1. Domestic Violence and Abuse Workshop
Written By Rebecca Mcleod-Graham

2. Health Warning

3. Confidentiality Statement.

4. On completion of this workshop participants will be able to:
Define domestic violence and abuse.
Recognise domestic violence and abuse.
Know the identifiable indicators of risk of serious harm.
Understand the impact of domestic violence and abuse on victims, the unborn and children aged under 2 years old.
Recognise possible indicators of abuse.
Learn how to make safe enquires about domestic violence and abuse.
Appropriately intervene in families where domestic Violence and Abuse is occurring.
Learning Outcomes

5. The Government Definition Domestic Abuse
'Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality’. The abuse can encompass but is not limited to psychological, physical, sexual, and financial abuse.
Controlling behaviour is a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploring their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.
Coercive behaviour is an act or pattern of acts of assaults, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish or frighten their victim.

6. Group Exercise Case Study – 15 minutes to read and respond to question.

7. Domestic Violence and Abuse Can Take Many Forms Including:
Physical Abuse
Psychological Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Financial Abuse
Verbal Abuse
Stalking
Online and Digital Abuse
Honour-based violence
Forced marriage
Coercive Control

8. Identifying Risk Indicators
Pregnancy and new birth
Escalation
Separation
Isolation
Stalking
Sexual assault
Strangulation
Alcohol misuse, drugs and mental health
Threats to commit to kill self or victim
Identifying Risk Indicators

9. Why Don’t They Just Leave?
Housing
Children e.g. threats to harm them or prevent take them away
Job/schools
Isolation
Exhaustion
Normalisation, minimisation and denial.
Immigration issues/ no recourse to public funds
Honour Based Violence/Forced Marriage
Limited access to refuge
This list is not exhaustive.
Why Don’t They Just Leave?

10. Power and Control Wheel.

11. Breaking The Cycle of Abuse
Common statements voiced about people who remain in DA relationships:
“If it were me, I would not put up with it. I would be off at the first sign”.
“I know about domestic abuse…why doesn't he/she just leave?”
“The first time he/she lifted their finger to me, I would leave”.
“Know one could mess with me in the first place”.
“I am so frustrated by him/her…. all they have to do is end the relationship, walk away”.

12. IMPACT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & ABUSE

13. The Impact of Domestic Violence and Abuse on Victims.
Education, training or employment
Housing
Family and peer relationships
Economic Independence
Substance misuse
Mental health (PTSD, Depression, Suicide & Self-Harm) and physical wellbeing
Social Isolation
Capacity to parent
Unplanned pregnancies / forced abortions/miscarriage/Foetal destruction
Normalisation, minimisation or denial or abuse.

14. The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Parenting
Domestic violence undermines a child’s developmental need for security and stability, through the mother’s lack of availability and the child’s exposure to a hostile atmosphere. This can result in the child developing attachments of poor quality (Shemmings and Shemmings, 2011).
Domestic abuse may diminish the non-abusing parents capacity to protect their child/ren. The non-abusing parent can become so preoccupied with their own survival within the relationship that they are unaware of the effect on their child/ren.
Parent’s subjected to domestic abuse have described a number of physical effects, including frequent accommodation moves, economic limitations, isolation from social networks and, in some cases, being physically prevented from fulfilling their parenting role by the abuser.
Mothers subjected to domestic abuse can experience sexually transmitted diseases and/or multiple terminations.
Domestic abuse contributes directly to the breakdown of mental health, and parent’s experiencing domestic abuse are very likely to suffer from depression and other mental health difficulties leading to self-harm, attempted suicide and/or substance misuse.

