Learning to Respect
Hounslow Domestic Violence Education Programme
Child Protection
Domestic violence should be viewed as a child protection issue for the following reasons:
· From January 2005 an amendment to the Children's Act 2004, included in the Adoption and Children Act, was enacted. This expands the definition of 'significant harm’ to a child to include witnessing violence at home.
· Up to one third of children on child protection registers live with domestic violence.
(Mullender A, Reducing DV, what works? Meeting the Needs of Children,’ Crime Reduction Series, University of Warwick, January 2000).
· There is also a substantial overlap with child sexual abuse (nearly half the cases in one study).
(Ibid)
· The Department of Health now acknowledges the need for effective inter-agency co-operation between domestic violence and child protection agencies, and research indicates that helping women to be safe is also likely to constitute good child protection practice.
(Ibid)
· In 90% of domestic violence incidents occurring in families with children, the children were either in the same or the next room when the violence took place. One third of children witnessing abuse try to protect their mother and are often abused themselves.
(Stark and Flitcraft 1999).
Delivering the programme in schools
Raising awareness in schools on the issue of domestic violence has the potential to increase disclosures by pupils. This has not been the general experience of the programme thus far but it is important for schools to address this possibility.
· If a child discloses domestic violence the usual child protection procedures should be invoked.
· The designated child protection officer should be notified and the information recorded appropriately, bearing in mind the importance of confidentiality in relation to the safety of the victim and child/ren.
· All teachers should be reminded of the school child protection procedures at the outset of programme delivery.
· The programme will provide all teachers delivering the programme with disclosure guidelines.
· All schools participating in the programme will be provided with a Domestic Violence Advice Pack listing all the support agencies in the borough.
· All pupils, of appropriate age, will be provided with details of the Women’s Aid website for children living with domestic violence.
· All schools participating in the programme will be provided with a list of domestic violence advisors for the Learning to Respect Programme. These advisors are representatives from various agencies in the borough and have been supporting the programme throughout. The aim of the list is to provide an immediate contact for schools. Should anyone from the school community (adults) seek the school’s help with regard to a domestic violence issue, the school can contact any one of the names on the list. In these circumstances it is important to state that you are ringing with regard to the Learning to Respect Programme. This will ensure that you are put through to the domestic violence advisor if s/he is available. If the advisor is not available at the time of your call, you can move on to another name on the list.
Learning to Respect: Hounslow Domestic Violence Education Programme 2006 - 7