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Newham Domestic Violence Policy

Please note that in this document the word client is used to denote the victim.

Background

Newham’s Domestic Violence Policy is part of the borough-wide Domestic Violence Strategy. Newham’s Domestic Violence Strategy has already been formally agreed by Newham Domestic Violence Forum

Definition

We use the term domestic violence to describe the pattern of abuse (such as threats, intimidation, social isolation, financial control and/or physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological violence) of one person (usually a woman) by another (usually a man) with whom they have or have had an intimate or family relationship. Research has shown repeatedly that it is nearly always women who experience domestic violence and nearly always men who are the primary perpetrators. Domestic Violence can occur in lesbian and gay relationships. The government has made it clear that this definition incorporates issues such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation and so-called “honour” killings as well as elder abuse when committed within the family or by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence can affect any one regardless of age, race, class, religion, sexual orientation or disability. We recognise that in this society certain groups may face additional obstacles and discrimination when seeking help. Domestic violence is a crime and totally unacceptable. Everyone has the right to live their life free from fear, intimidation and violence.

Different agencies work with different groups of people within the broad definition of domestic violence; e.g. some agencies work only with women, some with elder abuse. Newham Domestic Violence Forum recognises all the above forms of domestic violence but focuses mainly on women experiencing domestic violence from partners and ex-partners. Domestic Violence is a pattern of abusive behaviours used by a person to control and dominate their partner or ex-partner. The use of abusive behaviour is intended to frighten and make the partner or ex-partner behave in ways that they do not freely choose.

Abusive behaviours can range from verbal put-downs, threats, pushing and shoving to extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence sometimes resulting in murder. Typically 97% of domestic violence incidents are perpetrated by men against women and it is to address this problem that Newham Domestic Violence Forum (NDVF) exists.

The term Domestic Violence will be used by NDVF to define the violence that is perpetrated by men against women partner or ex-partners. This does not prevent member agencies from using the term Domestic Violence to mean the wider range of relationship situations that their particular agencies work with.

However in order to effectively target resources NDVF will focus mainly on violence by men towards their women partners or ex-partners. In most instances improvement in service provision and co-ordination will be of benefit to all those experiencing violence in a domestic setting irrespective of gender or relationship.

The term Relationship Violence will be used by NDVF to define the violence that men experience from their female partners. Similarly Relationship Violence will also be used to define the violence that lesbians and gay men experience from their partners. Although these groups of people represent a minority of the statistics, this does not in anyway lessen the seriousness of the abuse they experience.

NDVF will define the violence that is perpetrated by one family member on another family member e.g. father to adult daughter, adult son to mother as Family Violence.

Principles that underpins the Domestic Violence Policy

Provision of timely information and appropriate service responses to victims of domestic violence at every point of contact with them.

Protection by ensuring that the safety and risk faced by service users and their children are consistently taken into account.

Prevention from further abuse by ensuring that staff take the appropriate steps to safeguard service users and their children.

The objectives of the Domestic Violence Policy are:

To set clear achievable Minimum Standards of domestic violence provisions across all services provided by Newham Domestic Violence Forum Member Agencies to ensure consistency.

To set Minimum Standards that are measurable and able to be monitored to safeguard good practices.

To ensure Minimum Standards are set which take into account what service users say they want from services.

To maximise the resources available to tackle, address and reduce domestic violence and repeat victimisation.

Minimum Standards:

The Domestic Violence Standards drawn from the 2^nd London Domestic Violence Strategy, as laid out here have been agreed by all members of Newham Domestic Violence Forum. There has been wide consultation with statutory and voluntary organisations and the standards have been agreed to be what service users experiencing domestic violence want and need bearing in mind current limitations.

The areas of services where minimum standards are to be implemented are as follows. Other areas to be agreed via the Domestic Violence Forum.

a. Public Displays of information and provision of printed materials

Standard set

Outcome to be measured

i.	All staff providing a direct face-to-face service to clients must have awareness and training in basic good practices when dealing with victims of domestic violence relevant to the level of service they are providing.	i.	All service areas of every Member Agency to have attended at least one awareness-raising session a year. Attendance to be recorded by the agency.
		ii.	Have on their premises a copy of the Newham Domestic Resource Violence Directory.
		iii.	All workers to be briefed and have a discussion on the section of the Newham Domestic Violence Directory entitled: Basic Principles for Advice Workers. Agency records should indicate who has been briefed.

