5.5 Domestic Abuse Policy

RELATED CHAPTERS

This should be read in conjunction with the Protocol with Thames Valley Police and Children, Young People and Families, Oxfordshire County Council Regarding Domestic Abuse

Policy Statement
Purpose
Scope
Definitions
Context
Legal Context
Mandatory Procedures/Protocols
Initiatives
Implementation
Monitoring and Review

1. Policy Statement

The Directorate is committed to:

An understanding of domestic abuse and the provision of working practices which will increase the safety of adult victims and child victims/witnesses of domestic abuse and which will hold the abuser accountable;
Working in partnership with other statutory agencies and voluntary organisations within the County Domestic violence Steering Group in Oxfordshire and the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board.
Fulfilling its obligations to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm and from harming others.
Carrying out the strategic actions of the Children and Young People’s Plan 2005-2008 by which the Children’s Services Authority together with Health and the Voluntary Sector will deliver services to help children achieve five key outcomes, including Staying Safe. Under this objective all agencies are committed to reducing violence, including domestic violence, bullying and other hate crimes. The Directorate will be an effective partner in finding multi-agency community safety solutions to children in need.

2. Purpose

This aim of this policy is:

To raise an awareness of domestic abuse and to ensure that a high profile is maintained across the whole Directorate.
To enable practitioners and managers to apply a consistent approach to domestic abuse
To ensure that practitioners understand that best practice in the context of domestic abuse will involve empowering the non-abusive parent/carer/adult to make positive choices and increase their safety whilst working with other agencies to hold the abuser responsible and accountable for their actions.
To support and safeguard children in Oxfordshire who witness domestic abuse and to help them have happier, healthier and safer lives and achieve their potential.
To support and safeguard adults who may be at risk or vulnerable due to their age, physical frailty, disability, learning disability, mental heath problems and drug and alcohol related problems in the context of domestic abuse.
To acknowledge and work to reduce the negative impact of domestic abuse, in all its forms, within the diverse communities of Oxfordshire.
To provide procedures which all staff will follow

3. Scope

This policy and the principles that underpin it will apply to:

All professional and public contacts with the Directorate
Referrals, assessments, child protection conferences and other reports and all reports to the court.
All children and parents/carers.
All employees in all settings across the Directorate.
All individuals, agencies and organisations including community and voluntary organisations contracted to or commissioned by the Directorate.

4. Definitions

The Directorate adheres to the government’s core definition of domestic abuse which is:

“...any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender.”
A family member may be an individual who regularly visits or has contact with the household.

5. Context

The Directorate will use this definition, which is based on an awareness informed by research evidence and Home Office guidance, in a context which understands that:

Domestic abuse is not a family argument or conflict between parents.
Domestic abuse is a pattern of coercive behaviours used by one person to establish and maintain power and control over another.
Domestic abuse is mainly perpetrated by men on women partners, or ex-partners, and women tend to experience more serious and fatal injuries and more repeat incidents of domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse is also be perpetrated by women on male partners and by lesbian, gay and transsexual partners.
Domestic abuse is also perpetrated by family members within and between the generations. It includes elder abuse and in specific minority ethnic communities, it includes forced marriage, female genital mutilation and so-called ‘honour’ killings; (click here to view to Young People and Vulnerable adults facing forced marriage; Practice Guidance for Social Workers Home Office 2004 ).

6. Legal Context

The Children Act 1989 places duties on the County Council in relation to children in need and children at risk of harm.

The Adoption and Children Act 2002 amends the definition of ‘harm’ within the Children Act 1989 to include “impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another.” i.e. witnessing domestic abuse.

Every Child Matters: Change for Children (2004) includes domestic abuse within the criteria under which the new Children’s Services Directorates will be inspected, i.e. that ‘children affected by repeated domestic violence are identified, protected and supported’;

National Services Framework for Children and Young People and Maternity Services (2004) acknowledges the increased likelihood of harm being suffered by children living in ‘special circumstances’, which includes domestic abuse.

7. Mandatory Procedures/Protocols

The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures describe the steps to be taken by Police and Children, Young People and Families in relation to children and unborn children at risk of harm, and in relation to incidents of domestic abuse involving children, and pregnant women.
The Protocol between Thames Valley Police and Children, Young People and Families sets out the process for responding to incidents of domestic violence.
In regard to children who may be in need of support and/or protection there is the Information Sharing Protocol: Protecting and Safeguarding Children 2004 which places duties and responsibilities on all agencies concerned with children to share information.
The Oxfordshire Safer Communities Information-Sharing Policy 2005 sets out the duties and responsibilities of all agencies to share information when there is evidence that a crime has been committed. This includes crimes of domestic abuse against adults and children.
In 2005 the County Council introduced a Human Resources Policy on domestic abuse in relation to employees.
Through the Safeguarding Children Board, the Oxfordshire Protocol for effective multi agency intervention in cases of forced marriage and honour based violence in children and young people under 18 years has been developed . This will ensure a co-ordinated and consistent response to the victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse from all agencies, including the County and District Councils, and includes a Matrix for Domestic Abuse Risk Assessments
A joint CAFCASS and Children, Young People and Families Protocol is being developed to provide guidance on cases before the courts, due to divorce or separation, where there has been alleged or reported domestic abuse, in order to ensure that where appropriate the Directorate is notified of such cases.

8. Initiatives

There is a multi-agency training course run by the Directorate on ‘Assessing the Risk to Children and Young People of Domestic Violence’. The course trains participants to use the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. This takes place regularly.
The Multi-Agency Children & Families Domestic Violence Strategy is being developed.
Two Refuges are open and operating in the county. The Banbury Refuge has a dedicated children’s worker and a newly funded volunteer outreach support scheme.
Outreach workers are employed to provide support to victims and their families in Oxford, North Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire. Funding is being sought to ensure this service can expand to meet need.
The Domestic Violence Champions Network has trained and resourced over 160 professional practitioners from across 7 statutory and voluntary agencies to provide a ‘virtual’ one-stop shop for victims and their families in each district council area, and to act as local experts on domestic violence within their own teams.
Locality Support Services are developing improved and co-ordinated support services for children and families, including those experiencing domestic abuse.
A ‘live’ web-based free legal advice service to victims has been funded and is being set up by a local firm of solicitors.
Domestic Violence Fora meet regularly in Oxford, South & Vale, North & West Oxfordshire.
Each of the District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships has Action Plans on domestic violence which entail inter-agency co-operation. The county-wide strategy is linked up via the County DV Steering Group which steers and approves the work plan of the County DV Co-ordinator.

9. Implementation

Children Young People and Families staff will be made aware of this policy and subsequent updates through this Procedures Manual and also via:

The Script
Core Brief
County Council Website
Service Area Meetings

10. Monitoring and Review

The Directorate will initiate via Framework-I the monitoring of domestic abuse referrals and outcomes.

The 3 Year Training Strategy is nearing completion and will be reviewed in relation to future learning. An audit of numbers of staff who have received the training will be carried out and an action plan developed to ensure that all staff have training requisite to their roles and responsibilities. In addition, core competencies in domestic violence are being developed as part of the multi-agency work force development strategy.

This policy will be reviewed in the light of developments by the Domestic Violence SCB Sub-Group by the Directorate Lead for Domestic Violence.

The Policy was most recently revised on 15th March 2007

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