Children and Families Children and Families Experiencing Domestic Experiencing Domestic Violence: Police and Violence: Police and Children’s Services Children’s Services ResponsesResponses

Nicky Stanley, Pam Miller, Nicky Stanley, Pam Miller, Helen Richardson-Foster and Helen Richardson-Foster and

Gill ThomsonGill Thomson

University of Central University of Central LancashireLancashire

Notifications of Domestic Notifications of Domestic ViolenceViolence

2002 - Children’s exposure to domestic 2002 - Children’s exposure to domestic violence incorporated into ‘significant violence incorporated into ‘significant harm’ criteria in England & Walesharm’ criteria in England & Wales

Guidance emphasising need for Guidance emphasising need for interagency communication and interagency communication and coordinationcoordination

Explosion in police notifications to Explosion in police notifications to children’s social serviceschildren’s social services

Fragmented service response to Fragmented service response to children and families experiencing children and families experiencing domestic violencedomestic violence

About the Research About the Research 2007-092007-09

Stage 1: Capturing children’s, Stage 1: Capturing children’s, survivors’ and perpetrators’ views survivors’ and perpetrators’ views

Stage 2: Tracking professional Stage 2: Tracking professional practice in 2 sites – police and practice in 2 sites – police and children’s serviceschildren’s services 251 Notifications tracked251 Notifications tracked Interviews with 56 practitionersInterviews with 56 practitioners

Stage 3: Postal survey of LSCBs Stage 3: Postal survey of LSCBs 2007-082007-08

More information and More information and explanations for young peopleexplanations for young people

Young people felt excluded or ignored when police intervened in domestic violence incidents and wanted more information and explanations:When my dad came round and he started

kicking off, the police come round and they arrested him, they took a statement of my mum and that's it, they don't …they didn't say to us what happened if he was going to be released the next day or - we didn't find out anything.

(Dawn, Young People’s Focus Group 4)

Being listened to and believedBeing listened to and believedShe [police officer] was really helpful, she spoke to me rather than just my mum, she was the one that gave us the number for the NSPCC. She was just good at listening to us and that. (Nicola, Young People’s Focus Group 1)

And I told them what was happening to me and it was such a nightmare. And I could tell, they were just looking at me and thinking you are lying. (Pearl, Survivor)

They listened to me, they listened to me and they took into the fact of what had occurred in the background in the past and what have you. (Craig, Perpetrator)

Feeling safeFeeling safeChildren and survivors wanted to feel safe,

wanted perpetrator to be removed from home immediately and to know what would happen next:

When they come straight away, they could like take him away straight away, instead of waiting around and everything and listening to sides, just … they should be taken away because a mum or child wouldn't call 999 just to get a dad taken away for no reason. (Louis, Young People’s Focus Group 5)

Support with Contact Support with Contact ArrangementsArrangements

““most of the reasons that the arguments were most of the reasons that the arguments were caused was that mum didn’t like talking to caused was that mum didn’t like talking to my dad, and she had no other way of my dad, and she had no other way of contacting him … and that if the social were contacting him … and that if the social were there they could have sorted it out.there they could have sorted it out.” (Dawn, ” (Dawn, Young People’s Group 4)Young People’s Group 4)

……all his dad were interested in was all his dad were interested in was questioning [our son] whether I had a questioning [our son] whether I had a boyfriend, where we were living, where was boyfriend, where we were living, where was the refuge. …and these people that the refuge. …and these people that volunteer…they haven’t got the ability to say volunteer…they haven’t got the ability to say “hang on a minute mate, you shouldn’t be “hang on a minute mate, you shouldn’t be asking that”. I know of places that are run by asking that”. I know of places that are run by social services that mums and dads go to visit social services that mums and dads go to visit their children, and social workers are their children, and social workers are covering over. And I wanted something like covering over. And I wanted something like that. that. (Sarah, Survivor)(Sarah, Survivor)

The wake up call for The wake up call for perpetratorsperpetrators

Perpetrators experienced police intervention as a wake-up call and highlighted the potential for police to signpost perpetrators to relevant services:

….they brought me in and they cautioned me and this ….made me realise that before that I had blinkers on….They shook me up, what I was doing with my son. (Patrick, Perpetrator)

Characteristics of 251 DV Characteristics of 251 DV IncidentsIncidents

87% of incidents took place at 87% of incidents took place at homehome

Just over 50% involved ex-partnersJust over 50% involved ex-partners Children present in just under 80%

of incidents Nearly a third of children involved

under 3 61% of children witnessed the

incident directly

Police Data Findings: Access to Police Data Findings: Access to children/child contactchildren/child contact

Incidents occurred in context of child contact visits or when perpetrator was seeking access to the house/ children:

Father was watching his three year old child Father was watching his three year old child and needed to go somewhere. He contacted and needed to go somewhere. He contacted mother (ex-partner) to come and collect child. mother (ex-partner) to come and collect child. When she said she couldn’t make it back When she said she couldn’t make it back quickly, father threatened to ‘box your face’ if quickly, father threatened to ‘box your face’ if he had to take the child to her. Father has made he had to take the child to her. Father has made threats in past, but never acted upon them, so threats in past, but never acted upon them, so mother ignored threat. When father brought mother ignored threat. When father brought child to mother in public shopping area, he child to mother in public shopping area, he punched her in the face three times, knocking punched her in the face three times, knocking her down. When she tried to fight back, father her down. When she tried to fight back, father punched her again and then left. #37punched her again and then left. #37

Police Engagement with Police Engagement with ChildrenChildren

Little evidence of police engaging with children

Half officers interviewed expressed some reluctance about talking directly to children

