The role of community agencies in preventing male family violence and treating women & children

The role of community

agencies in preventing male family

violence and treating women & children

Presentation by Amanda Goldstein

May 2013

Presenter’s Details

‘I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, of

Elders past and present, on which this meeting takes place’

Presenter: Amanda Goldstein

• Senior practitioner with Family Life, in the male family violence prevention and treatment program for women and children

• Accredited NTV Men’s behavioural change program facilitator

• Undertake group work and counselling, supervision and

program co-ordination

Presentation Topics

Four main areas

1. Community agencies: influence on family violence

policy and strategy

2. The Family Life family violence prevention practice model: whole of family, child inclusive and integrated

3. Family Life services: a historical perspective

4. Community agencies: opportunities for the future

1. Community agencies: influence family violence policy and strategy

• Community agencies are positioned within the communities they service to respond directly to the needs of that community

• The community needs drive upwards through the service system via research and evaluation data to influence public policy, strategy and funding decisions at a local and national government levels

2010-2012 Small courts project- client needs influenced services

• Family Life was one of the community agencies instrumental in the Family Violence outreach applicant support and respondent program funding in 2012 at: Moorabbin and Frankston Justice Centres

• The funding grew from community agency court support from 2008

• This service engages men (often difficult to engage in services) and women in legal, counselling, group work and women’s refuge services

1. Community agencies: important influence on family violence policy and strategy

Cont…

• The community agency Family Life was established in 1970 and now has 125 staff, 420 volunteers and in 2011-12 assisted 6,500 families

• Family Life has 4 service centres, 4 opportunity shops, a warehouse, 4 community houses, and a budget revenue of 10M

• Family Violence services from 1986 are presented on the Family Life website in the innovations timeline at www.familylife.com.au

1. Community agencies: influence on family violence policy and strategy

Cont…

Keith Street, Hampton EastCommunity House

http://www.familylife.com.au/

Family Life Integrated Service ModelA place based approach to our vision and mission

2. Family Life current practice model: whole of family, child inclusive and integrated


Violence against women and children: statistics influence practice

• 1 out of 3 women will experience domestic violence (World Health Organisation and The Australian Institute of Criminology, Through a child’s eyes, 2012)

• Police data in 2007/2008 indicates that 85% of family violence victims are female

• The Victorian Police Strategy to reduce violence against women and Children Strategy 2009-2014 reports there were 33,918 Family Violence incidents, 12,047 included one or more children being present

Cont…


Cont…

Whole of Family approach

• Over the last 25 years, Family life has developed the whole of family, child inclusive and integrated practice model to engage all parts of the family including men, women, children and youth…

A whole of family approach is effective for promoting systemicchange in families and places the individual within the

context of family, community and the wider society

• Published in: ‘Through the eyes of the children- Families and Violence’, Hewitt and Cavanagh, 1998

2. Family Life whole of family, child inclusive and integrated practice model

Cont…

• The whole of family approach understands the gendered power imbalance that exists where male violence is used

• Placed within the feminist perspective, gender is understood to be socially constructed and male privilege results in violence being used as a tactic of entitlement and power to dominate women and children


Cont…

• Male violence: power and entitlement dominates and maintains the family violence system

• Each person in the system is influenced and influences others

• Women and children to become ‘victims’ and ’witnesses’. They are fearful and their mental and physical health is significantly compromised

• Women and children become ‘rescuers ‘when protecting and comforting each other and when the male perpetrator is remorseful during the cycle of violence


Cont…

MalePerpetrator

Witness

Rescuer

Whole of Family Model

Victim

Rescuer

Witness

Rescuer

Victim

• Child inclusive practice from assessment, service delivery to closure is integrated with the best interest case practice model for promoting the safety, stability and developmental needs of vulnerable children


Cont…

Family Life: Family violence services

Services are integrated to provide cross team and agency, inter-team and care team approaches

• Men’s behavioural change program (MATES) and partner contact

• Women’s and children’s groups and counselling

• An integrated central intake system links the whole family into services such as Child FIRST intake, counselling and mediation services

3. Family Life services: A historical perspective

3. Family Life services: A historical perspective

Family Life: Male family violence prevention services

• The Men’s Behavioural Change Program began in 1986 with the MATES (‘Moving Ahead to Establish Changes’) group for men who use violence towards women and children

• The group exists today as a 16 week program promoting the safety of women and children

• No to Violence (NTV) accredited male and female co-facilitators model a respectful co-facilitation relationship

• A key aim of the group is for the participants to achieve positive sustained changes in behaviour and attitudes via increasing responsibility and accountability

Cont…

3. Family Life services: A historical perspective Cont…

MATES: Practice Innovations

• A whole of family integrated model assists with challenging gendered entitlement

• New evidence based treatment approaches are informed, for example by research on the brain and trauma, mindfulness relaxation and child development research

• Innovative approaches include: film, video, art therapy, family constellations role play, role-reversal, self rating on a masculine feminine gender continuum.

