Lessons Learned - the Domestic Violence Intervention Project

1. Lessons Learned - the Domestic Violence Intervention Project Chris Newman, DVIP

2. Why work with abusers? • punishment alone is not enough to deter perpetrators from re-offending • most domestic violence offences are not reported • psychological and emotional abuse are difficult to punish in law • many women stay with, return to or continue to have contact with violent and abusive partners • men who abuse are likely to go on to abuse other women, even if they serve a prison sentence for domestic violence • some men want to change • It involves men working to end violence against women

3. Life on three planets Child protection: (public law); Child as victim mother seen as failing to protect - focus on changing her Father often invisible Domestic violence: (civil and criminal law); Focus on offence and offender and changing him; Woman as victim; Child invisible Child contact: (private law); Mother’s resistance considered hostile; Presumption of Contact; father as victim (?)

4. Implications for developing effective interventions for perpetrators? If ‘the system matters’ as Gondolf tells us, then in each of these arenas a perpetrator programme will need to be tied into the system in a different way if it is to: • Increase victims safety • help to hold abusers accountable • meet the needs of the other agencies which are working to ensure the victims safety.

5. The Domestic Violence Intervention Project Self-referred clients Perpetrator services Assessment 32 session structured group programme ongoing follow up group Victim support services Individual work Structured workshops Support groups Safety planning

6. Advantages of an independent sector project • Independent of both courts and probation. So could argue for consequences for non- participation • Men come to the programme from a range of routes - reduces resentment and sense of persecution by ‘the system’ • Not driven by institutional targets. For instance ‘completion rates’ • Ability to hold to a position of principle, avoiding government or institutional pressures • Ability to campaign for safe practice in the work • Small size of organisation means can respond to change quickly • And offer services at low cost compared to larger organisations.

7. The Domestic Violence Intervention Project London Probation Area Self-referred Perpetrator services Assessment 32 session structured group programme ongoing follow up group Victim support services Individual work Structured workshops Support groups Safety planning Programme for mothers in care proceedings

8. Hester and Radford Domestic violence and child contactSocial Policy Research 100 June 1996 Many professionals in England interpreted the Children Act 1989 in a way which allowed contact with fathers to take precedence over child welfare. Fathers commonly used contact with the children as a route to further abuse the mother. Domestic violence injunctions and policing practice in both countries gave women only limited protection from further abuse.

9. Hester and Radford study Only 7 of the 53 mothers interviewed in England were able - eventually- to arrange contact which did not threaten their own safety and/or their children's well being. Most mothers initially wanted children to see their fathers; contact arrangements broke down because of violence. No evidence to support claims made by many of the professionals interviewed that contact broke down because mothers were 'hostile' to the idea of contact  

10. Hester and Radford 1996 Hester and Radford concluded that contact should not be presumed to be in the best interests of the child if there has been domestic violence to the mother

11. Experts report and guidelines to the court - 2000 “Domestic violence is a serious failure in parenting” In deciding the issue of contact the court is asked to consider: • The history of domestic violence • The motivation for seeking contact • ‘Victim empathy’, attitude to past violence and capacity to change • The effects of the domestic violence on the resident parent and children

12. The risk to the children if contact is ordered • The wishes and feelings of the child • Whether to make treatment for the abuser a condition of future contact or seek advice in assessing the risk of harm to the child • Whether or not conditions or non-molestation orders should be made and whether contact should be supervised

13. The Safe Contact Protocol Protocols between the SCP agencies - CAFCASS, Supervised Contact Centres, DVIP, the Men’s Centre: Agree a format for specialist risk assessment prevent applicants seeking endless alternative expert reports in order to get a more favourable response (while allowing for a second opinion) prevent applicants from finding alternative brief anger management or other inappropriate therapies to address their abusive behaviour or from finding a contact centre which will take the case even when a CAFCASS reporter has advised that contact is not safe. Workers from the partnership agencies meet regularly to share training and discuss cases and protocols.

