Background
Introduction
CHANGE was originally
funded from 1989 to 1996 by the Urban Programme and
sponsored by the Social Work Department of Central Regional
Council primarily to pilot the development of a criminal
justice based re-education programme for men convicted of
violence towards their wives or female partners. The
programme was formally evaluated alongside the work of
Edinburgh’s programme, the DVPP: the findings indicating the
effectiveness of such work.
Before
Urban funding ceased CHANGE produced a 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 published
in 1997.
Since
1997, CHANGE has operated as a training and consultancy
agency. Since 1998 funding has been mainly from Section 9 of
the Social Work (Scotland) Act, 1968, with some income
generated from agencies purchasing our services.
Staff
CHANGE currently has three
members of staff: a Director, Monica Wilson an
Administrator, Susan Peebles and a sessional Women’s
Services Development Worker, Lynn Kelly.
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 six weeks
and both the Director and the Administrator present written
reports. A list of board members is appended. (Appendix 1)
Section 9 funded National
Training Initiative
Since
April 1999 CHANGE has been funded to deliver a National
Training Initiative which aims to promote effective practice
by local authority Criminal Justice Services in their work
with male domestic violence offenders. Funding from this
source is secure until 2006 after which CHANGE will need to
seek income from other sources. An exit strategy is being
developed for this purpose. (see page )
Objectives
From
1999 – 2003, the programme of consultancy and training took
the following format:
Ø
Initial meetings with Criminal Justice Managers and relevant
partner agencies (e.g. Women’s Aid), to look at local needs
and to plan training and monitoring provision. These
meetings were held at local level either for individual
local authorities or in collaborative partnerships with
neighbouring authorities.
Ø
The provision of one-day awareness-raising workshops for
relevant staff for 20+ participants at a time. The CHANGE
workshops focused on challenging myths about abusers and
aiming to increase participants’ understanding about, and
ability to challenge, men’s abusive attitudes and behaviour.
Where possible, these have been undertaken in partnership
with local Women’s Aid groups. Women’s Aid awareness-raising
days focus on how women experience domestic violence and
agencies’ responses. These workshops were open to
participants from all relevant local agencies.
Ø
Intensive five-day courses for small numbers, (usually ten),
of front-line staff focus on skills acquisition including
the delivery of a men’s programme and the provision of
services to women partners.
Review
of the Initiative to 2003
Two
important elements of the Initiative are obtaining the views
of recipients of training, and monitoring its implementation
into practice. To the first end, two questionnaires have
been devised to collect recipients’ views of both the
one-day and five-day courses. Responses are collated and
analysed and contribute to a growing database. A summary of
responses in statistical, graphic and qualitative form is
sent back to managers following training. These are also
returned annually to Social Work Services Inspectorate (SWSI),
and incorporated into CHANGE's Annual Reports. These
responses indicate that the training is valued, well
received, and perceived to be thorough and professionally
delivered. (See charts 1 & 2 p 6)
The
second element, monitoring the implementation into practice,
required some time between the training input and the
seeking of formal feedback. Informal feedback to CHANGE
indicated some difficulties being encountered by managers
and workers in following good practice guidelines. In order
to gain systematic information about what these might be, in
March 2003 a questionnaire was devised and sent to Criminal
Justice Services Managers of the Local Authorities that had
completed all three phases of the Initiative. Similar
questionnaires were distributed at the Scottish Forum, held
in March 2003 in Edinburgh, to social workers who had
completed the CHANGE training. This aimed to gather workers’
concerns about how they were implementing the Initiative.
This enabled a comparison in these five areas of managers’
and workers’ concerns.
Conclusion
The
main issues of concern that emerged from this review were
·
The need for more training for more staff
·
The need for a Risk Assessment tool
·
The need for more resources to implement the training
·
The need for mainstream funding for services for women
·
The need for more input on how to develop services for women
Outcome
of the Review of the Initiative
CHANGE
has been able to address some of the issues identified in
the review, others are outwith our control. The programme of
consultancy and training has therefore been revised and now
takes the following format:
Ø
Initial planning meetings with Criminal Justice Managers and
relevant partner agencies (e.g. Women’s Aid).
