Title Arial 28 Subtitle Arial Narrow 18 Family and Domestic Violence Unit Department for Child Protection and Family Support Karen is Social Work trained and has been in a policy position with WA’s Department for Child protection and Family Support for a year and a half. Prior to moving to Perth she spent a couple of years as a trainer and advocate with the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria where she primarily delivered training on the Victorian equivalent of CRARMF and Domestic Violence and Technology. Karen has also worked in direct domestic violence outreach service delivery and program management at the St Kilda Crisis Services and Women’s Health West, both in Melbourne.

Title Arial 28 Subtitle Arial Narrow 18 Family and Domestic Violence Common Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework Family and Domestic Violence Unit Department for Child Protection and Family Support

Introduction Department for Child Protection & Family Support, Family & Domestic Violence Unit Responsible for: –Identifying, informing and monitoring the development of government policy –Coordinating a central and regional across government approach –Facilitating community partnerships Informed by the Family and Domestic Violence Senior Officers’ Group Working toward achieving outcomes set out in the Western Australia’s Family and Domestic Violence Prevention Strategy to /10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support3

The CRARMF The WA Common Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework (CRARMF) is: “A standardised response to identifying, assessing, and responding to family and domestic violence” It is intended to provide a common practice framework for screening, risk assessment, risk management and risk monitoring for all service providers in WA (mainstream, statutory and specialist) 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support4

Why CRARMF Using CRARMF assists us to work toward: 1.Eliminating service gaps 2.Keeping responses client and safety focused 3.Supporting inter-agency collaboration and therefore an integrated response to high risk cases 4.Common language, common understandings 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support5

CRARMF key features CRARMF sits across the entire human service sector Common principles including a shared commitment to safety, perpetrator accountability and risk management It is a common framework not a common tool Response continuum Minimum standards In undertaking this we are making a commitment to workforce development 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support6

Response continuum 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support7 Mainstream Services Legal/Statutory Services Specialist Family and Domestic Violence Services SCREENINGRISK ASSESSMENTRISK MANAGEMENT RISK MONITORING Service types and their role in the response continuum

Screening Minimum Standard for Screening All agencies will screen for FDV as a part of their standard intake procedures Providers must be familiar with ‘key indicators’ of FDV Take all necessary steps to ensure the immediate safety of the victim & any accompanying children FDV part of the agency’s core business steps: –conduct a risk assessment, safety planning, referral and case management FDV not part of the agency’s core business steps: –referral for a risk assessment to a specialist agency 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support8

Minimum standard for risk assessment Agencies that have a role in responding to FDV are required to use a common approach to risk assessment which includes: –victim assessment of the risk –consideration of key indicators –professional judgement Must have a solid understanding of FDV & factors that affect risk Ensure immediate safety of the victim & any accompanying children Risk assessment 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support9

Minimum standard for risk management Personal Safety Planning –An integrated agency response with the victim/s to design, implement and monitor a personal safety plan considering: safety in the home, workplace and community; existing safety strategies that are working; safety for the support network e.g., does including them in the woman’s safety plan place them at risk? Planning for the safety of the adult and child victim –An integrated agency response to engage perpetrator: Multi-agency Safety Planning Risk management 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support10

Risk management 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support11 Multi-agency case management Critical feature of an effective integrated response working toward child and adult victim safety and perpetrator accountability through: –sharing information –developing comprehensive risk assessments –planning strategies to mitigate risks –creating transparency and accountability between agencies MACM Guidelines can be found at

CRARMF /10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support12 Additional considerations in minimum standards for working with perpetrators focussing on safety of the adult and child victims. Agencies will be guided by two new minimum standards: –Information sharing All agencies share information to support referral, risk assessment and risk management. –Referral All agencies use warm referral processes to support adult and child victims and/or the person using violence to access a service response.

Information sharing 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support13 Information sharing in WA is governed through the following pieces of legislation: The Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) The Children and Community Services Act 2004 The Restraining Orders Act 1997 The Sentence Administration Act 2003 Information sharing considerations: Relevancy of information Contextualised to high risk – lethal behaviours/serious harm Consider the risks i.e. perpetrator accessing the info

Information sharing 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support14 Disclosure without consent: The WA operating environment (legislation, protocols etc.) dictates that information should only be shared if the client has provided their consent, except in the following circumstances: –A case is assessed to be high risk –A crime has been committed or is going to be committed –It is believed a child is likely to suffer significant harm –A client is in need of urgent medical or psychiatric care. These exceptions are created through the concept of ‘duty of care’ that if an individual is at risk of harm or at risk of harming someone else, we are duty bound to share that information with an appropriate responder.

Duty of Care 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support15 Most agencies have the concept of duty of care incorporated into their confidentiality policy (usually framed as exceptions) Breach of confidentiality is set within the context of preventing serious injury/lethal harm where high risk is identified Exceptions to confidentiality usually include harm to self (suicide), harm to others (threats or disclosure of a criminal act) and harm to children Breaching confidentiality is a process that involves consultation and serious consideration of risk factors

FDV Response Teams The Family and Domestic Violence Response Teams (FDVRT) are a partnership between WA Police, CPFS and non-government domestic violence services. The FDVRT aims to improve the safety of child and adult victims of family and domestic violence through a collaborative approach that focuses on timely and early intervention following a police call out to a domestic violence incident. They are operating state wide in all CPFS districts. 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support16

Day to day CPFS and the CRS receive domestic violence incident reports (DVIRs) from WA Police, via the triage application. They individually look over the DVIRs then come together for a triage meeting to work out which families need a response and who is best placed to provide the service. Decisions are underpinned by a risk assessment using the CRARMF. Decisions are recorded on the ‘decisions page’ of the interface. Coordinate joint responses including home visits. Work with other agencies in the community to multi-agency case manage high risk cases. 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support17

Purpose of triage To identify and assess risk (all partners contribute risk relevant information from their respective agency’s contacts with the family) to decide: –If a response is required for this family, if so what kind? –Who is best placed to provide this response? Avoid duplication of service responses. Support earlier intervention with families to prevent escalation to a child protection matter. Coordinate joint responses when required. Identify and respond to high risk cases. Share risk and responsibility for families experiencing FDV. Feedback loop i.e. children not identified on the DVIR. 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support18

Perpetrator accountability Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline A Department service, based at the Crisis Care Unit Started in 1998 as part of the Freedom From Fear campaign. Aim is to enhance safety of women and children through engaging perpetrators: –Clear focus on responsibility and accountability –Provides education (i.e. discuss impact of their violence on children) State wide - 24 hours / 7 days phone counselling and referral. Warm referrals to Men’s Behaviour Change Programs 17/10/2014Department for Child Protection and Family Support19