CHANGE 2004-2005 ANNUAL REPORT
 

 

Background

Since 1999, CHANGE has been funded to deliver a National Training Initiative (NTI) to promote effective practice by local authority Criminal Justice Services in their work with male domestic violence offenders.

Aims

The Initiative comprises training and consultancy to Criminal Justice Service staff and partner agencies. It aims 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. This crucially includes training in implementing related services for women partners.

 

Objectives

The programme of consultancy and training takes the following format:

Ø      Initial planning meetings with Criminal Justice Managers and relevant partner agencies (e.g. Domestic Abuse Forum members; 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 Social Enquiry Reports (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 training covering advocacy, safety planning and risk management.

Ø      One day ‘refresher’ courses for staff who have completed the men’s programme training in the past and are now ready to put the work into practice.

 

In accordance with the six-phase development described above, to date:

 

Ø      Forty-nine (49) regional planning meetings/seminars have been held covering twenty-eight (28 or 90%) of the participating local authority areas

Ø      Thirty-six (36) awareness-raising days have been undertaken covering twenty-three (23 or 74%) of the participating local authority areas

Ø      Six (6) assessment training days (including SARA training) have been held covering seven (7 or 23%) of the participating local authority areas

Ø      Twenty-one (21) five-day intensive skills training courses have been run, for fourteen (14 or 50%) of the participating local authority areas

Ø      Three (3) Women’s Services  training courses have been held covering five (5 or 18%) of the participating local authority areas

Ø      One (1) refresher day has been held for  one (1) of the participating local authority areas

 

Table 1 shows the developing involvement of local authorities in the Initiative.

 

Table 1 Local Authority involvement*

(Red LAs = existing men’s programme and therefore do not require some training courses)

Local Authority	Planning Meetings	Awareness Days	Assessment Plus SARA (New Course 2005)	Men’s Programme	Women’s Services (New Course 2005 )	Refresher Days (New Course 2005)
Shetland	1	1	None	None	None	none
Orkney	1	2	None	1	None	None
Western Isles	1 (by phone)	None	None	1	None	None
Highland	1	3	None	None	None	None
Moray	1	3	None	None	None	None
Aberdeenshire	1	4	None	None	None	None
Aberdeen City	1	3	None	None	None	None
Angus	1	2	None	None	None	None
Dundee	2	4	3	2	None	None
Perth&Kinross	1	2	None	1	None	None
Argyll	2	2	None	2	None	None
West Dum’ton	2	2	None	2	None	None
East Dum’ton	1	None	None	1	None	None
Fife	4	2	1	4	1	1
Falkirk	1	1	1	N/A	N/A	N/A
Stirling	1	1	1	N/A	N/A	N/A
Clackmannan	1	1	1	N/A	N/A	N/A
Edinburgh	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Midlothian	None	None	None	None	None	None
West Lothian	2	1	1	3	None	None
East Lothian	1	None	None	None	None	None
Borders	None	None	None	None	None	None
Dumfries & G	4	Planned 05	None	Planned 05	None	None
S’th Ayrshire	2	2	None	1	None	None
East Ayrshire	1	None	None	None	None	None
N’th Ayrshire	None	None	None	1	None	None
Inverclyde	2	2	1	2	1	None
Renfrewshire	2	1	None	1	1	None
East Ren’shire	1	2	None	1	None	None
Glasgow	7	2	1	7	1	None
S’th Lanarks	6	2	None	3	None	None
N’th Lanarks	5	2	1	4	1	None

 

*Numbers do not equal days as some meetings and training courses were undertaken with more than one authority at a time

 

Chart 1 - Activities for 2004/05
 

*                        Submitted Progress Report for 2003/04

*                        Delivered consultancy to local authorities – 3 local meetings plus numerous phone calls and emails

*                        Presentations to local domestic violence forums - 1 held.

*                        Delivered awareness-raising days for multi-agency participation – 4 held (one under the auspices of Forth Valley Domestic Abuse partnership)

*                        Delivered five-day programme delivery courses  – 3 held

*                        Delivered two-day Women’s Services training  - 2 held

*                        Devised one day assessment training, including the use of the SARA guide

*                        Delivered assessment training – 6 held

*                        Participated in the working group implementing the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland: Training Strategy

*                        Attended and ran workshops at two National Practitioners’ Network meetings

*                        Chaired four quarterly Executive Committee meetings of Respect

*                        Participated in Respect working groups on research, and developing standards for practice

*                        Attended a focus group for a feasibility study on Respect’s becoming the accrediting body for non-criminal justice based intervention projects

*                        Assisted in planning, and undertook workshops at two meetings of the Scottish Forum for staff involved in delivering  men’s programmes and women’s services

*                        Undertook two four day training courses for the Men’s Development Network, Waterford, Republic of Ireland

*