No information provided for children…. it's not something that's done as often as you would probably think. (Frontline Officer 8)

…. if you can avoid bringing the children in that’s what you look to do because it’s a drain on our numbers and our people. (Frontline Officer 1)

I would probably have to say that they don’t [talk to children], probably because they wouldn’t know how to …. (Supervising Officer 2)

No Further Action

Letters/ Phone Calls/ Visits

Family Support

Safeguarding

Children’s Services: Children’s Services: Notification pathwaysNotification pathways

Children’s Services Data : Children’s Services Data : Characteristics of notified casesCharacteristics of notified cases

Most families had little/no prior Most families had little/no prior contact with Children’s Servicescontact with Children’s Services 40% of families in sample had no prior 40% of families in sample had no prior

contact contact 26% had minimal prior contact 26% had minimal prior contact

(previous referral or notifications (previous referral or notifications closed no further action)closed no further action)

19 cases – already open - notification 19 cases – already open - notification triggered a substantial service for triggered a substantial service for only 5% (n=9) of sampleonly 5% (n=9) of sample

Children’s Services Data: Children’s Services Data: factors determining pathwaysfactors determining pathways

Unless case already open, chances of notified family receiving an intervention low, unless children under 12 months.

Notifications that conveyed the severity of an incident by reporting injuries might trigger a service if the family was already known

Over half the families where an adult was injured did not receive a service.

All those cases where children were injured received a service

Children’s Services Data: Children’s Services Data: LettersLetters

No differences between NFA group and Letters only group re renotification – over half families in both groups renotified

I think it’s a bit discriminatory if we say that the mum’s duty is to protect the children… (Initial Assessment Manager 2)

…it's alerting people, if you don’t want social services involved in your family…then they need to address it, and, to some extent, I think it is a good idea. (Initial Assessment Social Worker 2)

Children’s Services Data: Children’s Services Data: Patterns of interventionPatterns of intervention

Interventions characterised by ‘stop-start’ pattern -families with repeat notifications receiving repeated assessments

Intervention often withdrawn when families informed social workers that they had separated

Those cases which received substantial intervention and where children remained living at home with both parents 18 months after the sample notification were likely to be those where father as well as mother had engaged with services

Children’s Services Data Children’s Services Data Findings: Working withFindings: Working with

perpetratorsperpetrators Not all social workers saw this as their

role:

As a general rule, I personally don't ever get involved with the perpetrator… (Initial Assessment Worker 2)

I've heard it said we don't work with perpetrators in social work and I struggle with that really, you know, and I don't think you can ever say we don't work with perpetrators …if they're part of the family unit and if that risk can be managed and if that person is open to change. (Child Protection Manager 2)

Innovative practice Survey Innovative practice Survey 2007-082007-08

30 of 57 LSCBs identified innovative 30 of 57 LSCBs identified innovative practice in relation to notificationspractice in relation to notifications

4 models:4 models: Interagency ScreeningInteragency Screening Early InterventionEarly Intervention Police Risk Assessment Informs Police Risk Assessment Informs

Notification RoutingNotification Routing Risk Assessment ToolRisk Assessment Tool

Conclusions 1Conclusions 1 Notifications bring domestic violence to Notifications bring domestic violence to

forefront for Children’s Services, but few forefront for Children’s Services, but few additional resources to meet this new additional resources to meet this new demanddemand

Most notifications: no service, repeat Most notifications: no service, repeat notifications serve to push families notifications serve to push families towards Children’s Services thresholdtowards Children’s Services threshold

Letters alone: ineffective as a means of Letters alone: ineffective as a means of managing demandmanaging demand

Safeguarding rather than family support Safeguarding rather than family support interventionsinterventions

Stop-start interventions: over-emphasis Stop-start interventions: over-emphasis on whether couple have separated – need on whether couple have separated – need for long-term, low-level support and for long-term, low-level support and monitoring for some familiesmonitoring for some families

Conclusions 2Conclusions 2 Police engaging with children would Police engaging with children would

offer reassurance in crisis and give more offer reassurance in crisis and give more information to convey to Children’s information to convey to Children’s ServicesServices

Models where police and Children’s Models where police and Children’s Services staff filter notifications jointly Services staff filter notifications jointly offer option of accessing most offer option of accessing most information to feed into risk information to feed into risk assessmentsassessments

Need for more early intervention services Need for more early intervention services identified – high quality supervised access identified – high quality supervised access to be available on a voluntary basisto be available on a voluntary basis

Positive outcomes for families Positive outcomes for families associated with engaging with associated with engaging with perpetratorsperpetrators

Key RecommendationsKey Recommendations Police to provide children with information Police to provide children with information

specifically designed for them specifically designed for them Children’s Services to review value of Children’s Services to review value of

letters - do they act to promote families’ letters - do they act to promote families’ engagement?engagement?

Children’s Services to address social Children’s Services to address social workers’ skills in working with workers’ skills in working with perpetrators of domestic violenceperpetrators of domestic violence

Specialist dv and universal services to Specialist dv and universal services to contribute to early interventions – contribute to early interventions – supervised access services?supervised access services?

Develop services for perpetrators & Develop services for perpetrators & therapeutic services for childrentherapeutic services for children

Accessing the reportAccessing the report

Summary report available on NSPCC website, full report from 13 Jan 2010:

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/

research/Findings/research/Findings/children_experiencing_dchildren_experiencing_domestic_violence_wdaomestic_violence_wda68549.html68549.html

For further information contact: Nicky Stanley: nstanley@uclan.ac.uk