Domestic Abuse: A National Training Strategy
Annex 3: Training in Each Sector
Each sector will have both similar and different needs. The key is to encourage people to examine their values, knowledge and skills to enable them to deliver an appropriate service.
Police
The police, as the point of entry to the criminal justice system, clearly have a vital role in responding to domestic abuse. Past criticisms of their response have resulted in considerable attention being paid to appropriate training, both at force level and at the Scottish Police College. An improved response to domestic abuse incidents, an increase in reporting of incidents and increased satisfaction with the police response from women have been seen as a result.
At present, all probationary Constables receive a half-day input on domestic abuse at the Scottish Police College in the first 3 months within the service. This training is delivered by Police Instructors and concentrates on the criminal justice system and anticipated responses to incidents of domestic abuse, outlining the required police protocols during the investigation of the crime.
On return to their police force areas, officers receive further inputs reinforcing the application of appropriate responses. Constable Development Courses (for officers with over 10 years' service) and Management courses at both Sergeant and Inspector level provide further inputs. The Scottish Police College is presently reviewing the probationary course structure and inputs. The intention is to involve voluntary agencies in the delivery of training.
While the investment of the Scottish Police Forces in training and the considerable improvements in response which have resulted are much welcomed, it must be emphasised that there is also a need for the police to participate in local multi-agency training, alongside other agencies. The greater understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities engendered by such training will be of mutual benefit to all participants. Those providing the training have a responsibility to ensure that courses meet the needs of police officers as participants.
Social Work
Social work services have statutory responsibilities in relation to a number of people for example, children, older people, offenders and those experiencing mental illness or with a disability. Many social work staff will have contact with service users who have experienced domestic abuse or who have perpetrated such abuse. Women who are abused may be reluctant to seek help from social workers fearful that their children may be taken from them, a threat often made by perpetrators. However, a significant number of women experiencing domestic abuse do have contact with social workers whose responses can have a considerable impact on outcomes for women and children. It is often the case that one of the most effective ways of protecting children is by helping a woman to protect herself, and thereby, her children.
An area of social work activity which has increased significantly over the last decade is work with perpetrators of domestic abuse, evidence of some change in responses to such offenders within the criminal justice system. In Scotland, as in other parts of the UK, social workers are involved in delivering justice related re-educational programmes for men who abuse their intimate partners. It is critical that practitioners involved in this area of service provision are informed by the wider debates about perpetrator programmes and adopt the Code of Practice currently recommended by the wider umbrella group of practitioners involved in this type of work with men who are abusive.
In order to deliver effective services to abused women and their children and to men who abuse their intimate partners, all social workers (including those managing the services) require a sound understanding of the impact, causes and consequences of domestic abuse, in order to develop appropriate practice skills and responses underpinned by clear policy and intervention guidelines. It should be recognised that historically and indeed contemporarily social work to women who have been abused has been and is minimal. Therefore it is necessary to create a culture within social work organisations which reflects the view that domestic abuse is unacceptable and that responding to it both timeously and effectively is an essential part of the social work task. To achieve this it will be important that attempts to change organisational culture permeate all levels: senior managers will have a critical role to play and example to set in this process of change.
Establishing a programme of training will also require the revision of employer support systems and procedures - necessary in order to effect change in the culture. All social workers and managers would be required to participate in domestic abuse training. Furthermore, specialist training will be necessary for many practitioners in order to develop practice skills and abilities relevant to the complex work involved in delivering constructive and effective service to women and children. Given the high numbers involved in such a task, it may be necessary to prioritise certain key areas of practice, for example, those working with children and families.
There are a number of ways in which training can be delivered and organisations will inevitably develop different training strategies. However, it will be important to identify where there may be opportunities for training to be done in conjunction with other related fora, for example local multi-agency partnerships on domestic abuse.
Education and training which requires more formal, academic recognition is also extremely important. As social work moves to become a graduate profession, it will be critical that teaching on domestic abuse (previously fragmented) is included both in the academic and in the practice learning curricula of the professional degree. Furthermore, increasingly social workers are expected to be continuously engaged in professional development and part of this has been their involvement in post-qualification training. A number of Scottish Universities offer post-qualifying social work courses at certificate, diploma and degree (usually post-graduate) level. Currently post-qualification courses specifically focusing on domestic abuse do not exist, thus there is much scope for expansion in this area.
Health
Whilst many women experiencing abuse may use other services, the role of the Health Service is pivotal since virtually all women will at some point interact with health services, either on their own or their children's behalf. The nature of the issues arising from domestic abuse are manifold since the impact of abuse inevitably leads to women utilising a whole range of health services including Accident and Emergency Departments, Mental Health Services, Sexual Health Services Primary Care and Maternity Services. Within mental health, for example, the evidence available clearly indicates that domestic abuse plays a significant role in presentations of depression and anxiety related disorders.
