Thangam Debbonaire Respect Evaluation Project Manager (formerly Accreditation Project Officer) Perpetrator programmes

Programmes for domestic violence perpetrators developed in the USA during the 1980s. Most were associated with domestic abuse services for women; change men’s underlying belief systems about gender based entitlement in relationships as well as their abusive and criminal behaviour. Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Programme is most well known Coordinated community response involving all relevant state and voluntary agencies. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Programmes in the UK and Ireland have been developing since the late 1980s. State funding was slow and low. UK programmes, pioneered by the West London based Domestic Violence Intervention Project (DVIP) and Change (Scotland) worked with a mixture of convicted and non- convicted men In recent years in the UK, the state has become a provider of programmes via Probation service IDAP and CDVP. Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Currently in Ireland there are around 12 working programmes with some state funding from DJELR and heavily dependent on voluntary labour. In the UK there are more programmes with a wider spectrum of state funding, from local state commissioning agencies and trusts. Commissioners include child protection and health (UK) Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

The UK has a national umbrella organisation for all work with men on domestic violence, including the national helpline for male victims, the advice line for perpetrators and people working with them and support for programmes. The national system of Accreditation and inspection against a national Standard provides a framework for supporting the minimum safe levels of effective practice. Details on the Respect website: Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Evaluation of the effectiveness of perpetrator programmes surrounded by debate and controversy. The most rigorous, long term evaluation of programme outcomes for women’s safety was carried out by Dr Edward Gondolf in the US. Majority of programme participants not using dv 2 years after programme participation Precise effect of programmes was impossible to measure and that it is “THE SYSTEM THAT MATTERS” (Gondolf, 2002). Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Programmes contain many elements Discussion, role play, re-enactment, group work Pre group orientation and assessment Follow up Links to women’s services and police Regular risk review and management Regular review of suitability Clear identification of motivation and expected changes Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Most based on Duluth Power and Control Wheel Work through different forms of abuse This includes sexual abuse, use of children etc Identification and reflection on what individual has done and the effects on partner Identification of underlying beliefs Identification of alternative beliefs and ways of behaving Practice using different beliefs and behaviour Recognition of consequences of not changing Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Motivation important to identify “voluntary” is rarely so simple Wanting partner to stay or return Wanting to have access to children Needing to co-operate with child protection or family courts Social pressure including family Wanting to change Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

PROGRAMMES ARE NOT THE ONLY RESPONSE TO PERPETRATORS Criminal and civil remedies Prison based programmes Mental health, substance misuse interventions prior to programmes Couples counselling after programme participation and successful change Programmes working on fatherhood Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Changing the face of post-separation fatherhood, particularly for abusive men Supervised online contact Support and advice for separated dads particularly those who have used violence Interactive sections Information Respect and Atticmedia Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Evaluation of programmes in the UK over the next four years will be taking place This will be UK version of Gondolf research We will be appointing research team later this year via an independent advisory group Researchers will be independent of Respect We will be supporting two programmes to maintain accreditation standard to ensure programme integrity during the research Outcome and process: what changes and how Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology

Thangam Debbonaire and Dr Chris Newman (very part time job share) We both continue to work for other organisations as practitioners and evaluators and in policy and resource development, including work with children and young people to prevent domestic violence Stopping Domestic Violence: What Works? 28 th to 30 th May 2008, Waterford Institute of Technology