1. Introduction
Previous sections of this toolkit have looked at the definition of domestic abuse, engaging with families who may be experiencing domestic abuse, and legal measures for preventing abuse. This section explores casework with families facing each of the four main types of domestic abuse set out in the statutory guidance:
- Intimate partner abuse
- Abuse within young people’s relationships
- Abuse by family members (including Honour-based Violence)
- Child-to-adult abuse
Be aware – improving our practice
The partnership review of domestic abuse practice in early 2024 found that:
- There was inconsistent use of tools when working with domestic abuse e.g. not all practitioners were aware of the toolkit and practice was not informed by specific models of domestic abuse.
- Assessments did not consistently understand and address the history and lived experience of parents/carers and the children. They did not consistently assess:
- The risks and strengths in relation to each adult including now and in the future. This needed to include the ability to change or protect as appropriate?
- The risks and strengths in this relationship including if they were or did separate?
- What was the risk to specific children and how had domestic abuse impacted on them?
- There was still evidence that the non-resident parent/partner was not effectively included in work and at times information about them was not fed back to the agencies.
- Reports for child protection conferences were not shared with families in a timely way.
- Plans should be consistently SMART and multi-agency. There should not be an over-reliance on safety plans or court orders to protect children; these should only be used where there is evidence that they are likely to be effective.
- HRDA had limited impact at times on work with families. Notes and actions were not consistently recorded on files and there was limited evidence of agencies following up their actions.
- Further support, resources, guidance, and training for practitioners was required in respect of child to parent violence.
- Practitioners supported mandatory domestic abuse training and further work in relation to working with perpetrators.
2. Intimate partner abuse
The statutory guidance states that:
Domestic abuse most commonly takes place in intimate partner relationships, including same sex relationships. [footnote 15] Intimate relationships can take different forms; partners do not need to be married or in a civil partnership and abuse can occur between non-cohabiting intimate partners.
The guidance notes that those experiencing abuse are particularly at risk when they end the relationship. This may lead to an escalation in the abuser’s behaviours, which in turn may lead to
- the individual returning to the relationship out of fear
- increased violence against them
38% of women killed by their ex-partner between 2009 and 2018 were killed within the first month of separation, and 89% within the first year.
Consider the following scenario, and how you might respond:
A Family Worker has been supporting a family for 6 months and increasingly suspects domestic abuse in the parent’s relationship. Each time the Family Worker has tried to close their their support the parent has come up with a reason why Family Worker should remain involved. The family worker has built trust with parent, and the parent now starts to disclose Domestic Abuse to them. The parent believes that the Domestic Abuse was hidden, even though the Family Worker and school were starting to suspect it. The Family Worker tells them about services that can help, but parent refuses to engage with Domestic Abuse services through fear.
As the Family Worker in this case, what steps might you take?
The parent eventually agreed for the Family Worker to complete a DASH risk assessment. The Family Worker completed part of the DASH assessment with the parent and part without, so that they could record evidence that the parent was not aware of, or else denied. Even though the Family Worker felt that the parent was minimising aspects of the abuse, the DASH assessment returned a score of 14, so the parent was eligible for the High Risk Domestic Abuse (HRDA) pathway. Had the DASH not scored 14 ticks, the Family Worker would nonetheless have used their professional judgment to ensure the case discussed at HRDA. The Family Worker made the referral on the Dorset Council HRDA form and the case was heard a couple of days later with the Family Worker in attendance. Alongside HRDA the family were discussed in a code red strategy meeting and the family were passed to Children’s Social Care.
The children were placed on a Child Protection plan. The abusing partner was arrested and bailed with conditions, but they refused to comply with these. The police therefore issued them with a Domestic Violence Protection Notice. The non-abusing parent is now seeking both a Non-molestation order and an Occupation order.
