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The benefits of Social Workers delivering domestic abuse programmes

 

Rachel Tossell became a Bereavement Counsellor 15 years ago, completing two Counselling Diplomas to work with adults as well as children and adolescents. She specialised in working with people bereaved by suicide, especially teenagers, and found domestic abuse to be an attributing factor in some cases. Rachel has now been working for North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA) for 9 years and has completed her YPVA training, developing the work to include mums, after noticing it was more effective than working with the children in isolation. She developed Grow Together, a course for mums, and Side by Side, a course for mums and one of their children to do together. Both courses are now being run in the community. 

The benefits of Social Workers delivering domestic abuse programmes  

I have worked at NDADA for 9 years and throughout those years I have developed relationships with many other professionals. I very rarely work in isolation and have found working in partnership with agencies to support our service users can be effective in building communication and trust between us all. I feel this not only encourages survivors of domestic abuse to seek support from a variety of services depending on their needs, but also allows workers to seek support from other agencies.   

I have found there is strength to the different and diverse ways in which we all work, so long as there is shared vision and mutual respect.  NDADA have set about finding ways to support our local agencies to understand the complexities of domestic abuse. We offer training and help them develop skills that they can use in their own work life, whilst being supported and building working relationships. 

NDADA run three courses consistently, Pattern Changing is a 14-week programme for women, focusing on the woman herself and her power to change the course of her life. Grow Together is an 8-week course for the parents or carers of children who have lived with domestic violence and abuse within the family and Side by Side which is a parallel course for a mum and one of her children. The first two courses need two facilitators each and the last needs four. It has been such a support to us to have workers from other agencies on board as co-facilitators. We have worked alongside a family practitioner from the disability team, student social workers and family practitioners from the initial assessment team, and family workers from the children's centre (who kindly provided a venue and a crèche!). We have welcomed a student social worker into refuge on a six-month placement (who has written a piece at the end). We also welcome school nurses, health visitors and educational psychologists to shadow us for a day, as well as supporting student police officers in their placements for a week.  

We have found this to be so beneficial for all involved for the reasons above, but for so many more too. Having the privilege to sit alongside women and children on their journeys of self-awareness, healing and growth is not only an honour but an opportunity for us to learn, process and challenge our own thoughts and feelings so we can better understand and support them. It’s important we hear their voice without judgement or conflict, in some cases incorporating the whole family and listening to all their voices. From the service user's perspective, working together and seeing social workers in a different role, can break down the stigma attached to the service and ‘humanise’ the workers. 

The following has been written by a student social worker who has now completed her 6-month placement with North Devon Against Domestic Abuse Refuge. 

I have completed my second year MA Social Work placement at the refuge. By doing this I have gained in-depth knowledge on Domestic Violence (DV) that I otherwise would not have had. At university our course is very general; we only had two lectures on DV, despite this being very likely to be present in many of the families we work with.  

I am now able to recognise and better support service users because of the work that I have been involved in with NDADA. I understand the options that are available to survivors. Through working directly with children, I have seen how DV impacts them, even when parents believe that they did not know what was happening. 

I feel that NDADA is very open to working in a multi-agency way and seeks to inform other professionals on what they can do to help. At times I have been shocked by the experiences of service users, however, in terms of my future practice, I have developed resilience and the ability to be open and honest about DV, where I would not have been before.  

Visit our Spotlight page for more blogs, podcasts, guidance and survivor stories over the coming weeks

 

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Six tips to support LGBT+ parents who have experienced Domestic Abuse

Millie Fry is a specialist LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Caseworker and Idva at Galop, and has also worked on the National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline. She has worked for many years in advice and advocacy, including within mental health roles and the domestic and sexual violence sectors, and has been a specialist LGBT+ practitioner for three years. Millie is passionate about empowerment within oppressed or traumatised communities and they aim to continue this work.

Six tips to support LGBT+ parents who have experienced Domestic Abuse

There is a historic pervading attitude that LGBT+ people are not seen as parents. This isn’t a fair representation, especially as same sex partners are increasingly adopting and fostering children in Britain. Same sex partners can also have biological children, either together or from previous heterosexual relationships which now make up a new family unit. It can often be challenging for domestic violence and abuse (DV/A) workers to support LGBT+ clients, and those with children can pose further complexity or need. Read below for some ways to support LGBT+ parents who have been through DVA, some of the barriers facing LGBT+ parents, and what abuse in these cases can look like.

