1. Scrutiny Commission on Domestic Violence Amanda Bradley, Head of Children and Families Social Care 24 th November 2011

2. Overview Why is DV a priority? How are we addressing it? What are our key services / approaches? Identifying service gaps / opportunities

3. Priority Between January and August 2011: –2348 reported incidents –1101 involved children DV is the primary cause of referrals to Children’s Social Care A key factor in majority of Child Protection cases Devastating impact on a child/children Linked to other forms of abuse Priority area for LSCB

4. Addressing it Strong protocol with Police - Need to maintain this / police restructure All cases notified to Referral & Assessment The response is monitored closely / Front Door Model Well Being Panels / CAF ensure early support is provided Up-skilling staff across the partnership Training (LSCB, DV Forum, E-learning, schools) Multi-agency – Education/HV proposals.

5. Key services / systems Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme – Voluntary programme for men who are concerned about their behaviour towards a partner/ex- partner. Community Domestic Violence Programme – For men who have committed at least one domestic violence offence. Integrated Offender Management – Identifies and prioritises interventions for the most prolific offenders. Options Service – Confidential advice to women on domestic violence issues. Places for People Women’s Refuge – 12 unit purpose built refuge for women at risk of domestic violence. &Young Person’s DV Worker WHIST (Women’s Health in South Tyneside) – Operates the Freedom Programme; a 12 week course empowering women to make informed choices about their future. Sanctuary Scheme – A victim-centred initiative which aims to enable households at risk of violence to remain safely in their homes. MARAC a multi-agency forum for addressing the risk to victims where serious injury or fatality is highly likely. Specialist DV Courts- A targeted Court service for victims of DV.

6. Key Services continued Wide scale issue – has to be addressed by universal services – ‘up skilling’ –Health Visitors –School Nurses –Drug & Alcohol Workers Targeted –CAMHS, provide therapeutic support Specialist –Social work, assessments of need & risk

7. Our Approach Early Intervention –Screening tool used at Laygate –Family Support Service staff trained to deliver Freedom Programme Think Family –Service redesign, a co-ordinated approach –Commissioning, based on local need –Evidence based interventions Better support for those at risk

8. Gaps/Opportunities Services for children & young people affected by DV Addressing violence in teenage relationships Child to parent violence Identifying cases earlier Changing local culture – what is acceptable? Think family – new service models

9. Any Questions? Thank you