1. Barnardo’s Core Presentation Slide No. 1
Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Barnardos Domestic Violence: Risk Assessment Model By Claudette Malcolm

2. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
BACKGROUND:
Adapted from a model used in Canada
Piloted and used in Northern Ireland over the last 4 years
Designed for Multi-agency frontline staff and Children Services staff
Enabling appropriate identification and assessment of children and families exposed to domestic violence.
Safety planning intervention.
Based on previous domestic violence risk assessment, child focus model with an awareness that to protect the child/ren, protecting the non-abusing parent is crucial.

3. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
AIMS:
To help children and young people stay safe and healthy, that is to attain the objectives for children outlined in Every Child Matters and Children Act 1989
To increase the competence of Children services professionals and Multi-agency staff when dealing with domestic violence through a training and mentoring package.

4. LESSIONS FROM SERIOUS CASE REVIEWS IN LONDON
DV contributory factor in 56% cases
Services frequently failed children and their mothers
Failure to share information
Lack of holistic approach
Over optimism, absence of clear risk focus
Lack of clear framework for inter-agency working in area of DV

5. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
Endorsed by London Safeguarding Children Board in it’s London procedure for consultation ‘Safeguarding Children Abused through Domestic Violence’, viewed as a key assessment tool in assessing the level of risk to children who experience domestic violence.
It is currently being piloted in 3 London Boroughs.
Evaluation by Martin Calder in May 2008.

6. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
This Model has three Tools:
1. Multi-agency Risk Identification scales including Flow Chart with Guidance notes.
2. Core Assessment Tool: in-depth assessment for Section 47 and 17.
3. Safety planning Tool: promoting safety interventions for women and children

7. Multi-Agency Risk Identification Threshold Scales
PURPOSE;
Designed for front-line multi-agency staff and children services staff to enable screening/ identification of risk and to provide specific guidance for the initiation of CAF and appropriate levels of intervention.
BENEFITS:
Provides a consistent framework to assessing level of risk
Increase safeguarding of children with greater informed decision making.
ECM – children in families with domestic violence have additional needs –
CAF or Children service involvement.
Greater focus on the needs of children and victims
Greater support to staff dealing with domestic violence cases

8. Multi-Agency Risk Identification Threshold Scales
Threshold 1- Risk as moderate: Children and families with additional needs – Completion of a CAF – single practitioner offering targeted support
Threshold 2 – Risk as Moderate to serious: child/ren and families with additional needs – Completion of a CAF – Lead Practitioner – integrated support.
Threshold 3 – Serious – Child/ren and family in need – Section 17 – Initial assessment and family support
Threshold 4 – Severe – Child/ren in need of safeguarding: Section 47 enquiry – Core assessment
Factors are grouped into three categories
Evidence of domestic abuse
Risk Factors/Potential vulnerabilities
Protective factors

9. Domestic Violence Core Assessment Tool and Safety planning Tool.
PURPOSE:
Designed for Social workers and Senior practitioner to enable a comprehensive assessment of child/ren and families at scale 3 and 4 of the multi-agency threshold scale. Covers 9 key areas
Three day training which includes one day training around safety planning for children and non-abusing parents.
Mentoring – supporting workers

10. Domestic violence and BMER issues: some facts
London is the most ethnically diverse city in the UK with 40% of Londoners belonging to a minority ethnic group.
65% of children subject to serious case reviews were from a minority ethnic community (Safeguarding London’s Children: Review of London’s case reviews 2007)
Metropolitan Police, Operation Umbra reported that 60.6% of domestic violence homicides during were BMER women. Of the 33 homicides 27 were female and out of these 20 were from BMER communities)
Average age of Victims of forced marriage is between years old with 1 in 4 victims being under 18yrs. 30% of ‘our case’ are minors some as young as 10yrs. And this is a child protection issue (Forced Marriage Unit June 2007)

11. Domestic violence and BMER
Incorporated within this domestic violence risk assessment model is a greater emphasis on cultural issue.
Barriers:
Language, new immigrant, limited resources, racism & discrimination etc – Scale 2
Immigration constraint, no recourse to public fund , family honour, social ostracism – Scale 3
House arrest, so-called honour based violence, force marriage etc – Scale 4
Further consultation and feedback

12. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
OUTCOMES:
Increased staff awareness and understanding of the dynamics of DV and the risks it poses for children, young people and victims
An improvement in Social workers ability to respond more effectively to domestic violence and assess risks to children and young people
Increased safety measures for children and young people in families where domestic violence occurs
Non-abusing parent will be more aware of the risks posed by domestic violence which can enable the non-abusing parent to keep themselves and their children safer.
More accurate risk assessments within core and initial assessment processes
More children will be identified requiring support.
Children/ YP and the non-abusive parent will learn skills to keep themselves safe
Parallel domestic violence risk assessment process alongside adult risk assessment– model matches up with MACRA, SPECCS and CARDA assessment

13. BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Risk Assessment Model
Benefits for agency and staff :
More comprehensive assessment of families
Provides a consistent framework to assessing level of risk
Increase safeguarding of children with greater informed decision making.
Greater focus on the needs of children and victims
Offers holistic support to families
Greater support to staff dealing with domestic violence cases
It enhances the assessment process within CAF as a specific risk assessment tool.
It supports the Governments objective within Every Child Matters
Maintains the focus of domestic violence as a main concern within the assessment framework without marginalising any other significant concern