1. Understand that families come in all shapes and sizes, including ‘rainbow families’

When assessing victims/survivors, asking non-judgemental questions about their families in the same way we would ask heterosexual clients will go a long way to developing an understanding of the dynamics of abuse for the family in question. 

Remember that LGBT+ people may not approach DV/A services as they worry that they will not be supported or welcome. A rainbow family may also have experienced other forms of gatekeeping or prejudice (from police, schools, local authorities, other charities or community family services) so have already faced isolation and barriers to getting support, and potentially are at increased risk due to this. On top of this, perpetrators can take advantage by threatening to ‘out’ a victim/ survivor or threatening to take their children away by ‘outing’ them to services. Encouraging a help-seeker and making it obvious that your service not only recognises them but has the knowledge and tools to effectively provide support, can dramatically empower a family to receive the services they need.

When it comes to specific DV/A work with LGBT+ families, support workers should complete their risk assessment as normal; if in the case of unclear dynamics, situational couple violence or Violent Resistance from the victim/survivor, a detailed assessment can help identify clearly the primary victim/survivor and primary perpetrator. This is crucial for any meaningful or effective DVA intervention. Professionals can also call the National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline if additional specialist advice is desired.

2. Assumptions- DON'T make them

As simple as this point may be, it’s often surprising how often and easily we can all make assumptions about our clients. As VAWG sector workers there can be a temptation to assume the gender and/or sexual orientation of a victim/survivor, or that of their partner. A lot of people assume that LGBT+ people or same sex partnerships do not have children. As we know already, assumptions can mean that a victim/survivor stops engaging with a service or can mean that important details of a case are missed by professionals, including whether there’s any children who might also be at risk. Assumptions can therefore have serious implications for the safety of the people we are supporting, LGBT+ parents included.

3. Language- DO think about it

Language makes up a huge part of our everyday experience. From brief exchanges on the street with a stranger, to ongoing communication with a DV/A client, the way we are seen and the way we see ourselves is often framed by the language that is used around and about us. victims/survivors are no exception and may be already sensitive to incorrect language use due to past negative experiences. 

Using the correct pronouns for someone is not just important, it’s essential, as is using the correct pronouns for their partner or family.

Using non-gendered language, or language which is inclusive of gender and sexual fluidity is validating and can make a client much more comfortable. An example of this could be using ‘parent’ rather than ‘mum’ or ‘dad’.

If you do make a mistake or feel you’ve misused a word or language, don’t panic! We are all allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s important to acknowledge, apologise and, if appropriate, have a conversation about it. When it comes to the use of language, intention can make all the difference and it’s often very easy to tell between a genuine mistake and bad intention.

4. Our own prejudices as DV/A workers

DV/A workers often have a political understanding of abuse, and this can make us better and more intuitive responders to our clients. However, it’s also important to be aware of our own prejudicial attitudes and how this can play out. As a DV/A worker, do we automatically doubt male experience of abuse due to their gender? When supporting a lesbian survivor of IPV, does that cause us to make assumptions about the nature and seriousness of the abuse she has suffered? When supporting a victim/survivor of familial abuse based on homophobia or transphobia, do we recognise this (as we should) as domestic abuse? Do we doubt the story of a trans women due to harbouring pre-existing ideas about trans people? These prejudices can make up further barriers to LGBT+ people accessing the support they need.

Asking ourselves questions like this can be difficult, and the answers might be hard to admit to ourselves. Training on Gender Sexuality Relationship Diversity (GSRD), available from Galop, can go a long way to debunking prejudicial attitudes, and empowering DV/A workers to be more inclusive in their approach. Remember that it is possible to be critical without becoming punitive.

5. Parental Rights & Responsibility in rainbow families

Custody and parental rights can often be a part of threatening or coercive behaviour within LGBT+ IPV, so it is important for DV/A workers to identify the dynamics of the family. LGBT+ parents are subject to the same PRR systems as heterosexual parents. It’s important to note that while LGBT+ partners may have an equal parental role, only one partner may have legal PRR for the child or children, and this can impact any abuse occurring and steps that can be taken to support the family. It’s also important as support workers to be familiar with different routes into parenthood for LGBT+ partners, including (but not limited to) adoption, fostering, IVF, surrogacy and step-parenthood.

