00:00:49 – Misha Adair

This is breaking new ground. There’s no established foundation of evidence for these improvements. We’re building it here in Victoria, with services leading the way globally.

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Peninsula Health, Frankston

00:00:59 – Alysha Bonell

One of the biggest shifts we made was understanding that safety isn’t just about what staff do. It’s about mutual responsibility. Consumers have a right to feel safe, and they also play a role in making others feel safe too.

00:01:12 – Alysha Bonell

Our first step was defining sexual safety in a way that made sense to everyone – consumers, carers, and the staff.

00:01:19 – Courtney Dunn

We co-designed sexual safety plans with our consumers, lived experience workforce, and clinicians to ensure it wasn’t just another policy, but something meaningful.

00:01:27 – Courtney Dunn

It was important to recognise that it’s new to everyone, consumers and staff alike, and we’re all learning together

00:01:34 – Alysha Bonell

Now these plans are becoming part of our admission process. The moment someone arrives, we want them to know: your sexual safety matters here, and we will work with you so you feel safe within our service.

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Eastern Health, Ringwood

00:01:47 – Laura Rizert

One of our biggest challenges was helping staff feel comfortable and confident in discussing sexual safety. Some weren’t sure how to respond to disclosures or felt uncomfortable talking about it, whilst others didn’t always recognise certain behaviours as harassment.

00:02:06 – Laura Rizert

We promoted a greater awareness of sexual safety and introduced staff education sessions to change that. Now we see more open conversations and staff advocating for both consumers and themselves with confidence.

00:02:14 – Brittany Williams

We also introduced a sexual safety wall – a simple but powerful tool that provides clear information on healthy boundaries, STI screening, and support services like ECASA. It’s a daily reminder that sexual safety is a priority and not an afterthought.

00:02:29 – Brittany Williams

With our simple tracking board, we ensure all consumers receive and understand their bedroom access wristbands.

00:02:35 – Laura Rizert

Before, they relied on staff with keys. Now they have control over their own space. It’s made a huge difference in how safe and in control consumers feel.

00:02:47 – Alysha Bonell

When we first started testing these interventions, we recognised that even though staff had been having these discussions with consumers informally, we needed to better support the quality of the practice and to make it more consistent across the multidisciplinary teams.

00:03:00 – Alysha Bonell

But once we started having these discussions at a deeper level, something changed.

00:03:05 – Courtney Dunn

Consumers shared experiences they hadn’t felt significant enough to report before. Just by making it more visible, people were more aware that sexual safety was just as critical as other safety measures on the ward.

00:03:17 – Alysha Bonell

That was the turning point. It showed us why this work matters and why we need to commit to continuous improvement. That we needed to pause, reevaluate, and readjust as we move forward to embedding sexual safety practices in our service.

00:03:33 – Misha Adair

The mental health inpatient teams we’re working with are forging the way for understanding practical approaches to improving sexual safety for all.

00:03:42 – Misha Adair

They’ve challenged assumptions and listened to a variety of perspectives to thoughtfully consider, trial, and examine improvements that place the consumer at the heart. This work will make real, positive difference in how everyone experiences safety.

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Mental Health Improvement Program

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