copyright: london borough of sutton/sutton & merton pct – linda finn the community group...

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


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


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


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”


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


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


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


Inter-agency Collaboration

Programme Coordinator Probation

ServiceVoluntary

Sector

Behaviour Support

Team

School Nurses Health

VisitorsSocial

Services

Education Welfare

CAHMS


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


Referrals

• Social Workers – 38%• CAMHS – 22%• Behaviour Support Team – 14%• Education (HT/POW) – 12%• Health (HV/SN) – 8%• Voluntary Organisation – 4%• Probation – 2%


Why do the Work …Learning from Children


What Children Tell Us


• 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


• 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


• 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


• I used to scream and shout “stop it” but I did nothing else. I was too scared I would get hit.

Andrew, aged 11


• 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


• He would push me away and give me a back hander…so I called the Police. He ruined all my birthdays.

Sarah, aged 7


Feelings


Needing to be Safe


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


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


• 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


“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


“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


“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


“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


“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


“How can we work together to help children who are resident with their abusive fathers?

Sutton Women’s Centre


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


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


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


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


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

copyright: london borough of sutton/sutton & merton pct – linda finn the community group...

Documents

england linda finn

canada slide

programme coordinator

sutton staff children

child protection

child matters

concurrent programme

health improvement funding