Domestic abuse

and child welfare:

a practice guide
for social workers
Domestic abuse and child
welfare: a practice guide for
social workers

This guide aims to support social workers to

respond effectively to domestic abuse, with a
particular focus on situations where children
are involved.

It covers:

l understanding domestic abuse

l relevant legislation and policy
l supporting adult survivors
l supporting children
l working with perpetrators
l useful practice models
l links to other resources

Contributors
Nel Whiting, formerly Learning and Development
Worker at Scottish Women’s Aid.

Stephen Madill, Senior Social Worker, Safer Families,

Edinburgh.

Sarah McMillan, Social Worker and Professional

Officer, Scottish Association of Social Work.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to all those involved in reviewing the guide,
including individual social workers, Scottish Women’s
Aid and the Safer Families Project at City of
Edinburgh Council. We are particularly grateful to the
women from Saje Scotland, who provided invaluable
feedback from the perspective of those who have
lived with domestic abuse.

Photographs kindly reproduced with the permission

of Zero Tolerance and Scottish Women’s Aid.

3
Introduction

Domestic abuse is everywhere in social particularly vulnerable, for example those with
work, no matter what specialism you work learning disabilities. It exists in every arena in
in. It knows no cultural, class or race which social workers practice, and there is
boundaries. It can happen in any intimate some excellent work going on to try to
partnership but in most cases is perpetrated address it.
by men against women. In 2018-19 in
Yet research suggests that in some instances
Scotland in 4 out of 5 incidents (83%) where
there’s room for improvement in the response
gender was recorded by police the
of social work and that of other services3. We
perpetrator was male and the survivor
must practice in a way which really recognises
female.1
the experiences of those affected by domestic
The Scottish Government’s definition of abuse and empowers them to achieve safety.
domestic abuse recognises it as a form of In the context of child protection, we need to
gender-based violence. 2 This guide move away from a ‘failure to protect’
approaches domestic abuse from that discourse that sees the responsibility for
perspective and in the broader context of keeping children safe laid solely at the door of
gender inequality. It builds on a series of their mother, and move to an approach where
events held between 2017-2019 by SASW, we work with her to ensure the safety of the
Scottish Women’s Aid and partners and is whole family. Domestic abuse is often a
underpinned by a series of legislation, feature in repeat removals of children,
principles and codes that can be viewed in suggesting that effective support could
Appendix A. We know that domestic abuse reduce the likelihood of this happening.4
does happen in other relationships, and there
There is plenty of powerful practice going on
are some signposts to specialist services at
in Scotland and there are some useful models
the end of this guide.
that we can draw on. Examples are included
Respect for human rights and promotion of here that we hope can help keep practice
social justice are core social work values, moving in the right direction.
enshrined in BASW’s Code of Ethics. Social
The guide is by no means an exhaustive
workers empower people to make the
manual. It signposts to other relevant
changes necessary to live lives free of abuse
resources, services and literature. It aims to
and all its consequences. Our aim in
offer a basis for practice, further study and
producing this guide is to support you to
enquiry. We hope it proves a helpful tool for
embed principles of safe and effective
making the case for adequate training and
approaches into your engagement with those
resources for all social workers to work
experiencing domestic abuse and those
confidently on this issue and spread
responsible for it. It’s about taking good social
awareness of it amongst colleagues in health,
work practice and framing it within an
education and justice.
understanding of the dynamics and impact of
domestic abuse. Whether you work in statutory or voluntary
services, with children or adults, you’ll come
This is a core issue for our profession. One in
across people who have experienced, been
four women experience domestic abuse. It is
affected by or have perpetrated domestic
one of the most common reasons for children
abuse. It might not be the presenting reason
being placed on the child protection register
for your involvement, but you are in a key
and is present in almost two-thirds of
position to be able to identify and initiate
significant case reviews. It has links to
action to address it. We hope this guide helps
offending, homelessness, mental health and
you in doing so.
substance use. Some groups can be
1
Scottish Government (2020)
2
Scottish Government (2018)
3
Robins & Cook, 2018: Witt et al, 2018
4
Broadhurst & Mason, 2017

5
4
PART 1: UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC ABUSE

What is domestic abuse?