c. Assessments, Interviewing and Investigation

Standard set

Outcome to be measured

i.	All appropriate staff must be knowledgeable of their agency’s policy and procedural obligations in assessing and interviewing domestic violence cases	i.	Staff should have a knowledge of able to relate their own agency’s policy and procedures for dealing with domestic violence issues
ii.	Where the service user was previously referred from an agency via the Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure is implemented, the information contained in the DV Forms will be accepted as an accurate account of the victim’s details so as to avoid making the victim repeat her story again and again.	ii.	Implementation of the Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure by (a) checking there is a . Audit the signed copyies of the Declarations of Agreement forrom for Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure, which is held by the agency and the Domestic Violence Service Manager; and (b) by verbally checking that staff understand the Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure and are able to implement it.
iii.	Where evidence is needed, staff should inquire about other agencies that the service-userclient has been in contact with and ask forobtain her written consent to contact the agencies for corroborating evidence to support her case.	iii.	Implementation of the Inter-agency Referral Procedure. Audit the signed copies of the Declarations of Agreement from Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure. Checking that staff obtain the woman’s written permission to contact other agencies for information.

d. Making Referrals

Standard set

Outcome to be measured

i.	Where the service-user client is unaware of other services that might be able to further support or help her, staff should always provide this information. Where it is appropriate and with the service user client’s consent, staff should also make a referral or appointment for the service-user client.		i.	Agency Staff should be briefed on Newham Domestic Violence Directory for Advisors regarding other agencies they can refer clients to. The agency must record which staff have been briefed.
ii.	All staff involved in making referrals should be trained in using the Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure. All staff should be proficient in using form DV1.		ii.	Attendance at training sessions to be recorded by agency.

e. Recording and monitoring

Standard set

Outcome to be measured

All Member Agencies to take part in the Common System of Recording by ensuring that all identified domestic violence cases are recorded on Inter-agency DV1 Form and sent to the Central Monitoring System.

Implementation of Staff understand the use of DV1in the referral and monitoring process. Newham Domestic Violence Inter-Agency Referral Procedure.

f. Auditing of the minimum standards set

Standard set

Outcome to be measured

Ensure the continuation of good practice and consistency in service provisions.

Implementation of Auditing Procedures for auditing of these Minimum Standards to take place on an annual basis.

Auditing Procedures

Purpose of an audit:

To determine whether or not agencies are complying with the Minimum Standards as laid out in this Domestic Violence Policy. Where minimum standards are not being met, a time scale for agreed improvements will be negotiated
The auditor’s role is to assist the agency being audited to evaluate the need for improvements or corrective actions in order to achieve the Minimum Standards laid out in this Domestic Violence Policy. It is NOT a surveillance, inspection or criticism exercise

Procedures:

Newham Domestic Violence Forum will prepare and agree a schedule of which agencies are to be audited during each year. Each agency will only be audited once during any given year. The forum will produce the work plan for the auditing.
Audits must be carried out by an external person not connected to the agency and who does not have direct responsibility for the areas being audited. (It is hoped that the auditors will be from the Newham Social Services pool of trained auditors and it is not expected that we will be able to find one auditor to carry out all the audits but rather several auditors will share the workload.) If the agency employs more than 30 staff, it may be necessary to have more than one external auditor; this will reflect the workload of the agency being audited
A full month’s notice must be given to the agency of the audit.
The Agency being audited is expected to make the relevant member of it’s of staff(s) (who holds responsibility for the Minimum Standards being audited) available to for the audit. Accompany the auditor during the time the audit is being carried out. This is so that corrective action can be agreed discussion can take place to ensure where the agency does not meet the required standards are met.
The audit will consist of some or all of the following:

The auditor will check the appropriate display of posters;

Look at agency training records;

Check there is a copy of the Newham Domestic Violence Directory available for all staff;

Check agency records showing that all appropriate staff have been briefed on the Basic Principles for Advice Workers section of the Newham Domestic Violence Directory;

Check agency records showing that all appropriate staff have been briefed on other agencies their staff can refer clients;

Check the agency has signed the Declaration of Agreement from Newham Domestic Violence Inter-agency Referral Procedure;

All other outcome measurements will be evaluated by discussion with the worker(s) present at the audit.

The auditor will not look at case files or other confidential information.

If the Agency does not meet the required standards, a discussion should ensue to reach an agreement on improving the standards and a time scale of implementation. The Auditor will make a report of the audit and provide this to the Manager of the Agency with signatory to membership of the forum and the forum representative of the agency. The report will contain the details of any corrective actions agreed and the time scale within which these actions should take place.

The Manager of the Agency will make a report to the Auditor/Domestic Violence Service Manager when the corrective agreed actions have been implemented.

A copy of the Audit Report will be sent to the Chair of Newham Domestic Violence Forum, who will make a report to the forum of how Newham is performing overall.

Where agencies consistently fail to meet standards or make improvement on previous audits, the signatory of the agency will be contacted by the Chair of the forum to discuss a way forward.

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for general enquiries about the Domestic Violence Forum please contact:

Frances Martineau
Head of Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes Unit
London Borough of Newham, Social Services Department
328 Barking Road, East Ham, London E6 2RT
Tel: 020 8430 2000
Fax: 020 8557 8964