The theme of the abused person not recognising or downplaying their abuse is one that recurs, including in cases where coercion and/or control are present:
A parent did not realise they were experiencing Domestic Abuse as there was no physical abuse taking place. Nonetheless, it became clear to the Family Worker that there was financial abuse and coercive control. This was also impacting on the children and their school attendance. As they Family Worker developed their relationship with the parent, the parent began to realise that what they were experiencing was Domestic Abuse. The parent then agreed to complete a DASH risk assessment which scored 5 ticks, and the parent was referred to Victim Support. They met with Victim Support on several occasions to gain an understanding of their choices in terms of leaving the relationship; the Family Worker also referred them to the Freedom Programme.
Research by Refuge shows that black women are less likely to be referred for specialist domestic abuse support. It finds that
Time and again, Refuge hears about the additional barriers Black women face when coming forward to report domestic abuse. We know that Black women’s concerns are less likely to be taken seriously and this new data from Refuge shows that they’re also less likely to be referred for the lifesaving support that our organisation provides. What message does that send to Black women experiencing domestic abuse?
An article in Community Care Inform gives some important guidance on the relationship between court findings regarding domestic abuse in a child arrangements case and the use of the Public Law Outline.
3. Abuse within young people’s relationships
Leeds City Council has produced an excellent introduction to abuse within young people’s relationships:
One minute guide: domestic abuse in young people’s relationships (leeds.gov.uk)
Please note, however, that Dorset uses the High Risk Domestic Abuse (HRDA) pathway, rather than Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC).
A health relationships checklist
As young people enter into close partner relationships it is important to help them understand and recognise any unhealthy behaviours early on. The abuse that young adults experience is no less severe than that of older victims, however, reports by the NSPCC show that very few referrals are made reporting young people in abusive relationships. Sadly, sometimes children, and not just adults die at the hands of their abuser.
Help young people to understand healthy relationships. The following are all indicators of health relationships; the less a young person sees these characteristics in their relationship, the more curious professionals should be about the nature of that relationship.
• They always treat me with respect, no matter where we are or who we’re with.
• They’re proud of me when I achieve something.
• They encourage me to keep trying with things I find hard.
• They’re comfortable with me spending time away from them, with family and other friends.
• They try to do some of the things I like, such as sports, cinema and music.
• They respect me when I say no or disagree.
• They can talk about their feelings with me.
• They don’t cheat on me and trust me not to cheat on them.
• They listen to me when we disagree and try to see my point of view.
• They give me compliments and say positive things about me to others.
• They have friends and interests of their own.
• They don’t rush our relationship; we can take it slow.
• They ask my opinion when deciding important things that affect us both.
The SafeLives website includes a reflective piece by Dr. Christine Barter following the publication of serious case reviews of the murders of two young women by their partners.
Reflections on two serious case reviews – SafeLives
Consider the following case study:
Sharon is aged 19yrs old and 30 weeks pregnant with her second child, she has an 18 month old toddler (Reubin). During a routine midwife appointment Sharon discloses to the midwife that she has had an argument with her partner resulting in her partner shouting and pushing and then physically assaulting her.
Sharon said there are rent arrears, her partner is in the hospitality industry and is about to lose his job due to Covid. Sharon asks her midwife not to say anything as it has never happened before. The midwife responded sensitively explaining that she would need to discuss concerns with Children’s Social Care.
What further support could the midwife and other professionals offer Sharon?
[1. Consider how you might explore Sharon’s relationship to get a better understanding of the risks she faces; is her pregnancy placing her and her unborn child at increased risk? See the ‘Asking the Question section (part 4), this will help to understand the level of risk. if any further referrals required and the level of response needed.
2. Sharon stated it was the first time her partner has assaulted her; you could explore what her relationship is like by using the healthy relationship guide above. As Sharon has explained other challenges around finances discuss if they need advice or support; what would be helpful? See Part 6 (Resources) for more information.
3. Consider asking to see the red Personal Child Health Record (PCHR) and note any strengths such as attendance for Reubin’s for 1 Year Health Visitor review, or immunisations; did Sharon keep all her ante-natal appointments? This will give you a clearer understanding of the family’s situation.
