Sarah Wendt

Sarah is currently Professor of Social Work at Melbourne University. Prior to academia Sarah practiced in the field of domestic violence.

Sarah is also Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre for Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW). She is leading research focused on religion and violence against women.

She has taught in social work for over a decade. She has published on violence against women and social work practice. Her particular research projects have explored the impact of domestic violence on women's citizenship, service provision in the field of domestic violence, young women’s experiences of violence and abuse, and engaging men to address domestic violence. In particular, Sarah has been researching rural women's experiences of domestic violence for over a decade in Australia and how domestic violence work shapes practitioners living and working in rural communities. She has also been researching collaboration across child protection and domestic violence sectors and works alongside First Nations practitioners to document and build culturally informed ways of working.

Sarah is also the inaugural Director for the Social Workers Registration Scheme in South Australia (the first in Australia). She is developing and implementing the Scheme so social workers can register after the 1 July 2025. She continues to advocate for National registration.