As with heterosexual families, there is a range of statutory and specialist support that help including; children’s services, MASH, MARAC and CAFCASS, Childline and family law advice.

6. Rainbow families are intersectional families

Lastly, like all families, do keep in mind that rainbow families are a part of lots of different communities including faith or religion, BAME, cultural beliefs and practices, and this doesn’t stop being the case with rainbow families. Having an intersectional approach can benefit all clients and improve their wellbeing and safety. Support staff should recognise that these intersecting aspects may pose unique risk to the client, or act as another barrier to support them, as well as appreciating the positives of diversity. This work often serves as a testament to the vibrancy of difference within families and communities.

For more guidance on working with LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse please see our Spotlight series and report Free To Be Safe

Stonewall Housing has produced additional risk assessment guidance which can be used alongside the Dash

Visit our Spotlight page for more blogs, podcasts, guidance and survivor stories over the coming weeks

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The importance of Children's Social Care responding to the whole family

Nicky Stanley is a professor of social work, and Director of the Connect Centre for International Research on Interpersonal Violence and Harm at the University of Central Lancashire.

There is increasing interest in the use of ‘whole family’ approaches for families living with domestic violence and abuse (DVA). Children’s Social Care has increased its capacity to identify DVA but still struggles to find appropriate ways of achieving change in families where children experience DVA. Many social workers acknowledge that failing to work with perpetrators places responsibility on women for men’s violence and results in ‘mother blaming’. Moreover, there is recognition that separation is not always the answer to DVA: some families do not want to separate and DVA often continues beyond the point of separation.

In response to these trends, whole family approaches are emerging and some have been evaluated.  Three main models can be identified:

1.One organisation works with all family members. They are usually seen separately and individually, perhaps with different workers for victim, perpetrator and children. Sometimes they are seen together.

2. Different organisations/ professionals work with different members of the same family, but co-ordinate their work – in this case, much depends on the quality of the collaboration and co-ordination.

3. Interventions are delivered to the family as a group – the family are always seen together – this approach draws on the family group conference model.

Interventions need to address some key concerns:

  • Whole family approaches may fail to recognise the gendered power dynamics that underpin DVA – DVA affects different family members differently
  • The safety of women and children may be compromised
  • Perpetrators may resist or evade whole family interventions and women and children become focus of services’ scrutiny by default
  •  Social workers and other practitioners lack confidence and skills in working with abusive men.

Two UK Examples:

Growing Futures, Doncaster – intervention developed and delivered by Doncaster Children’s Services Trust

Key features:

  1. Specialist teams of staff with DVA experience located within social work teams
  2. Reduced caseloads, high levels of supervision and training
  3. Specialist perpetrator workers and access to local perpetrator programme for fathers
  4. Flexible model – offering family members individual and/or joint sessions and allocating different workers to different family members
  5. Informed by principle of ‘meeting families where they are at’ – accepting that some families wish to stay together though others don’t
  6. Working with high risk referrals from Marac and Children’s Social Services
  7. Engagement with service voluntary and no time limits on length of engagement
  8. Joint work with children’s social workers
  9. Use of range of therapeutic tools especially in direct work with children.

Evaluation Findings (Stanley and Humphreys 2017):

  • Whole family working contributed to building trust and engagement in context where partnership with families was previously lacking.
  • Meeting families ‘where they are at’ appeared key to engaging families with negative experiences of social work.
  • Voluntary nature of engagement built trust and was used creatively in joint work with social workers.
  • Small caseloads, focusing on supervision and an unrestricted time limit for intervention were valuable in allowing practitioners to work creatively.
  • Victims [CH1] and children were more likely to be engaged in direct work with services than fathers: 71% of victims, 66% of children, 54% of fathers engaged in direct work.
  • Specialist perpetrator worker and opportunities for referral to perpetrator programme were vital as it was not always appropriate for all family members to have same worker and staff confidence in working with perpetrators was slower to develop:

‘…when I talked to him about what our service could offer him in terms of direct work I felt very unconfident …I did however offer him support via group work which is run by another service’

For Baby’s Sake – intervention developed and delivered by Stefanou Foundation

Key features (Domoney et al 2019):