Ensuring staff are equipped to provide an effective and appropriate response is thus a prerequisite for the provision of a sensitive service. There are currently a number of impediments to such provision, including professional and personal reluctance to encroach on what is often perceived as private problems. Despite the increase in awareness around this issue, it remains the case that domestic abuse remains largely unacknowledged as a significant factor in the aetiology of a range of health problems and that those health problems remain persistent and intractable as a result.
In addition to the difficulties posed by the number of entry points into the NHS, responding to the medical consequences of a social issue always poses difficulties for health service professionals trained in responding to symptoms rather than investigating the underlying circumstances which may have generated these symptoms. The traditional paradigm of healthcare leads to a lack of detection and a failure to respond appropriately often resulting in repeated and unresolved use by women of different health service settings.
In view of the above the development of an effective training strategy presents considerable challenges within the NHS. Accordingly it is imperative that any such development is progressed in the context of the overall NHS response to domestic abuse as required in the National Strategy and specified in Responding to Domestic Abuse in NHSScotland: Guidance for Health Care Workers. The implementation of the training strategy must be included in the overall requirements within the Performance Assessment Framework in this regard.
All NHS regions are required to produce local templates for the implementation of the above guidance through a process of collaboration between Health Boards and Trusts. Within this there is a need to have the issue of domestic abuse incorporated explicitly in the Local Health Plan of each NHS area and into their practice and planning agendas.
In relation to the training component of the Guidance, each NHS area should produce a plan which will provide detailed costings and timescales. Given the scale of this undertaking, and the fact that women present across all areas of the NHS it is recommended that an incremental approach is adopted. In view of the prevalence of abuse amongst women in the Mental Health, Primary Care, Maternity and Accident & Emergency services it is recommended that these are prioritised. An Executive lead on this issue (in keeping with the Guidance requirement) has to be identified along with a senior manager in each setting to progress the training. Within each priority area, the training and development needs of different groups of staff have to be assessed to include both basic awareness-raising seminars and more skills-based interventions. This training will also include a focus on perpetrators of abuse and the role of the health service in responding to them. More specialist training around particular disciplines within areas such as mental health has to be included in each local training plan.
Support for staff dealing with abuse has been highlighted as crucial in facilitating a sustained and effective response. Clinical supervision and access to other forms of support should therefore be explicitly detailed in the implementation plan.
There is also a need for this plan to identify where there may be opportunities for training to be done in conjunction with other partners, for example within local multi-agency partnerships on domestic abuse. This may be more relevant for particular staff, such as those working in Primary Care. Where possible this multi-agency approach should be adopted.
The Health Service also has a significant role in relation to perpetrators. Training should cover all levels of staff in debunking myths about the nature of abusers and the reasons they abuse. For example, the GP is likely to be the first contact point for the (admittedly small) number of perpetrators looking for help. A perpetrator is likely to present with problems of depression, anxiety, alcohol, anger problems, etc. GPs and other staff need to have the insight to look beyond this and see the knock-on problems in relation to women and children, as well as to offer the perpetrator access to a service which might stop his abuse.
Education
Similarly to social work, the education sector has a key role to play in work on domestic abuse. There are clearly links between this Training Strategy and the National Prevention Strategy and teachers will require some considerable input on this area of work, if they are to be equipped not only to teach about these issues but also to respond appropriately to children who may be experiencing abuse.
Resource implications are recognised as affecting this sector also, and Head Teachers will be required to develop flexible approaches, taking account of local circumstances, to ensure that staff can receive training.
Support from senior management will also be required, to ensure that domestic abuse training is accepted as "core business" and appropriately prioritised. Training should be regarded as a helpful professional resource, which can assist teachers in responding to children who may be causing concern for a number of reasons, but for which the root cause is their experience of domestic abuse.
All teaching staff should receive awareness-raising about domestic abuse, with additional specialised training as required. There is also a role for education in relation to perpetrators. For example, children may experience very conflicting feelings about fathers who abuse, and staff will need guidance in dealing with this.
Housing
Domestic abuse is a major cause of homelessness and results in a significant proportion of presentations to housing departments. Housing workers, at all levels, therefore require basic awareness-training and some will require more specialised training as appropriate. In relation to perpetrators, they also use housing services and may present as victims. In addition, perpetrators may use housing agencies to find out partners' location.
Similarly to other sectors, leadership will be required to ensure that domestic abuse training is regarded as "core business" and prioritised.
Court Personnel
a) Judiciary
Members of the judiciary have a particularly important role in responding to domestic abuse, and through the use of sanctions in the criminal courts, underlining society's disapproval of this behaviour. In civil courts also, domestic abuse features regularly in applications for interdicts, powers of arrest, divorce actions and in child contact and residence cases.
At present, the Judicial Studies Committee runs three refresher courses each year on a 3-year programme, to which all members of the judiciary are invited on a rotational basis. Input into refresher courses, which last three days, is provided in sessions normally of one hour's duration, but longer on occasion. A session on domestic abuse has been provided at each of the three refresher courses during 2002 by the Women's Support Project. Handouts produced for the courses are made available on the Scottish Courts Service intranet.
In addition to the refresher courses, special courses are arranged as appropriate, lasting one day and offered to 30 members of the judiciary. During 2003, it is anticipated that there will be a special course offered on sexual offences as a result of the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) Act 2002.
