Violence in families: Strengthening our practice

Improving our practice Improving the quality of our practice means….. >Building knowledge >Learning about new tools & using existing tools in different ways >Challenging thinking and current practice along the way

Today’s workshop >Highlights key things to consider when violence at home is an issue >Provides an opportunity to use resources in a practice focused session >Provides links to further reading and resources on violence in the home

Violence in families - what we know >Children and young people are participants in the violence that takes places in homes. >Mums, peer groups and schools are places where children and young people go for help and support. >Some specific issues for children and young people: >cumulative harm >the impact of stress and anxiety on brain development and wellbeing >contact with the violent parent following separation is a time of high risk for children. >There is a correlation between sexual, physical abuse and violence in the family.

What children and young people tell us….. >They want to be involved in the decision making about what happens to them >Mums, school and friends are the people and places where they go for support when violence is happening at home >They want the violence to stop – full stop

Keeping the child at the centre of our practice Adult issues and the dynamics of violence can overshadow the child and how the violence is effecting them >How can you ensure their voice is heard and their needs are known and responded to? >How do you differentiate between the issues for the adult experiencing violence, the perpetrator and the needs of the child? >What helps you remain focussed?

Responding early – it’s critical >Assess at the earliest opportunity – linking children with the right support means building a good understanding of their needs >The effects of ongoing exposure to violence, even at a low level, can accumulate and cause serious risks to healthy emotional and cognitive development >Neglect and cumulative harm is often less apparent. The consequences for the child are serious but can be difficult to identify. They can be deeply internalised or easily linked to other less worrying issues

Work with other agencies and services >Children and young people have a range of needs, many of which may best be met by other agencies >Working in collaboration with our partner organisations is important so children, young people, their families and whānau are supported by those with the right expertise and services What agencies and services do you have available in your local community to work with children and young people?

Forward planning – sustained support >Building safety and a more stable, lasting state of well being means developing plans that look beyond the crisis and short term >Thinking forward with the child/young person about their hopes, dreams and support needs forms a core piece of the social work role >A child/young person’s plan does not stop when the Child, Youth and Family role ends >How do we ensure enduring safety?

Best practice considerations >Be confident that the right level of assessment and planning work has taken place to meet the needs of the child or young person, including safety >Involve maternal and paternal whānau to develop plans >Establish clear ways interventions will be monitored, reviewed and understood within the total context of that child or young person’s life >Where more than one report of concern is made consider: >more intensive involvement >a different approach >teaming up with other agencies and services

The resource – violence in families >Set of practice triggers >Key informations >Family violence – the context >Initial assessment and planning resources >Risk factors >Talking with victims about the violence frameworks/family-violence/resources/index.html

Using the resources in practice >We will now use these resources in a case example. >We also want you to reflect on: >the changes you expect to see in your work >how you will know >what else you can do to continuously develop your practice in this area.