1. Improving Child Protection with Families Affected by Domestic Violence
Dr. Siobhan Laird
Centre for Social Work
University of Nottingham

2. Domestic Violence and Child Protection
1.8% of households in England affected by DV and 130,000 children (Safelives, 2015)
75% of children on at risk register in England live in households where DV occurs (DoH, 2002)
63% of Serious Case Reviews in England indicated domestic violence in household (Brandon, et al., 2012)

3. Incidence of aggression towards child protection social workers
12% of child protection social workers report physical violence and 42% threats from a parent or family member (Littlechild, 2005a, 2005b)
50% of child protection social workers reported working with hostile or intimidating parents every week (Community Care )

4. Training Deficits
Weaknesses in child protection practice reflected deficits in social work training for ‘managing conflict and hostility’ Social Work Task Force (2009:19)
50% of social workers received no training to manage hostile or aggressive behaviour (n=450) (Community Care, )

5. Research Method
Multi case studies to investigate situated social phenomena
Critical case research focuses on instances of crisis
Atypical, but extreme instances foreground underlying obscured dynamics
Examination of available Serious Case Reviews in England 2000 – 2013
Identification of instances where domestic violence by parents or their partners was a prime influence on the practice of social workers
Thematic analysis checked against the findings of the biennial analysis of Serious Case Reviews

6. Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board (2010)
Mother subject to domestic abuse as a child
Mother intimidated professionals – volatile temper, angry outbursts when challenged
One-dimensional characterisation of service-users as disadvantaged and disempowered means that manipulative, deceitful or aggressive behaviour can be downplayed
Hidden man in household
Criticism of solution-focussed model which emphasised parental strengths at expense of an authoritative approach

7. Implications for Training
Conversation management approaches
Development of aggressive scripts
Skills Deficiency Model

8. Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board (2010)
Mother verbally abusive to professionals and made repeated complaints
Mother non-compliant with child protection plans
Criticism that mother was perceived primarily as a disadvantaged single parent and a victim of domestic violence resulting in an over-empathetic approach

9. Implications for Training
Personality disorders, mental health conditions and aggressive behaviour
Transaction analysis
Anti-oppressive practice

10. Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board (2012) Baby E
Mother victim of DV from a controlling and violent father of child
Mother’s presentation as ‘pleasant’ and ‘engaged’
Mother’s avoidance of services to maintain secrecy of hidden man
Minimisation of mother’s alcohol and drug misuse
Father’s denial of mental ill health
Lack of professional engagement with father
Inadequate supervision and under confident social workers

11. Implications for Training
Lack of experience and under-confidence
Learned helplessness
Impact of stress in the workplace
Stress management
Development of self-assertion skills
Employment rights
Active learning techniques to develop practice skills around use of authority

12. Newham Area Child Protection Committee (2002)
Mother victim of DV as child, teenager and partner
Alcohol and drug misuse (42% of SCR)
Father and mother verbally abusive and had physically assaulted several professionals
Withdrawal of multidisciplinary professionals from family
Focus on practical issues when gained entry
Lack of engagement with children
Social workers paralysed

13. Implications for Training
Impact of drug and alcohol misuse
Hostage theory
Anxiety management
Aggressive Incident Model
The Assault Cycle

14. Further Research Laird, S.E. (2013)
Child Protection: Managing Conflict, Hostility and Aggression
Bristol: Policy Press

15. Cases Examined
Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board (2010) Serious Case Review: Services Provided for Child T and Child R August February 2010, London, Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board.
Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board (2010) Serious Case Review ‘Child A’, London, Department for Education.
Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board (2012) Serious Case Review: Baby E
Newham Area Child Protection Committee (2002) Ainlee Labonte: Chapter 8 Review, London, Newham Area Child Protection Committee.

16. References
Brandon et al. (2012) New Learning from Serious Case Reviews: A Two Year Report for London: Department of Education
Community Care ( ) ‘Two out of three social workers threatened by aggressive parents’, Community Care Magazine, 4-5.
Community Care ( ) ‘Violence against social work staff’ (
DoH (2002) Secure Futures for Women: Making a Difference London: Department of Health
Littlechild, B. (2005a) ‘The stresses arising from violence, threats and aggression against child protection social workers’, Journal of Social Work, 5(1)
Littlechild, B. (2005b) ‘The nature and effects of violence against child-protection social workers: providing effective support’, British Journal of Social Work,

17. References
Laird, S.E. (2013) Child Protection: Managing Conflict, Hostility and Aggression Bristol: Policy Press.
Laird, S.E. (2014) Training social workers to effectively manage aggressive parental behaviour in child protection in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom British Journal of Social Work, 44(7)
Safelives (2015) Getting it Right First Time: Policy Report Bristol: Safelives