4. Ask Sharon if you can talk to the Health Visitor about concerns as she may consider a Family Network Meeting.
5. Ensure there is no immediate risk to Sharon, the unborn child or to Reubin; contact the Children’s Advice and Duty (ChAD) team on 01305 228558.
6. If the unborn child or Reubin was already open to early help or social care you could speak to a Domestic Abuse Champion for more advice and support when working with a parent where there are concerns about domestic abuse.]
4. Abuse within families (including Honour-based Violence)
The statutory guidance states at s28 and following that:
Domestic abuse may also be perpetrated by a family member: by children, grandchildren, parents, those with “parental responsibility”, siblings, or extended families including in-laws. The definition of “personally connected” at section 2 of the 2021 Act makes reference to relatives and relative has the meaning given by section 63 of the Family Law Act 1996 (‘the 1996 Act’), as explained in the ‘Statutory definition’ section of this guidance. Abuse may be perpetrated towards a victim by more than one relative.
It further states that:
Young people may be at an increased risk of abuse perpetrated by family members. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-act-2021/domestic-abuse-statutory-guidance-accessible-versionYoung people may be inherently more vulnerable because it is harder for them to distinguish between normal and abusive behaviours, and this may especially be the case where the perpetrator is a trusted family member. A young person may find it more difficult to report or disclose abuse by an adult. There may be no safe channel for disclosure, young people may fear the repercussions of disclosure or may not want other family members to get into trouble. There may be an increased risk of abuse by family members for young LGBT people. Research by Galop suggests that young LGBT people (aged 13 to 24) disclose disproportionately higher levels of abuse from immediate family members compared to other age groups.
Galop sets out the following types of domestic abuse that may be experienced by LGBT+ young people:
- Threatening to disclose your romantic or sexual orientation, gender identity, gender history, or HIV status without your consent
- Coercive and controlling behaviour around your romantic or sexual orientation and/or gender identity
- Pressuring you to keep your identity or relationship secret
- Denying that LGBT+ people in intimate relationships can experience domestic abuse
- Isolating you from family, friends, and the LGBT+ community
- Undermining your romantic or sexual orientation and/or gender identity
- Using your hormones or gender-affirming medication to control
- Trying to change or supress your orientation or gender identity
Galop has also published a report on domestic violence and LGBT+ people.
For information on working with and supporting LGBT+ people, see Dorset’s Gender Identity Guidance (add link)
‘Honour-based’ violence
The statutory guidance s.29 explains that:
Abuse within a family set up can encompass a number of different harmful behaviours. Abuse may be perpetrated as a perceived means to protect or defend the ‘honour’ of an individual, family or community against alleged or perceived breaches of the family or community’s code of behaviour. It can therefore include ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and other harmful practices such as reproductive coercion (and as part of this, forced abortion).
Karma Nirvana is the national organisation working to prevent honour-based violence. Its website gives a helpful overview of the topic.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) guidance on So-Called Honour-Based Abuse (SCBHA) gives a detailed overview of the laws that can be used to prevent or disrupt honour-based violence. Whilst there is no specific offence of SCBHA, specific offences can be prosecuted under the laws against, for example, causing grievous bodily harm, stalking, and harassment, kidnap, rape, threats to kill and murder.
5. Child to Adult Abuse
Child to adult abuse is also known as child to parent abuse. The statutory guidance s.32 notes that:
Child-to-parent abuse can involve children of all ages, including adult children, and abuse toward siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles as well as other family members such as those acting as kinship carers. If the child is 16 years of age or over, the abuse falls under the statutory definition of domestic abuse in the 2021 Act.
Parental Education Growth Support (PEGS) is a national organisation working to prevent child to adult abuse. Its website sets out steps for identifying and responding to this type of abuse. PEGS offers a range of support to affected parents, including virtual drop-ins, one-to-one and peer support.