15. Unborn - The Impact of domestic Abuse
Miscarriage
Infection
Premature birth
Low birth weight
Foetal injury
Foetal death

16. The Impact of Domestic Abuse. Babies and infants (up to 2 years of age) .
Poor attachment
Change in brain development
They may be more fearful of new people
Loud noises may startle them more easily
They may not react around loud noise and conflict
They may be slower to develop speech, language and mobility.
May become fretful
They may go off their food and not gain as much weight as they should
They may be passive and not seem as interested in their environment as they should.
They may cry more than normal
They may get a sense that there will be no response or a negative response if they cry
They may appear more distressed generally

17. A Developmental Perspective on the Consequences of Living with Domestic Violence
Prolonged exposure to trauma, triggers physiological changes in the brain.
Neural circuits are, disrupted causing changes to the hippocampus, the brains memory and emotional center.
This can cause brain shrinkage, problems with, memory learning and behaviour.
A child does not learn to regulate emotions when living in a state of constant stress.
Exposure to domestic violence particularly in the first two years of life appears to be especially harmful (Enlow et al., 2012).

18. Safe Enquiry

19. POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ABUSE.
May deny or make excuses for partners abusive behaviour
Isolation - no access e.g. friends, family or a mobile phone
A partner who is unwilling to allow a service user to be alone with professionals
Unexplained injuries that are minimised or concealed.
Avoids contact with professionals and repeatedly misses appointment
Unexplained damage to accommodation or personal property
In denial about abuse and cannot see risks
Blames his/her self for violence or abuse – appears to “walks on eggshells”
Recent change in behaviour – appears sad, lonely, withdrawn, angry and/or fearful.
Unexplained absences from education, training or employment.
Starts using or increases use of drugs and alcohol
A decline in mental health e.g. increased self-harming and/or suicide attempts.
Decline in self-presentation.

20. Safe Enquires. Ask – do it sensitively in a private safe space.
Validate – remove blame, assure them you believe them and no matter what has happen they don’t deserve it.
Document – be accurate using their words and not your own. Describe any injuries in as much detail as possible.
Act – based on what has been seen or heard, make a judgement on what you do next.
Safe Enquires.

21. Disclosure and Recognition.
Professionals in all agencies are likely to become aware of domestic abuse through:
Disclosure prompted by the professional's routine questioning or identification of signs that domestic abuse could be taking place.
Unprompted disclosure from a child, mother or abuser.
Third party information (e.g. neighbours or family members).
Disclosure and Recognition.

22. Professionals Responsibilities
Professionals will work with many women who are experiencing domestic abuse and have not disclosed. Research suggests that women usually experience an average of 35 incidents before reporting it to the police (Yearnshire [1997]).
Professionals should offer all children and women, accompanied or not, the opportunity of being seen alone (including in all assessments) with a female practitioner, wherever practicable, and asked whether they are experiencing or have previously experienced domestic abuse.
Professionals in all agencies are in a position to identify or receive a disclosure about domestic abuse. Professionals should be alert to the signs that a child or mother may be experiencing domestic abuse, or that a father / partner may be perpetrating domestic abuse.
Professionals should never assume that somebody else will take care of the domestic abuse issues. This may be the child, mother or abusing partner's first or only disclosure or contact with services in circumstances which allow for safeguarding action.
Professionals must ensure that their attempts to identify domestic abuse and their response to recognition or disclosure of domestic abuse do not trigger an escalation of violence.
In particular, professionals should keep in mind that:
The issue of domestic abuse should only ever be raised with a child or mother when they are safely on their own and in a private place; and
Separation does not ensure safety, it often at least temporarily increases the risk to the child/ren or mother.
Always consult a specialist DVA agency to discuss risk management & safety planning.
Professionals Responsibilities

23. Information Sharing
Professionals receiving information about domestic abuse should explain that priority will be given to ensuring that the child/ren and the non-abusing parent’s safety is not compromised through the sharing of information.
If there is concern about the risk of significant harm to the child/ren, then every professional's overriding duty is to protect the child/ren. Follow safeguarding referral protocol.
Professionals also have a duty to protect the non-abusing parent and should do so under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which allows responsible authorities to share information where a crime has been committed or is going to be committed.

24. Contact and Referral Details
If police attention/presence or medical attention is required
urgently please call 999
Police enquiries call 101
To report Adult Protection concerns to Kent or Medway Social Services:
Medway Council Telephone: (during work hours) Fax: (during work hours)
s : (secure )
Kent County Council Telephone: (during work hours)
Secure