CHANGE 1999-2000 Annual Report
Convenor’s Report
On behalf of the Management Committee, I again take pleasure in
introducing our annual report, this being our 10th
Anniversary. A major step forward was the awarding of the grant
to assist in the development of a National Training Initiative
over a 3 year period. The following report outlines the
activities of CHANGE during the first year of this training
initiative.
Within the actual funding a great deal has been achieved and
objectives exceeded but, because of the demand for training,
extended funding beyond the 3 year limit will be necessary to
meet the demand.
Once again the management committee wishes to acknowledge the
endeavours of Monica and Susan and their commitment to the work
of CHANGE.
Muriel Young
Background
Introduction
The CHANGE Project was funded from 1989 to 1996 by the Urban
Programme and sponsored by the Social Work Department of Central
Regional Council primarily to develop and manage a criminal
justice based re-education programme for men convicted of
violence towards their wives or female partners. For the
duration of that funding period, CHANGE was based in Stirling
University. When Urban funding ceased in August 1996 the
organisation moved to premises in Grangemouth.
Before Urban funding ceased CHANGE produced a training manual
documenting the experience and materials developed for use in
the men’s programme so that they might be preserved, developed
and disseminated among other professionals. This was
subsequently revised and published in November 1997 by Russell
House Publishing as Men Who Are Violent To Women by David
Morran and Monica Wilson.
Staff
CHANGE currently has two members of staff: a Director, Monica
Wilson and an Administrator, Susan Peebles. Both posts are
part-time at present.
Management
CHANGE is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Staff are
responsible to a management board comprising individuals from a
variety of professional and other backgrounds who are concerned
to achieve the goals of CHANGE. The board meets every four weeks
and both the Director and the Administrator present written
reports. A list of board members is appended.
Section 9 funded National Training Initiative
CHANGE is currently funded to undertake a three-year rolling
programme of consultancy and training under Section 9 of the
Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.
Aims
For the National Training Initiative, CHANGE offers training and
consultancy to Criminal Justice Services, and partner agencies,
to promote effective practice in implementing and managing
criminal justice based re-education programmes for men convicted
of violence towards their wives or female partners. The goal of
the training is to help equip criminal justice staff to tackle
the violent behaviour of male domestic violence offenders
working either in structured group-work programmes or on
individual basis with offenders on probation.
Objectives fulfilled this year
The main target for this year has been to establish a firm basis
for the continuing development of the National Training
Initiative. This has taken the form described below.
In April 1999 CHANGE consulted with the Social Work Services
Inspectorate (SWSI) of the Scottish Executive, and the
Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) Standing
Committee on Criminal Justice. ADSW set up a sub-group led by
Jane Martin of Fife Council, which advised CHANGE on how to
proceed with informing local authority criminal justice service
managers. Letters and information packs about the Initiative
were then sent to all of them. A total of twenty-three
(23) authorities responded positively to the initial
correspondence, one (1) declined and eight (8) have yet to
respond. CHANGE was pleased with this healthy response. A
follow-up letter will be sent to the last eight in the summer of
2000.
The rolling programme of consultancy and training is taking the
following form:
Stage 1
Initial meetings are being held with criminal justice managers
and relevant partner agencies (e.g. local domestic violence
fora, Women’s Aid, etc.), to look at local needs and to plan
training and monitoring provision. These meetings are being held
at local level either for individual local authorities or in
collaborative partnerships with neighbouring authorities. Twelve
planning meetings encompassing eighteen local authorities have
been undertaken during this year, one having been already
undertaken in the previous year.
Stage 2
At stage two CHANGE provides one or two one-day
awareness-raising workshops for relevant staff for up to 20
participants at a time. Local Women’s Aid groups, where
possible, are offering complementary training in
awareness-raising around the experiences of women. The CHANGE
workshops focus on challenging myths about abusers and
increasing understanding about how to challenge men’s abusive
attitudes and behaviour. Fifteen awareness-raising days have
been undertaken during this period.
The chart below summarises the participants’ evaluation of the
awareness raising days in terms of the quality, content and
relevance for their work. Two hundred and ninety three people
attended the training during the period covered by this report.
The following are some selected comments about the awareness
days from participants:
"Good 1 day workshop – has whetted my appetite for more on this
topic."
"Interesting and thought provoking day."
"Found the workshop extremely useful."
"One of the best events I have attended."
"Appreciated opportunity to reflect on subject and put into work
context."
"Has given me a better understanding from the man’s perspective,
which in turn will help me to help the victim. Thank you."
"Today has given me a clearer understanding of this problem."
"Has given me more insight into the feelings and beliefs of
perpetrators."
"I will have a better understanding of the problems faced by men
and women - men as to why they abuse women and women as to why
they remain with men. Also how we are all responsible for our
behaviour towards others."
