Technology Safety training and professional development
Up-to-date Technology safety training for practitioners by practitioners using a DV lens. We understand domestic and family violence and we understand how abusers can misuse technology in the context of domestic and family violence and other forms of gender-based violence.
Please note, the following training events are for practitioners only and are suitable for Sexual Assault and Domestic and Family Violence Sector (SADFV) practitioners and professionals who regularly support victim-survivors of domestic violence who want a better understanding about how technology is misused in domestic and family violence situations.
For government agencies and other companies interested in our training please contact us for a quotation.
Download our PU Calendar 2023 with training dates for January to June 2023 here: PUCalendar A4 Format
Children, Young People and Tech Abuse
Next Session: 26 July 2023 | 12:30 pm AEST

This one-hour webinar is based on the findings of the WESNET’s Second National Survey of Technology Abuse and Domestic Violence in Australia and other recent research by QUT on technology abuse and children. It explores the ways in which abusers use young people’s technology as a part of domestic and family violence and practical ways frontline workers and advocates can support their clients to respond to this risk.
Information about the training:
- Dates: 26 July 2023 at 12:30 pm AEST
- Duration: One hour
- Format: Online – Once registered, we will send the Zoom link separately.
- Cost: $91 per person – including GST
Location, Location, Location
Next Session: 08 August 2023 | 12:30 pm AEST

This webinar covers the ways in how victim-survivors may be located, monitored, and surveilled through technology by abusers. It explores the more commonly used tactics including tracking through purpose-built trackers, inbuilt applications (apps) like ‘Find My’, or through viewing account data, through to the more complex tactics such as accessing the backend of accounts and apps, extracting geolocation data, or using malware such as stalkerware or spyware. Attendees will learn how this type of abuse can occur, how to identify the technology being used, where to look for evidence, what to do about it, and how to protect against the likelihood of it occurring.
Information about the training:
- Dates: 08 August 2023 at 12:30 pm AEST
- Duration: One hour
- Format: Online – Once registered, we will send the Zoom link separately.
- Cost: $91 per person – including GST
Upcoming Practitioner Training
Other Training
Social Media and Survivors
Next Session: 06 September 2023 | 12:30 pm AEST

This one-hour webinar covers the most common social media platforms used by Australians. We will discuss how DFV perpetrators commonly misuse social media and what can be done to support victim-survivors. We’ll also look at the data these platforms collect, store and share, and cover how victim-survivors can maximise the built-in privacy and security settings, use the abuse-reporting features and potentially document abuse.
Information about the training:
- Dates: 06 September 2023 at 12:30 pm AEST
- Duration: One hour
- Format: Online – Once registered, we will send the Zoom link separately.
- Cost: $91 per person – including GST
Understanding Stalkerware
Next Session: 16 November 2023 | 12:30 pm AEST

