Domestic Violence and Intensive Case Management Jess Dalpe, Technical Advisor, Women’s Protection and Empowerment Courtney Madsen, Program Officer, Intensive Case Management

Overview Survivor centered case management Safety planning Confidentiality in documentation

Are you asking for it? Figure 1: Question Marks. Adapted from Pixabay. Received from https://pixabay.com/en/question-mark-note-duplicate-2110767/ 

Why do we blame survivors? Almost all communities feel helpless to control the offender. Why? Men’s behavior is often accepted because men usually have more power Most societies pick on what they feel they can control: the victim, who has less power than the offender and who is in a more vulnerable position Victim blaming is one of the misuses of power we sometimes commit as people talking about violence Often, women want to believe that we are somehow different, or make different decisions, from the victim. If it is the victim’s responsibility for the assault, then if we do things differently, we think that we won’t be raped—or beaten.

Power Over Power over means the power that one person or group uses to control another person or group; it also means being able to impose decisions on others and is tightly connected to status

Power Within Power within is the strength that arises from inside ourselves when we recognize the equal ability within all of us to positively influence our own lives and the community

Power With Power with means the power felt when two or more people come together to do something that they could not do alone; it also includes joining our power with individuals as well as groups to respond to injustice

Power To Power to is the belief and actions that individuals and groups use to create positive change; it is also when individuals proactively work to ensure that all community members enjoy the full spectrum of human rights and are able to achieve their full potential Everyone has power to even if they were not able to express it internally. As caseworkers we have power over clients through our access to resources and services and we can decide how we want to use that status to support clients’ power TO, power WITH and power WITHIN

Attitudes In order to protect a survivor a service provider should always report a case of intimate partner violence to the police The best solution for a woman who is in an abusive relationship is to leave the abuser Women who stay in abusive relationships are consenting to the violence from their abuser T/F activity (have individuals hold up True or False/think about it on their own

Survivor-Centered Attitudes People have the right to live a life free from violence. Survivors are not at fault or to blame for the violence they experience. Survivors should not be stigmatized, shamed, or ridiculed for the violence they have experienced. Survivors speak the truth about the violence they have experienced. Survivors should not be forced to disclose or report their experience to anyone. Survivors have the right to make their own decisions about their care and about their lives. Survivors can recover and heal from their history and experiences of violence. Rather than being victim-blaming, we want to promote attitudes at IRC and in ourselves that are “survivor-centered.” Read through the survivor centered attitudes. [Questions?] Place flip-chart paper around the room with one survivor-centered attitude on each chart. Participants to circle the room and write their answers to two questions on each flip-chart: What does this this attitude mean to me? How can I reflect this attitude in my work? Example: For me, #1 means even in cultures where violence against women is widely practiced, women have the right to live without violence. To apply #7 in my work means I can’t tell a survivor she should go to a domestic violence shelter. Summary and debrief. Promoting these survivor-centered attitudes within ourselves is the basis for a compassionate response to survivors.

Assessing Safety With Survivors of IPV Safety plan Identify the circumstances in which the survivor is most in danger Assess risks Assess the survivor’s sense of safety It is impossible to accurately predict whether a perpetrator will seriously harm or kill the survivor, himself/herself, or another person; however, knowing the danger signs can help us help the survivor make an educated evaluation of her vulnerability. When assessing safety, you will work with the survivor to asses the risks, her sense of safety, and to identify the circumstances in which the survivor is most in danger.

Assessing Safety – Activity In small groups discuss the safety planning resources that you have available in your office and your experiences with safety planning. What are some of your best practices? What can be improved upon? In small groups of no more than 5 people, discuss the safety planning resources that you have available in your office and your experiences with safety planning. Some questions you can answer are: What are some best practices? What can be improved upon? After 10 minutes of discussion, we’ll come back to the larger group to share back.

Assessing the Survivor’s Sense of Safety Assess a survivor’s perceived sense of safety by speaking with her. You may also assess using a scale from 1-5 with 1 meaning extremely unsafe and 5 meaning very safe   1 extremely unsafe 2 3 4 5 very safe Assessing the survivor’s sense of safety can be achieved through asking her simple open and close ended questions about her situation. You can also use a scale with her, asking her to place her sense of safety on the scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being extremely unsafe and 5 being very safe.

Assessing Risks Survivors in IPV situations are continually at risk Goal is to: Understand the profile and behavior of the abuser Determine the survivor’s risk for extremely dangerous situations Can use the risk assessment tool “Assessment for Survivors” Survivors of IPV are constantly at risk for continued violence. In our safety assessment, we aim to understand the profile of the abuser and his behavior. We also aim to determine the survivor’s risk for being in extremely dangerous situations. One of the ways we can do this is to use the risk assessment tool for intimate partner violence.