Ø
The provision of one-day awareness-raising workshops for
relevant staff for 20+ participants at a time in tandem with
women’s aid one day workshops.
Ø
One day courses in assessment for staff undertaking SERs
with domestic violence offenders including training in the
use of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide (SARA).
Ø
Intensive five-day courses on skills acquisition including
the delivery of a men’s programme and the provision of
services to women partners
Ø
Two day courses for women’s services staff which they
undertake in addition to the above, looking at meeting
women’s needs and safety planning
Progress with the Initiative
Demand
for input by CHANGE from local authority criminal justice
services and local domestic abuse forums, continues to be
high. Planning and consultation seminars on the Initiative
continue to be met with enthusiasm from the many agencies
participating in local developments for tackling domestic
abuse. Table 1 (over) summarises progress to date, and
Appendixes 2, 3 & 4 list the LA’s covered to date and
contain sample comments from trainees.
|
Name of |
Response |
Responses |
Table 1
Planning |
Awareness |
Assess’t |
5 Day |
Women’s |
|
Authority |
Date |
Received |
Meeting |
Training |
Training |
Training |
Services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shetland |
27/05/99 |
Positive |
14.6.01 |
14.6.01 |
** |
** |
** |
|
Orkney |
22/06/99 |
Positive |
13.10.99 |
10.99 x 2 |
** |
03.02 |
** |
|
Western Is |
|
None |
** |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Highland} |
05/01/99 |
Positive |
10.9.99 |
03.00 x6 |
** |
** |
** |
|
Moray} |
" |
joint venture |
" |
" |
** |
** |
** |
|
Aber'shire} |
" |
" |
" |
" |
** |
** |
** |
|
Aber.City} |
" |
" |
" |
" |
** |
** |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Angus |
19/07/99 |
Positive |
12.4.00 |
09.00 x 2 |
** |
** |
** |
|
Dundee |
29/06/99 |
Positive |
26.8.99 1x04 |
11.99 x2 |
Planned 2004 |
11.99 x 1 |
** |
|
Perth/Kinr. |
26/07/99 |
Positive |
05.11.99 |
02.00 x 2 |
** |
04.00 x 1 |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Argyll/W. } |
28/09/99 |
Positive |
16.12.99 |
17.1.01 |
** |
03.01 x 1 |
** |
|
Dunbart.} |
" |
joint venture |
24.11.00 |
24.1.01 |
** |
04.01 x 1 |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
East Dunb. |
28/09/99 |
Positive |
20.01.00 |
** |
** |
03&04.01x2* |
** |
|
Fife |
20/01/00 |
Positive |
4 in 2000 |
10.00 x2 |
** |
01(2) &02x3* |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Falk/Stirl } |
20/05/99 |
Positive |
26.04.00 |
14.06.00 |
** |
N/A |
** |
|
Clacks } |
" |
joint venture |
" |
" |
** |
|
**** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C of Edinb |
02/06/99 |
Own plans |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Midlothian |
|
Positive |
** |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
West Loth |
23/08/99 |
joint venture |
11.11.99 +02 |
17.02.00 |
** |
01&.02x2* |
** |
|
East Loth |
18/05/99 |
" |
Planned 2004 |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
Sc.Border |
|
" |
** |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dum& Gal |
|
Positive |
01x1 04x2 |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South A |
02/08/00 |
Positive |
6.2 &26.7.02 |
8.02 x 2 |
** |
11.02 x 1 |
** |
|
East A |
" |
joint venture |
05.08.99 |
** |
** |
** |
** |
|
North A |
" |
" |
Planned 2004 |
** |
** |
11.02 x 1* |
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