"Make me more aware of victim’s everyday fears if living in a
violent home."
"I will be more able to look for signs of abuse among the women
I work with, and more capable of helping them."
"An awareness of how both parties feel in a domestic situation.
I am also aware of how I could intimidate others."
Makes me much more aware of the whole range of complex issues
relating to domestic abuse, from all perspectives. Thank you."
"It will help me to appreciate the victim’s perspective when
confronted with the perpetrator."
Stage 3
Following the above workshops CHANGE then undertakes intensive
five-day courses for small numbers of front-line staff focussing
on skills acquisition including training in the delivery of the
CHANGE men’s programme. Two such courses were completed this
year, in South Lanarkshire and Dundee City.
The chart below shows the participants assessments of five
aspects of the training:
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Theoretical perspective |
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Programme Goals |
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Training in assessment methods |
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Content of the training |
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Training in programme delivery |
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Training in partner work |
Participants were also asked to evaluate qualitative aspects of
the course. Here is a selection of responses:
What are the main things I have learned on this course:
a) about men’s violence to women?
"Men’s lack of understanding about their situation and how they
could change their attitudes and behaviour."
"Many men not aware of the tactics they use. Goes much further
than physical abuse."
"That it doesn’t just happen - that it is possible to change
men’s behaviour. That it is not acceptable at any level."
"That it is a complex process."
"It can be ‘changed’."
What are the main things I have learned on this course:
b) about myself
"My potential to be violent. Evaluation processes to monitor own
behaviour."
"There is a need to develop a relationship between theory and
practice as well as adequate preparation."
"Opened my eyes about my own relationship. (Not to do with the
course but about myself)."
"That I’m more capable of violence/abuse than I thought."
"That so much of my socialisation is similar to abusive men."
Comments:
"I feel this training has been very well delivered and has had a
powerful impact. I feel fairly well equipped to work with the
programme."
"Overall a very impressive training programme, well presented
and a good level of co-operation from all concerned. Very
helpful environment to learn."
"Have really enjoyed the training programme. Presentation,
delivery was slick – professional and interesting throughout the
6 days."
"Well delivered cogent programme with a solid foundation built
on personal experience."
"Thoroughly enjoyed the training and found it extremely useful."
"Very enjoyable, very informative, very supportive."
"Over all excellent."
Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes form a vital part of
the Initiative. Monitoring methods include the setting of annual
training targets in agreement with SWSI and local authorities
and obtaining feedback from participants and management. Three
levels of monitoring and evaluation are in place:
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Level 1. Monitoring the responses of local authorities
to the Initiative. This takes the form of keeping track
of individual local authority responses to the
Initiative in terms of their enthusiasm for it, their
involving of other agencies and developing a rolling
timetable for delivery of the training. A spreadsheet
has been developed for this purpose and is updated and
sent to SWSI at intervals. |
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Level 2. Evaluating participants' responses to the
awareness days and the five-day skills training. Two
evaluation questionnaires have been developed for this
purpose and responses are summarised on a developing
database. Copies of the summaries are returned to the
contact person in local authorities for their
information in both quantitative and qualitative form.
Illustrations and extracts from these are contained in
this report. |
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Level 3. This level will measure the outcomes of the
training in terms of implementing it into practice.
Local authorities will be asked what their needs were
and how far the Initiative fulfilled them. They will be
asked what changed as a result of it and the views of
those who participated in the training will be sought. A
format for this purpose is currently under discussion
with SWSI . |
Training outside Scotland
States of Jersey, 17 – 21 May 1999
Since 1997 CHANGE has been undertaking consultancy and training
for the Network to Prevent Violence and Abuse in the Home, a
multi-agency forum in the States of Jersey. This has involved
advising on organisational issues; assisting in shortlisting,
interviewing and selection of candidates; and intensive training
in programme facilitation for staff. Following this initial
input a CHANGE men’s programme has been operating in St Helier
taking court referred men. In May 1999 CHANGE ran a further
five-day course for potential new groupwork facilitators and
continues to offer consultancy to the service.
Austria – Salzburg training
In November 1998 CHANGE was invited to undertake a seminar at a
conference in Vienna which was held to celebrate twenty years of
the Women's Shelter Movement in Austria. Subsequently the
Austrian Family Ministry formalised an agreement with the
authors and publisher to translate the CHANGE Manual into German
for internal use. This was completed in early 1999, and
negotiations were to make plans for a training course to be
undertaken for selected personnel.
From 28 June to 9 July CHANGE subsequently undertook the
training for the three staff who were to run a pilot men’s
programme in Salzburg and five other interested parties from all
over Austria.
As the language difference was a major factor, the training was
undertaken over a two week period using the services of a
simultaneous translator.
Here is some feedback from the course participants:
Q. What did you expect from the training?
"New points of view, help in training and some amusement too!"