This 90-minute webinar provides frontline SADFV workers with an overview of stalkerware and how it is currently deployed in DFV on both computers and mobile devices. Participants will learn how to potentially distinguish whether stalkerware or other forms of technology are being used and some practical steps and advice in relation to assisting victim-survivors with risk and safety planning around stalkerware, and much more.
Information about the training:
- Dates: 16 November 2023 at 12:30 pm AEST
- Duration: One hour and a half
- Format: Online – Once registered, we will send the Zoom link separately.
- Cost: $135 per person – including GST
The following training is available for Safe Connections Agencies and WESNET Members only
Smartphones & Safety Training (Face-To-Face)
Our face-to-face events provide in-depth (and in person) training on how smartphones can be misused to abuse, stalk, or harass another person. Participants of this training will learn the different ways in which abusers misuse smartphone technology, how to identify which phone technology is being misused, and assist clients in developing safety and evidence-collection strategies around phone technology-facilitated abuse. This training was designed to empower agencies participating in the Safe Connections program to meet the safety assessment requirements. Registration for face-to-face training in Perth and Adelaide are now open (Brisbane to be announced soon). If you cannot attend, please enrol in any of our two-part webinars, conducted online.
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Smartphones & Safety Training Webinars
Our two-part webinar sessions provide an in-depth look at how smartphones can be used to abuse, stalk and harass another person. Participants of this two-part webinar will learn the different ways in which abusers misuse smartphone technology, how to identify which phone technology is being misuses, and assist clients in developing safety and documentation/evidence collection around technology facilitated abuse. This training is designed to empower agencies participating in the Safe Connections program to meet the safety assessment requirements.
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Spyware and Online Safety Webinars for Frontline Workers
In these specialised webinars, tech-safety experts will walk you through the process of determining whether there is spyware on a client’s phone along with invaluable guidance on how to fortify privacy and security settings across accounts and devices for workers wanting to separate their work from their personal lives. As these webinars are in-depth and advanced, prior WESNET tech-safety training is an advantage but not essential.
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Customised Training and Webinars
If you or your organisation is interested in bringing SafetyNet Training to your location or participating in Webinars please contact us on 1800 WESNET (1800 937 638) or send us an email through our contact form.
The Women’s Services Network (WESNET) is pleased to present Technology Safety Training to interested members and others working with and supporting survivors and victims of abuse and violence.
Initially developed in the US by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Technology Safety Training educates service providers in the domestic and family violence sector to:
- understand HOW technologies work
- identify HOW abusers are misusing technology
- assess HOW technology use impacts women and girls experiencing violence
- discuss HOW technology can be used to help women and girls experiencing violence
- support women and girls with privacy and SAFETY PLANNING about technology and EVIDENCE COLLECTION
The training is suitable for agencies and services working or supporting victims and/or survivors of violence and abuse, those in the domestic/family violence, sexual assault and rape crisis, primary care, community health, housing and homelessness sector, community legal centres, police and court staff, youth workers, disability workers, child protection, and policy makers and program managers in government and non-government agencies.
Technologies covered can include:
- Phones — including mobiles, caller ID and landlines
- GPS and location tracking
- Cameras and images
- Social media and online spaces
- Spyware, monitoring and surveillance
- Computers and networks
- Emails & texting
- Databases
- Assistive Technology
- and much, much more…
WESNET Webinars and Events
For the latest in training, research, projects and more, visit https://wesnet.org.au/members/webinars-events/.
PU101 Smartphones and Safety (Practitioner only*)
Thursday 22 April 2021 at 11:00am to 1:00pm (2 hours)
$149 plus GST. WESNET Members can use free tickets or discount codes
LOCATION
The link to the online event to be provided by the event organiser
Click here to register!
Suitable for: Sexual Assault and Domestic and Family Violence Sector (SADFV) practitioner and professionals who regularly support victim-survivors of domestic violence who want a better understanding about how technology is misused in domestic and family violence situations. This course may also be suitable for a range of other professionals that work with SADFV survivors as a major part of their role.
NB: Agencies that are part of the WESNET Safe Connections Program should access the two advanced modules through the Safe Connections Program instead of this option.
Suggested prerequisites: previous training by WESNET, including training delivered by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner between 2017-2019, Tech safety training provided by DVRCV.
Course description:
Technology-facilitated abuse, specifically abuse via smartphones, is reported by Australian DV specialists as a safety concern for nearly all victim-survivors. It often co-occurs alongside other types of abuse, is regularly overlooked and is serious.
This two-hour webinar helps participants identify the ways in which abusers commonly weaponise smartphones and discusses the effects these types of abuses can have on victim-survivors. In addition to perpetrator behaviours, attendees will learn how to identify the common smartphone technologies that abusers misused to harass, stalk, frighten, locate, isolate and control intimate partners.
Practice tips, ideas and other resources are provided throughout as various categories relating to smartphone safety are covered. By the webinar’s conclusion, participants will be better equipped to use their own smartphones with greater safety awareness. In turn, practitioners can use their knowledge to empower victim-survivors through smartphone safety planning assistance, individualised resources and referral options for clients experiencing high risk tech facilitated abuse.
*As this is a professional level webinar, interested participants from outside the SADFV sector will be considered on a case by case basis.