Abuse of older people: a network approach to service provider training

This article outlines a training workshop designed for service providers responding to the abuse of older people. The workshop was conducted through the Department of Social Work and Social Policy's continuing education program at the University of Queensland. The workshop presented a network approach to elder abuse service delivery. This approach, it is argued, enables service providers to identify personal and professional strategies for responding to and preventing the abuse of older people. The style of the workshop was interactive, with participants engaging in a series of practical exercises. This was supplemented by critical reviews of the conceptual, research, policy and service delivery debates in the Australian and international elder abuse literatures. The article presents the results of the workshop evaluation and proposes an amended program over a two-day period.