14. Risk assessment for the family courts Perpetrator services Supervised Contact • Assessment of: • Risk • Victim vulnerability • Child/ren Social Services or CAFCASS Victim support services Children’s services

15. Work with social services • Help shift the focus away from victims (usually mothers) to the actual source of risk – the abuser. • Enable early intervention with perpetrators, rather than waiting until concerns about the child rose to the point that court action had to be taken to protect the children. • Act as expert witness in care proceedings • Provide interventions with mothers involved in care proceedings

16. The Domestic Violence Intervention Project London Probation Area Self-referred Perpetrator services Assessment 32 session structured group programme ongoing follow up group Victim support services Individual work Structured workshops Support groups Safety planning Social Services Children’s services Supervised contact Assessment Therapeutic work CAFCASS

17. Start with, and stick to, the principle that victim’s safety is paramount • Recognise that you need to adapt to a range of different environments - community activism, criminal justice, family courts, child protection, lobbying and campaigning • Establish clear principles for best practice in the work, and then work out how these can be put into practice within the different environments • Offer yourself as a specialist resource to larger agencies - helping managers and individual practitioners respond more effectively to DV. • make links with all those involved in struggle to end domestic violence. This will mean trying to understand their ethos, training and working practices

18. chrisdnewman@btinternet.com

19. Objectives of the Violence Prevention ProgrammeTo help him to end his violence and abuse by: • widening the man’s definition of what constitutes violent and abusive behaviour. • Helping him to recognise the mental emotional and physiological signs of the build up to violence • to critically examine the beliefs that have led him to believe that violence and abuse towards women is justified. • to increase his understanding of the intentional nature of the violence and abuse he has used. • To increase his understanding of the effects of abusive behaviour on his ex-partner and child(ren). • help him develop alternative non-abusive ways of behaving and relating.

20. General Risk Factors

21. GeneralRiskFactors

22. Interventions with domestic violence Anger management? Anger management’ suggests that the client has difficulty controlling anger. But in DV: • Selectivity of victim • Selective level of severity • Instrumental, controlling nature of DV • Also implicit blame of victim “I just lose it when she winds me up, she pushes my buttons”.

23. Anger management: AM is usually a short-term skills-based intervention But - need to address deep seated belief systems and/or emotional developmental legacies. Therefore focus on the underlying emotion and cognitions at the time of an assault rather than solely focusing on control of the mislabelled anger. “Outcome studies suggest that violence/ abuse elimination occurs from reconstructing clients’ entrenched belief systems and assumptions about masculinity and its perceived entitlements, and enhancing victim empathy and co-operative decision-making rather than from the management or control of anger.” (Healey et al 1998)

24. Couples work, mediation? • The victim is unlikely to feel free to speak freely • And if she does feel free, may be punished later with physical violence or other abuse for speaking out of turn

25. Elements of domestic violence perpetrator programmes • Increase awareness of physiological, mental and emotional signs of build up to violence. • Develop critical awareness of attitudes and beliefs that support use of violence. • Demystify use of violence – “I just lost it” vs intentional/functional behaviour • Increase empathy for victims • Increase awareness of effects of domestic violence upon children • Widen definition of abuse, set it in context of power and control • Teach and practice alternative behaviour.

26. Safety implications of perpetrator programmes for (ex)partners or referring agencies They may lie about attendance and suspension may use the programme material to criticise his partner’s behaviour may lie about what happens in the group may use attendance as a bargaining tool attendance influences the decision- making behaviour of others….

27. Safety implications of perpetrator programmes for (ex)partners or referring agencies and most importantly – May create unrealistic expectations that the perpetrator will change. Therefore referring agencies need detailed feedback on change in risk

28. Partner support services • Give accurate information about the Violence Prevention Programme and assist victims in having realistic expectations • Safety planning with victims and children who are in dangerous situations • Support them in identifying resources they could use to protect self and children • Offer emotional support and groupwork to facilitate personal and social understanding of the abuse

29. Assessing programme quality See Guidelines from Respect ( The National Association for Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes and Associated Support Services) www.respect.uk.net

30. The Primary or Predominant Aggressor?(or ‘primary perpetrator’) The person who: Uses the higher level of violence, Has an established history of violence in the relationship, Who represents the more serious ongoing threat of violence. Look at: the level of injury the history of violence Which party represents an ongoing threat (who is afraid of who) (Guidance on investigating domestic violence produced for Association of Chief Police Officers in 2004)