  • Two pilot sites (contrasting local contexts); specialist teams based in Children’s Services
  • Harnesses potential for change in pregnancy to work with both parents, aiming to end cycle of DVA and adverse childhood experiences
  • Engages both parents (whether or not they are/stay together); from pregnancy until baby is two
  • Parents allocated separate practitioners who co-ordinate their work; substantial training and supervision
  • Prioritises safety, mental health and parent-child attachments – emphasis on therapeutic engagement and methods

6. Some early signs of positive impact: ‘I felt like I was babysitting my baby – now I feel like a mum’.        

Evaluation due to report October 2019

References

Domoney, J., Fulton, E., Stanley, N., McIntyre, A., Heslin, M., Byford, S., Bick, D., Ramchandani, P, MacMillan, H., Howard, LM., Trevillion, K. (2019) For Baby’s Sake::Intervention Development and Evaluation Design of a Whole-Family Perinatal Intervention to Break the Cycle of Domestic Abuse. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00037-3

Stanley, N. and Humphreys, C. (2017) Identifying the key components of a ‘whole family’ intervention for families experiencing domestic violence and abuse. Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 1, 1, 99-115.

Visit our Spotlight page for more blogs, podcasts, guidance and survivor stories over the coming weeks

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Experiences of male victims in the context of Children’s Social Care

Luke Martin has over a decade’s experience working in the domestic and sexual abuse sector. With both an academic and practical background in the field, Luke has established himself as one of the leading professionals on working with male victims of domestic and sexual abuse. 

Luke most recently worked as the Domestic and Sexual Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls Training Lead for Brighton and Hove City Council, building and delivering over 25 training packages across the city before going freelance in January 2019. Luke is an approved Respect trainer, as well as an associate trainer for SafeLives, Rock Pool and AVA.  

Academically, Luke is a guest lecturer for Goldsmith’s University on MA Understanding Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse. With an academic background in Law, he also lectures on several law and criminology courses. In 2016 Luke also published ‘Debates of Difference: Male Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse’ in ‘Domestic Violence: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Protection, Prevention and Intervention’, published by Palgrave Macmillan. More information is available on his website

The response of Children’s Social Care to matters of domestic abuse has changed drastically in the last few decades, however, there is still often a disparity between the risk we identify male perpetrators posing to that of female perpetrators. There is limited research on the topic, so that which I draw on is anecdotal from my work as a Male Idva.  

Most of my engagement with Children’s Social Care has been supporting male clients whose female partners were substance dependent, and more commonly alcohol than drugs. As we are aware when looking at perpetrators use of violence, the violence would increase whilst under the influence but there would always be abuse used whilst sober. There was a misconception that perpetrators would stop abusing when they addressed their use of substances, which was not the case.  

Tom and Jane wished to stay together, but their Social Worker had highlighted that there were many issues that needed to be addressed for this decision to be supported. Jane used high levels of physical violence whilst drunk and there was often glass broken during incidents, with children aged ten, three and two in the property. Jane was also pregnant with her fourth child. Children’s Social Care was alerted as the oldest sibling would remove the younger two and take them to a neighbour when incidents were taking place.  

On attending a Child Protection Conference the Chair was very quick to suggest couples counselling might be of benefit. As an Idva I had to challenge this as we know it might increase risk, which was acknowledged. It was also noted that Jane had previously experienced abuse from ex-partners and that maybe she should be referred in to an Idva service to work with her around these experiences. This also caused challenges as the abuse was historic, and ultimately it was not the historic experience of abuse that was putting both Tom and the children at risk. Jane might need support around her previous experiences, but The Children’s Act informs us that the welfare of the child is paramount.  

A common belief expressed by agencies working with male victims and female perpetrators, including Children’s Social Care, is a belief that domestic abuse is completely different when perpetrated by women. It isn’t. We explore the same aspects of coercive control and risk of physical harm, including weapon use. The gender split is hugely disproportionate, with 92% of perpetrators being male and 84% of victims being female, and us seeing far fewer male victims who are at high risk coming forward. All professionals need to have an understanding of men’s experiences of abuse and recognising abuse perpetrated by women. The case of Alex Skeel highlights the risk that a female perpetrator can pose; when found by the Police Skeel was told by a medical professional that he was ten days away from death at the hands of his abusive partner, Jordan Worth. Skeel and Worth had two young children, who were present in the property as the ongoing abuse took place.  