• Jackson Katz’s video ‘Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the crisis in masculinity’ promotes violence as a masculine gendered issue


Case example: Male Family Violence Integrated Case Management

• A MATES participant is homeless and has suicidal ideation • Participant calls a MATES co-facilitator stating he may breach the intervention

order and self harm due to feelings of shame and guilt • A suicide first aid procedure is undertaken: Based on the ASSIST model• Housing options and psychiatric triage support is offered with aligned

community agencies• Case conferencing with partners group and counseling worker and team leader• A follow up call and face to face meeting occurs• The participant reports he no longer has the desire to self harm or breach IO


Partner contact: an integrated approach

• An inter-team practitioner within the family violence team or FARS (Family and relationships) team ensures no conflict of interest and holds the man accountable for his use of violence

• The voices of women and children are held by the MATES co-facilitators to inform group process, planning and provide safety and referral options for women and children


Evaluation: refer to www.familylife.com.au for further information

• The MATES (mid and end) and Partner Contact program is evaluated

• Evaluation of the last group in 2012: at 8 weeks 89% and 16 weeks 100% of men self-reported positive behavioural change outcomes

• At 16 weeks, 80% of partners reported the men’s violent or abusive behaviours had significantly reduced

http://www.familylife.com.au/


Family Violence Assessment

• Family members are assessed separately with an inter-team approach utilizing Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) and Best Interests

• Assessment is followed by inter-team consultation between practitioners to promote safety for women and children

• If safe to so, children are assessed and referred for services


Groups and counselling for women and children

• Originally Family Life women’s and children’s services were funded through Philanthropic Trusts and local service clubs

• Today women’s and children’s services are embedded in family violence public policy and strategy, and funded by the state government.


Children’s groups

• The STAR group for children was established in 1995 for children between the ages of 7 to 12

• Children were able to explore their goals and strengths and understand the violence was not their fault

• The group was evaluated in 1997-1998 and it was found there was no difference between the impact of children witnessing violence and experiencing it directly (55% of participants)


Community Agencies influence legislation

• 1997 Family Life Family Violence prevention program research outcomes was shared with the Family Court including the impact of children witnessing violence

• The Family Violence protection act (2008) includes children witnessing family violence, needing comforting and cleaning up the site after an incident as an experience of violence


Family Life: Historically-Young men and women’s groups

• In 1996, the RAVE group for 13-16 year old female girls affected by sexual abuse was established with a focus on goal setting:71% of the girls were able to develop clear and specific goals

• In 1998 the B-RAVE group for 13-16 year old boys affected by violence was established. The group presented an alternative view of masculinity with overnight camps and activities offered to participants

• Fathers undertook a parenting program to consider their parenting and its effect on their boys


Current children and young people’s groups

• Children and young people’s groups for ages 5-18 are delivered using a cross-agency approach

• Co-facilitation with the specialist group worker from the Hanover Homeless Children’s Specialist support service (HCSSS)


Current children and young people’s groups

• Groups for 5-8 year olds include establishing guidelines via the tree of friendship, goal setting, emotional body mapping, safety and memory boxes

• An exercise to demonstrate anger was:

• The children made volcanoes and exploded them with vinegar and bi-carb soda. This was followed by a discussion about how anger builds up and explodes affecting ‘you and others’


Family Life: Women’s groups

• The Making Choices and creating connections groups (8 weeks each) for women who have experienced violence began in 1998 and is currently a 10 week group

• Women are encouraged to share their experiences of violence and form social connections

• Topics include: The types of violence and cycle of violence, effects of violence, safety, self-esteem, self-care, assertive communication and hooks for staying

• Cross team co-facilitation with the Family and Relationships Service (FARS) team and art therapy is used to promote healing


Family Life: Women and children’s counselling

• A range of age appropriate techniques and modalities is utilised including: strength based, solution focussed and CBT

• Safety and wellbeing are prioritised rather than a focus on change

• Integrated care team approach with family violence counseling and outreach, family support, Hanover Homeless Children’s Specialist support Service (HCSSS) and Child Protection workers


Case example: Women’s counseling integrated risk management

• The client reports she and her partner had an incident in the car in front of her 1 year old son 1 week ago and was verbally and physically abused

• The counselor utilized the Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) and Best Interests Framework to assess risk and undertake safety planning

• Psycho-education into the types of violence and cycle of violence and effect of children witnessing violence was undertaken

• Consultation with Child FIRST, community based child protection and the MATES co-facilitators was undertaken

4. Community Agencies: Opportunities for the FutureCont…

Community Agencies: Opportunities for the future

• Via research and evaluation of services, community agencies such as Family Life can influence policy and strategy

• In addition, Family Life has delivered primary prevention services through community education at schools and TAFES

• These strategies are essential to preventing family violence at the universal service system by identifying vulnerable families prior to tertiary interventions

• Currently program funding does not meet the needs of the whole community• Increased whole of family integrated funding rather than siloed funding to prevent

male family violence is important for the needs of the community into the future

Thank you.

Documents

The role of community agencies in preventing male family violence and treating women & children