Identifying Dangerous Situations Risk assessment helps analyze: How dangerous the perpetrator is Likelihood to seriously harm or kill the survivor Circumstances in which the perpetrator is usually violent Help the survivor identify patterns of abuse: What have you noticed about the perpetrator during those times when you feel unsafe? Can you tell me about some of the times you have felt most unsafe around your husband? Then next piece of the safety assessment is to identify dangerous situations with the survivor. We seek to understand how dangerous the perpetrator is, his likelihood to seriously harm or kill the survivor, and the circumstances in which the perpetrator is usually violent. You can do this by helping the survivor identify patterns of abuse. Some suggested questions to ask the survivor are on the slide. (*facilitator, you can ask for volunteers to read out the questions*) What is happening around you during those times when you feel unsafe? Have you noticed anything in particular that comes before the violence?

Safety Planning with Survivors of IPV Safety planning allows the survivor to proceed with a pre-determined course of action Help her plan for exactly what she would do in threatening situations Minimizes the harm done by the perpetrator by identifying resources, ways to escape, means to avoid harm and places she can go for safety Identify coping mechanisms in place, what has already worked for the survivor and build on it Modify the plans according to the level of danger *the most dangerous time for any survivor of IPV is when she tries to leave* Once you have completed the safety assessment, you will then work with the client to create a safety plan. Safety plans allow survivors to proceed with a pre-determined course of action when in life-threatening situations. The goal of safety plans is to minimize the harm done by the perpetrator by identifying resources, ways to escape, means to avoid harm and places the survivor can go for safety. They identify what coping mechanisms are already in place for the survivor, what has already worked for her in the past, and then build on those successes. There can be multiple safety plans or one main plan, modified according to the level of danger. It’s important to remember that the most dangerous time for any survivor of IPV is when she tries to leave.

Safety Planning with Survivors of IPV What do you do when you are in danger? What financial resources do you have? Where do you go? What material resources do you have? Whom do you trust? If you have to leave, what will you bring? What local authorities or police might you involve, and under what circumstances? How can you involve your children? Is there anyone who can talk to the perpetrator at a nonviolent time to try to discourage his violence? If you had to leave, what will happen to your children? Who else might be in danger if you had to leave? Who already knows about your partner’s abuse? How can you protect against weapons? Here we have a list of questions that can help guide the safety planning process. It is best to document the answers to these questions in a simple, easy to read format so that you and the survivor can have a copy (only if it is safe).

Safety Planning – Activity Find a partner to work with for this activity. Each set of partners will be given a case study and a safety planning worksheet. You will role play creating a safety plan with one person acting as the client and the other acting as the caseworker. “Clients,” you are invited to embellish the case study as you complete the safety plan. When you have finished, discuss your experiences as both a client and caseworker. We’ll share some of those experiences in a larger group once we have finished. Find a partner to work with for this activity. Each set of partners will be given a case study and a safety planning worksheet. You will role play creating a safety plan with one person acting as the client and the other acting as the caseworker. “Clients,” you are invited to embellish the case study as you complete the safety plan. When you have finished, discuss your experiences as both a client and caseworker. We’ll share some of those experiences in a larger group once we have finished.

Confidentiality and Documentation Case file documentation is very tricky for these cases Do not include information in a case file that might put the survivor in danger Remember that other IRC staff will have access to the case file The survivor trusts you, to maintain that trust

I received a call from Khadija today I received a call from Khadija today. She requested assistance for additional services. We discussed what referrals I would make on her behalf, and agreed to follow up tomorrow, 2/15/2018. Sample While this case note might seem almost useless in terms of the information provided, it is an example of an acceptable record of service provision that meets donor requirements. What are your thoughts about this case note? The purpose of case notes is to provide a record of services provided to a client. We do not yet have a system to maintain confidential records for individuals.

Constance comes to your office with her purse Constance comes to your office with her purse. After she has asked you a few questions regarding some upcoming appointments, she calmly tells you that she does not want to go home because her husband hits her. She has brought all of her legal documents with her, but she does not know where to go and does not want to call friends or family. You explain domestic violence services available in your community, but Constance is apprehensive. After further discussion, she says she would like to stay the night in a hotel so she can think things through. She has money with her but asks you to help her find a place to stay for a night that she can afford. After you help her find the hotel you agree that she will call you tomorrow once she decides what she wants to do. Sample Scenario How would you document this service? Was this survivor centered?

Wrap-up Can 3 people share with us 1 thing they are going to do after they get back to their field office? Where can you turn for further information or resources? Thank you!