"To get to know different methods of work and how these can be
put into practice here."
"New aspects in working with violent men."
"An introduction to CHANGE and learn about the principles of the
work with the men - clearing my position to change.
Q. Did the training live up to your expectations?
"It exceeded my expectations, in particular in respect of the
level of professionalism shown."
"100% feminist standpoint – worked well through the handbook –
and laughed a lot."
"Yes, because of the feminist standpoint, clearly defined
limits, the procedure itself and the evaluation."
"Yes, a very discrimination approach. Pro-feminist."
General comments
"The basis of the success of the programme was the genuine
nature and attitude of the trainer which contributed towards the
team spirit."
"Congratulations and many thanks to Monica and the women from
the interpreting service."
"I feel enriched by the experience."
"I’m glad that I experienced this two weeks. I’m taking a lot of
things with me. I’m sure that my work with men will improve
because of this experience!"
Practitioners’ Network and RESPECT
Network
From a conference in January 1992 hosted by CHANGE to enable
practitioners to meet and share ideas, there developed the
National Practitioners’ Network (NPN), which has subsequently
met every six months. The Network is an informal grouping of
bodies. It has no formal membership and no one is in charge.
Agencies take turns to host meetings around the country and
meetings have been held the length and breadth of Britain. These
meetings provide opportunities to meet and discuss common
issues, to subject practice to peer scrutiny, to offer guidance
to newcomers and for practitioners to give each other support.
The two Network meetings this year have been hosted by Berkshire
Probation Service in Reading ( 13 & 14 May) and the Domestic
Violence Probation Project in Edinburgh (11 & 12 November).
A directory of agencies and organisations running, or planning
to run, group-work programmes for male domestic violence
perpetrators and related services for women was originally
compiled and updated from time to time by CHANGE, following the
third meeting of the Practitioners’ Network in 1993. The
programmes are operated by statutory agencies, such as probation
(in England and Wales) and social work (in Scotland), and
non-statutory organisations both national and local. The purpose
of the directory is to provide a means of agencies sharing
information and making contact, and to inform others of the work
that is being done in this area.
In 1999 Working with Men (WWM), a publication
specialising in addressing issues on the theme of maleness,
assisted in updating the directory by widening the trawl to
include organisations that may not have had previous contact
with NPN. An updated edition of the Network Directory will be
published jointly by CHANGE and WWM in May 2000.
Introducing RESPECT
Participants at NPN meetings value its informality and ability
to cope with diversity. However, its very nature has meant that
there was a perceived lack of a membership-based body which
could ‘speak’ for practitioners in this field. In order to
address this issue, a Steering Group, which included CHANGE, was
set up in November 1998, to look at developing a national
organisation separate to and complementing the NPN, which was
more formalised and which could be the voice of the sector. In
February 2000 RESPECT elected a Management Committee and is now
in the process of registering as a charity. RESPECT is hoping to
raise funds for a development worker to be in post by early
2001. Jo Todd, National Development Worker at DVIP, in London
was elected chair of RESPECT for the coming year, and Monica
Wilson, CHANGE, is vice-chair.
RESPECT is the National Association for Domestic Violence
Perpetrator Programmes and Associated Support Services. It will
be formally launched in the spring of 2001.
RESPECT aims to work alongside all interested groups - Projects,
Government Departments, Women's Aid, NPN members, Social Work
Services, etc - to create a system of intervention work with
perpetrators which works in the best interests of women and
children who have experienced domestic violence.
Conferences
Probation 2000
The only conference contribution CHANGE has accepted this year
was to jointly undertake one of the parallel seminars at the
Probation 2000 Conference held in the Queen Elizabeth Conference
Centre, London from 26 - 28 January. The theme of the parallel
seminars was ‘Crime and Community: Building on Best Practice’
and Professors Russell and Rebecca Dobash, together with Monica
Wilson, focussed on the role of evidence-based programmes for
male perpetrators of domestic violence
CHANGE Website
Development of the CHANGE website has been ongoing throughout
the last six months. The domain name changeweb.org.uk has been
registered and the site will be launched in its first edition
early in the summer of 2000.
Future Plans
Since funding for the Initiative was granted at only fifty per
cent of that requested, the possibility of completing the
programme of training for every local authority in Scotland
originally outlined in our proposal appears unlikely unless
funding be extended beyond the three years granted to date.
One of the issues already identified is that the demand for this
input is higher than envisaged with some authorities requesting
further training on an on-going basis. Partly this is due to the
unexpected demand for input from a very wide range of agencies
(In Aberdeen/shire for example, the training places could have
been filled several times over); and partly it is due to the
inevitable staff turnover requiring training for new staff.
The board continues to discuss the future plans of the
organisation beyond the current period.
