Care planning across the domestic violence and substance use sectors Karen Bailey

HARM MINIMISATION + SAFETY PLANNING = CARE PLANNING

Use knowledge and resources that already exist Named contacts/visits/joint care planning Women’s Aid Gold Book LDAN Online map DAAT/DV Coordinator - CST

Aliens are coming to London…

Safety Upon Leaving Safety Within a Relationship Safety After Leaving

KEY PRINCIPLES Keep the responsibility for the abuse explicitly with the perpetrator Provide consistency and continuity Never assume you know what is best for victims; they know their situation and the risks better than you do Recognise that victims will already be employing safety strategies, though they may not name them Do not suggest or support anything that colludes with the abuse

“What do you currently do to keep you and your children safe? What works best?” “Who can you tell about the violence who will not tell your partner/ex-partner?” “Do you have important phone numbers available e.g. family, friends, refuges, police?” “If you left, where could you go?” “Do you ever suspect when your partner is going to be violent?” E.g. after drinking, when he gets paid, after relatives visit” “Can you (and children) go elsewhere?” “Which part of the house do you feel safest in?” “Which is most dangerous?” ”Can you begin to save any money independently of your partner?” “Can you find ways to attend the drug/alcohol service without your partner finding out?”

DONT FORGET…. Positive things in life (activities; strengths or how to access activities to improve self confidence; self esteem) Children’s safety planning

SAFETY AND SUBSTANCE USE Drug and alcohol assessments – ongoing; build up trust Substance use can affect ability to assess severity of danger Environment where using substances Previous bad experiences with services

How will they implement their safety plan if they are drinking/using? What provisions are made for children when using/drinking or when the violence happens? General parenting when using substances Consideration of how a survivor’s drinking/using may impact on their ability to protect themselves Response survivors may receive from services/police etc. when they make calls under the influence of alcohol/drugs

Discussing partner’s substance use The location of where a survivor goes to use/drink – how does this impact on safety? Discussion of harm minimisation around drug use (inc HIV and Hep B&C prevention) If considering leaving – where will they get supply of drugs – do they need emergency prescribing? It is also empowering for a survivor to realise that their abuser wants them to continue in their dependency to substances and to plan for such interference with their treatment Vulnerability/safety when entering new relationships due to drinking/drug use

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