Barnardos Domestic violence: Risk Assessment Model

1
Barnardos Domestic violenceRisk Assessment Model
2
BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCERisk Assessment Model

• Claudette Malcolm Domestic Violence L/D
  Consultant (LEASE)
• Libby Fry Assistant Director Barnardos LEASE
• E-Mail claudette.malcolm_at_barnardos.org.uk
• Libby.fry_at_barnardos.org.uk
• Tel [phone]

3
BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Risk Assessment
Model

• BACKGROUND
• Adapted from a manual produced by the Ontario
  Ministry of Community and Social Services in
  Canada
• Piloted with Social Care Trusts in Northern
  Ireland over a 4 year period.
• THE MODEL
• Designed for use by frontline agencies and Social
  care professionals to assess the severity of
  domestic abuse experienced by children and young
  people, living within families exposed to
  domestic violence.
• Gender specific assessing male to female
  domestic violence.
• Provides safety planning interventions for
  children, young people and non-abusing parent.

• PRINCIPLES OF THE MODEL
• Protecting children is the first priority
• Protecting the non-abusing parent usually the
  mother helps protect the child
• Providing supportive resources
• Perpetrators are responsible for their abusive
  behaviour
• Respecting the non-abusing parents right to
  direct their life without placing children at
  increase risk of further abuse.

4
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 2004.
  and Children Act 1989
• To increase the competence of Social care
  professionals and Multi-agency staff when dealing
  with domestic violence through a training and
  mentoring package.

• OBJECTIVES
• To assist staff to identify risks to children
  from domestic violence
• To assist staff in decisions whether a case
  presents as in need of a safeguarding response or
  family support
• To help staff to make appropriate intervention
  for children, non-abusing parent and perpetrators
• To provide a specific domestic violence risk
  assessment format within initial and core
  assessments

5
BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Risk Assessment
Model

• Four separate modules
• Module 1 Multi-agency domestic violence
  threshold scale
• Designed for front-line multi-agency staff to
  enable screening/ identification of risk and to
  provide specific guidance for the initiation of
  CAF and appropriate levels of intervention
• Module 2 Domestic Violence Initial Assessment
  within Social care
• Training consisting of a number of triggers for
  assessing the risk to children and the non
  abusing parent for use by Social care staff
  whilst undertaking an initial assessment
• Module 3 Domestic Violence CORE assessment
  within Social Care A specific in-depth DV core
  assessment tool to be used by Social Care staff
  when children/ YP are subject to core assessment.
  Sec 17/47 of CA 89
• Module 4 Safety intervention with children and
  mothers Provides social care staff with safety
  planning interventions to be undertaken with
  children/yp and the non abusing parent during
  initial assessment and core assessment process.

• Implementation
• Phase 1 Formation of Steering Group
• Phase 2 Presentation to Local Safe Guarding
  Board
• Phase 3 Training Module 1 Multi-agency ½ day
  DV awareness training and use of the threshold
  scales and professional guidance.100
  Multi-agency staff (inc CAF assessors, health
  professionals, education)
• Phase 4 Training Module 2 3- Two days training
  on initial core domestic violence risk
• assessment model.
• Phase 5 Training Module 4 -One day training on
  safety planning interventions with children and
  mothers.
• 25 social workers or key practitioners. E.g.
  CP coordinator, Police etc
• Phase 6 Mentoring practice learning session
• Groups of 5/6 staff four session each, usually
  on a monthly bases.

6
BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Risk Assessment
Model

• OUTCOMES
• Increased staff awareness and understanding of
  the dynamics of DV and the risks domestic
  violence presents for children and young people
• An improvement in Social workers ability to
  respond more effectively to domestic violence.
• Safety planning and risk assessment will enable
  staff to assess childrens safety in families
  where domestic violence occurs
• Non-abusing parent will be more aware of the
  risks posed by domestic violence and be able to
  keep themselves and their child safer
• More accurate core assessments where domestic
  violence is intensely assessed
• More children and young people will be identified
  as requiring support and safeguarding
• Children/ YP and the non-abusive parent will have
  safety planning interventions aimed at improving
  their safety.

• Parallel process model matches other risk
  assessment tools Multi-Agency Risk Assessment
  Conference (MARAC), SPECCS (Domestic Violence
  Risk assessment used by the Police) and
  Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse
  (CARDA) .
• BENEFITS
• More specialised domestic violence assessment of
  families during section 47 section 17 enquiries
• Provides a consistent multi-agency framework to
  identify and assess level of risk
• Increases safeguarding of children with greater
  informed decision making.
• Greater focus on the needs of children and
  victims
• Offers holistic support to families

7
BARNARDOS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Risk Assessment
Model

• BENEFITS CONTI
• 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

• COST
• Cost for the full package
• 13,000.
• Any further enquiries please contact
• Claudette Malcolm
• Tel [phone]
• Email
• claudette.malcolm_at_barnardos.org.uk