In support of this National Training Strategy, it is recommended that domestic abuse remains on the agenda for refresher courses, mindful of the requirement to introduce new aspects to avoid duplication. In addition, occasional special courses to provide greater depth of information should be arranged as appropriate.
There is also an important role to be played here in relation to training about perpetrators.
b) Solicitors
Solicitors are obliged to undertake Continual Professional Development (CPD) courses regularly to keep up-to-date with matters relevant to legal practice. Domestic abuse awareness-training should be included as part of their CPD. It is imperative that solicitors be aware of how to deal with clients who come to them with an issue involving domestic abuse in civil cases. This will ensure that they can inform their clients sympathetically, professionally and knowledgeably of the options available to them and be able to best represent their clients with a full and clear understanding of all the difficulties they face.
Advocates in the Court of Session dealing with civil actions/divorce actions would also benefit from such training, as would Precognition agents acting for defence solicitors. In the case of Precognition agents, they will be dealing with vulnerable, perhaps intimidated victims and witnesses and should have a full understanding of domestic abuse in order to ensure that they treat these parties sympathetically and sensitively.
There is also an important role to be played here in relation to training about perpetrators.
c) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Procurators Fiscal and Advocates Depute are responsible for prosecuting cases of domestic abuse. It is essential, therefore, that these prosecutors have a full and clear knowledge of the causes of abuse, how the effects of abuse on women will affect their capacity to disclose abuse and appear as a witness and how they, as prosecutors, and the criminal justice system can support women to give evidence against their abuser. This cannot be achieved if they do not have an awareness of domestic abuse.
Furthermore, it is equally important that this training includes Crown Office Precognition Officers. They will have close contact with and speak to the women or children as witnesses and will therefore be able to advise the prosecutor on any evidential matters having a bearing on their case. Furthermore, with knowledge of domestic abuse issues, they are in a prime position to help identify, at an early stage in the proceedings, areas of concern in relation to intimidation of witnesses and situations where the woman may be reluctant to give evidence.
There is also an important role to be played here in relation to training about perpetrators.
d) Scottish Court Administration Staff
They have not undergone any domestic abuse awareness training to date. For similar reasons as given above for training Precognition Officers, Court Administration staff should also receive this training to enable them to fully support court users who have experienced domestic abuse.
There is also an important role to be played here in relation to training about perpetrators.
e) Victim Information and Advice (VIA) Staff
This new service within the Crown Office is intended to provide support and information to victims and witnesses, with specific reference to victims of domestic abuse. Any service provider coming in contact with victims/witnesses of domestic abuse, and particularly those acting within a criminal justice setting, must have a full understanding of the issues in order to enable them to both fully support these victims/witnesses and deliver a positive and useful service.
There is also an important role to be played here in relation to training about perpetrators.
Employers
There is a role for employers in both public and private sectors in working to address domestic abuse. It is good practice for employers to have in place policies for dealing with both victims and perpetrators amongst staff.
Human resources personnel, in particular, should be equipped to respond effectively to disclosures about experiencing or perpetrating abuse. Other staff, particularly those who have contact with the public, may also require training.
The public sector should ensure that this aspect of domestic abuse training is taken on board and included in local training strategies. Engagement with the private sector should be routed through relevant organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry (Scotland). The Health & Safety Executive and Scottish Health at Work could also have a role to play.
Voluntary Sector
Women's Aid is clearly the lead voluntary organisation with regard to domestic abuse. A number of others, locally and nationally, also have a recognised expertise. There are also specialist agencies with many years' experience now in operating programmes for perpetrators, and undertaking training in awareness about men who use violence, such as CHANGE, DVPP & SACRO.
The voluntary sector is extremely diverse and there are many organisations for which domestic abuse training is essential, in particular those organisations which are members of Multi-Agency Partnerships. Even within the specialist organisations, there is a need for regular training updates, and participation in training on joint-working, multi-agency practices and protocols, to ensure good practice and provide opportunities for staff development.
Local Training will be expected to assist local voluntary sector organisations to develop training strategies on the same lines as identified for the public sector above.
Professional Training
Ensuring that teaching on domestic abuse is a central area of the curricula in pre- and post- qualification professional training is vital and is one of the ways of making the training strategy sustainable. As a longer-term goal, it is important that core modules on domestic abuse are included in professional training courses in health and medicine, social work, the law, education and housing. The content of teaching and training should vary to include coverage of not only basic awareness raising and knowledge building but also some of the more complex policy and practice issues faced by the different professional groupings. In addition, the area of inter-professional collaboration will be an important theme for all levels of professional training. Given the central importance placed on continuous professional development, it is hoped that professionals working with survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse will take advantage of any opportunities to continue to develop sound, ethical and effective practice. Such opportunities will include "in house" training but also the various post qualification courses and post-graduate degrees embarked on by professionals.
It is envisaged that the National Training Co-ordinators will work with the relevant professional awarding bodies to ensure progress in this area.