Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn The Community Group Programme...
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Transcript of Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn The Community Group Programme...
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
The Community Group Programme for Children
Exposed to Woman Abuse
Concurrent Programme Model2006
London, EnglandLinda Finn, Programme
Coordinator
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
The Cost of Domestic
Abuse• National research in 2004
demonstrated the economic costs of domestic abuse. In London the total cost of all services is £435.26 million per annum.
• If the number of incidents in London were reduced by just 5% the public purse would save 21 million per annum
2nd London Domestic Violence Strategy
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Legal Framework• Domestic Violence Crime and Victims
Act 2004• Adoption and Children Act 2002• Every Child Matters 2004• The Mayor’s 2nd London Domestic
Violence Strategy 2005• Working Together 2006• National Domestic Violence Action Plan• Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Legal Definitions
In January 2005, Section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 amends the meaning of harm to include “impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another”
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
London Borough of
Sutton
• 2000 Dartington Matching Needs and Services Audit
• Range of needs identified• Improved parenting and effects of
trauma • 2001 initial secondment• 2002 Health Improvement Funding• 2002 Children’s Fund mapping exercise
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
2003 Developing Services
• Children’s Fund plan approved / Funding available
• Research review of programmes that support children exposed to their mother’s abuse
• Community Group Programme chosen
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Getting Started
• Children’s Fund training 100+ Sutton staff
• Children’s DV working group• Additional in house training• Pilot • Continued consultation and links
with Canada
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Inter-agency Collaboration
Programme Coordinator Probation
ServiceVoluntary
Sector
Behaviour Support
Team
School Nurses Health
VisitorsSocial
Services
Education Welfare
CAHMS
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Programme Snapshot
50 Children:• Child Protection Register – 10• Child with Disability – 2• Child in Need – 10• Youth Offending Team – 2• Local Authority Care – 1 current/2 past• Concerns for Child - 8
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Referrals
• Social Workers – 38%• CAMHS – 22%• Behaviour Support Team – 14%• Education (HT/POW) – 12%• Health (HV/SN) – 8%• Voluntary Organisation – 4%• Probation – 2%
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Why do the Work …Learning from Children
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
What Children Tell Us
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• I would shout and stand in the middle… it didn’t work but I tried my best…it was worse if I didn’t do it.
Lucy, aged 14
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• My step dad hit me on the head and the top of my cheek.
David, aged 14
• He used to punch us all over my my body and it was worse if I tried to help mum.
Stephen, aged 15
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• He threatened to beat me if I called the Police. He threatened to kill me when I put only Mum’s name on the Easter card. He forced us to watch and wouldn’t let us leave. One day it was from 10.00 in the morning until 10.00 at night. Sometimes he pushed me and he would slap me round the face.
Peter, aged 14
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• I used to scream and shout “stop it” but I did nothing else. I was too scared I would get hit.
Andrew, aged 11
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• He said I was naughty and pushed me on the floor, sat on top of me and began punching me. My sister helped pull him off.
Jenny, aged 9
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• He would push me away and give me a back hander…so I called the Police. He ruined all my birthdays.
Sarah, aged 7
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Feelings
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Needing to be Safe
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
What Children Say About Group
• LOVE THE SNACKS• LOVE THE SNACKS• Good to meet other children with similar
experiences• Good to know it can happen in all families• I know how to keep safe now• There are people I can talk to• I know it’s not my fault• I no longer believe I’ll turn out like dad
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Benefits of a Collaborative Approach
• Raised awareness across agencies of impact and issues for mothers and children
• Increased individual expertise and knowledge
• Skills obtained at group are transferable to other settings
• Enhances a gendered approach to this type of work
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
• Agencies are starting to come together and take shared responsibility for domestic violence
• Communication across agencies improves and sound relationships develop
• Staff from different agencies jointly collaborate to achieve best outcomes for mums and children
• Cost effective
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“Certainly think the DV project has put the subject high on people’s agenda. I think in general social workers ask the questions more as a matter of routine, partly because they know there is a service which will respond!”
Manager, Sutton Family Centre
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“Health Visitors feel more confident about domestic violence as they have you as a resource and there is now something locally to support families, beginning to give them the confidence to ask the question.”
Manager, Health Visiting Service
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“We are able to work together more effectively with some of the people who have attended your conference and now have a better understanding of the effects of violence.”
Manager, Sutton Women’s Centre
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“This work has put domestic violence where it firmly belongs as ‘everybody’s issue’. The project has done more to raise the DV profile than years of ACPC training.”
Manager, Sutton Behaviour Support Team
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“I learnt a huge amount from you about couple counselling when there is domestic violence. You advised against this, however the Family Therapist pursued this and I witnessed for myself the effects, which was escalating violence.”
Project Worker, Sutton Family Centre
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
“How can we work together to help children who are resident with their abusive fathers?
Sutton Women’s Centre
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Challenges• Strategic commitment across agencies essential• Keeping interest & commitment alive• Coordinator position• Administrative support• Identifying staff • Choosing staff wisely• Number of facilitators per group• Men• Funding• Assessment timing
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Challenges
• Pacing yourself … you can’t do everything• Wider coordinated community responses• Generation of additional work• Data collection and recording• Avoiding ‘mother blaming’ … working
with CP services• Holding men accountable• Care for staff involved• Supervision
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Developments
• 8 – 12 groups a year• More staff• Specific training to increase facilitator
numbers• Developing additional services• Increased consultation with Child Protection
services• Importance of listening to what mothers and
children tell us and use that to inform service development
• Caring Dads
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
Further Developments
• Rolling out the programme• 2004 Reciprocal visit to London Ontario• Feb 2004 Presentation to The Greater
London Domestic Violence Forum • End of HIMP funding (March 2005)• Continuing the project• National conference “What about Me”,
May 2005• Consultation with children
Copyright: London Borough of Sutton/Sutton & Merton PCT – Linda Finn
More Developments
• 2005 Innovation award from Mayor of London• 2006 winner of the LGC innovation award• 2006 short listed finalist in the MJ awards• Local project has raised the national profile• Cited as example of best practice at a
national level• Planning stages for the roll out across London