Thoughts of women using violence or abuse goes against society’s perception that women should be demure and placid, caring and loving. This must shift in the same way we are having conversations around toxic masculinity and a fear for men in showing emotion, being seen as weak, or more explicitly, demonstrating behaviour linked to society’s ingrained beliefs of how a woman should behave. Understanding of gendered roles needs to shift in both camps.  

In conclusion, a lack of understanding and the weaponisation of children and the Children’s Social Care system can lead to male victims being further abused or isolated from accessing help and support from key agencies. It’s up to all professionals to work together and increase understanding, to improve outcomes for all victims and survivors. 

Visit our Spotlight page for more blogs, podcasts, guidance and survivor stories over the coming weeks

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The value of having student social workers on placement in domestic abuse services

Kathleen Collier is the Head of Learning and Employee Development for Black Country Women’s Aid, a pioneering charity that provides domestic and sexual violence abuse services, as well as complex needs, specialist stalking and  modern day slavery provision. She is also the co-founder of SelfCare Psychology, who specialise in the wellbeing of frontline practitioners.

In this blog Kathleen looks at the benefit of student social workers completing placement in domestic abuse services, what they learn, what they are unprepared for, what gaps in knowledge are highlighted and equally, what it teaches domestic abuse workers about social work.

I am in the unique and privileged position of having experienced social work placements in a domestic abuse service setting from many angles: as a student social worker myself; as supervisor; and now as someone who co-ordinates placements. Essentially, I came to the sector as a social work student, qualified and then never left! So what is the value of these placements, and how do they improve and enrich the practice of all involved?

Firstly, and I think crucially, they let social work students comprehend the emotions and trauma inherent in domestic abuse. In social work practice, domestic abuse will be a key issue for many of the families you work with. However, supporting a victim directly with their experience will rarely be the focus of your work. You can learn from lectures and books about the dynamics of controlling relationships, about Maracs, about Idvas and about protective orders. What you can’t learn is how hard it is to leave someone you still love because they hurt you.

You can't learn how hard it is to let go of what you want the relationship to be, and accept it for what it has become, when you don’t understand why. How hard it is to accept that your children are being harmed by the person you chose to share your life with. For future social workers to truly appreciate this through witnessing it first-hand is invaluable. It allows them to go forward with an understanding they wouldn’t otherwise have, of how hard change can be for victims, change they may well be the one asking them to initiate. 

Secondly, experiences on placement in this environment will challenge ‘common sense’ interpretations of victims’ behaviour that can lead to damaging assumptions by professionals. The things victims do don’t always make sense without being viewed through a lens of trauma and control. Misunderstanding victim behaviour can have serious consequences when Children’s Services are involved.

Take the victim who stays in text contact with a perpetrator she has left. The ‘common sense’ interpretation: she wants him back. With the understanding a placement gives you: maybe she’s scared to cut him off, because the silence means she doesn’t know what’s happening, she can’t gauge his mood, and she can’t calm him down. Essentially, she’s not able to manage the risk from him the best way she has known how, and needs support to find a new way and feel safe. These nuances of understanding make all the difference, and can make or break the relationship between social worker and victim.

But the learning isn’t all one way. Domestic abuse workers learn a lot too from these placements.  The stereotypical negative perception of social workers can mean victims misplace blame onto them, and project their feelings of anger, frustration and hurt. Having insight from a student social worker on the processes they have to follow and the way they think, allows domestic abuse practitioners to challenge victims’ perceptions so that they can engage more effectively.

Domestic abuse workers can be uniquely placed to do this, as they are there with the sole intention of supporting the victim, and so potentially have the relationship and rapport to enable meaningful discussion. It allows them to support the work social workers are doing, and work better together to support change. Changing the conversation with victims from how unfair it is that they’re being told how to live their life, to what they can do to ensure their children’s welfare because they can understand the concerns, can be invaluable.

Social work placements in domestic abuse settings benefit everyone, from the professionals to the clients. Understanding the victims’ perspective means social workers can practice effectively with sensitivity to the needs and experiences of victims. Understanding each other’s ways of working as social workers and domestic abuse workers allows us to support each other in our roles. All this can only lead to better outcomes for everyone.

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