1. What it is and what it isn’t perpetrator or being viewed as ‘giving as good’ as

the perpetrator.
Domestic abuse is persistent and controlling
behaviour by a partner or ex-partner, which causes Situational couple violence. This is where
physical, sexual and/or emotional harm. It is disagreement arises and conflict – verbal and/or
common but often concealed. In most cases, it is physical – ensues. The violence may be extreme,
experienced by women and children and is but it is not part of a pattern of other controlling
perpetrated by men. Sometimes wider family and behaviours by one partner to maintain dominance
community members can be involved in the over the other. This use of violence represents an
control. This can be a particular issue in some expression (however unacceptable) of frustration
black and minority ethnic (BME) families. and tension.

Domestic abuse is NOT an isolated incident or a This guide focuses mostly on intimate terrorism
‘one-off’. Nor is it a fight or an argument between (sometimes called coercive control). Although
two people who are in an equal relationship. some of the key principles outlined will be useful
Rather it is a pattern of surveillance and to apply in cases of situational couple violence, the
domination by one partner over the other, where differences in motivation and impact in each of
fear is not just a by-product, but a central tactic these typologies means that different interventions
used by the perpetrator. We’ll look at what that are generally required to support all those
pattern can look like shortly. It may, but does not involved. For example, where couple counselling
have to, include physical violence. or anger management might be effective in cases
of situational couple violence, it would be wholly
2. Different typologies of violence unsafe and inappropriate where intimate terrorism
is the situation because of the perpetrator’s
It is important to be able to distinguish between controlling behaviour. Careful assessment is
different types of what Michael P Johnson calls important to ascertain what the situation is to
‘intimate partner violence’. He sets out three ensure the proper intervention.
‘typologies of violence’ – each type is different
from the other in origin, nature and consequence.5 3. How do perpetrators exert control?

They are: Physical violence – of different levels and

frequency – can feature but may not (for further
Intimate terrorism. This is the pattern of reading on the nature and dynamics of coercive
controlling behaviour outlined above and as such control try reading Luke and Ryan Hart’s book
is domestic abuse. It is important to understand Operation Lighthouse).6 Women can also often
that children in these situations are taken hostage experience high levels of sexual violence and
every bit as much as the adult victim. Intimate financial control. The perpetrator builds a world in
terrorism is not an expression of frustration but is which the victim is constantly monitored and
used with intent to control the partner. criticised. Every move is checked against an
unpredictable, ever-changing, unknowable ‘rule
Violent resistance. This occurs when victims of book’.
intimate terrorism/domestic abuse act to defend
themselves and/or their children or retaliate
against the perpetrator’s abuse. Often it can be the
culmination of years of living with intimate
terrorism. It can lead to a victim being labelled as a

5
Johnson, M P (2010)
6
Hart, R & L (2019)

7
Other tactics include isolation, degradation, mind-
games, and the micro regulation of everyday life.
The monitoring of phone calls and social media
Child Contact
(women are often forced to divulge passwords),
dress, food consumption, social activity and use of Coercive control can continue after
medication are also common tactics. These often separation from an abusive partner.
go unnoticed by the outside world.
Child contact and legal proceedings
Surveillance continues even when the perpetrator are often used by the perpetrator as a
is not present (constant phone calls, using children means of maintaining and continuing
to report on movement, using location services on to exert control over the woman’s life
mobile phones, using smart home devices etc). and that of children. Children often
Experiencing this kind of abuse is like being taken
continue to be used as a means of
hostage: the victim becomes captive in a
real/unreal world created by the perpetrator, monitoring their mother’s actions and
entrapped in an environment of confusion, are under pressure to report back to
contradiction and fear. the perpetrator.
Women (and their children) are sometimes killed
by a partner or ex-partner, with the point of a
woman leaving the perpetrator being a particularly 5. How does the law treat domestic abuse?
vulnerable time.
Until recently the most common charge used for
4. What is the impact on children? domestic abuse related crimes was “alarming and
threatening behaviour” under section 38 of the
Children are not just affected by domestic abuse, Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act
they experience it. Research suggests that 2010. A range of other charges might be brought
coercive control/intimate terrorism can have a including stalking offences under the same Act,
negative impact on children and young people assault, or sexual offences. The Abusive Behaviour
equal to that of physically violent domestic abuse.7 and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 allows for a
domestic aggravator to be applied to any
The harmful impacts include: individual offence committed against a partner or
ex-partner to draw the court’s attention to the
l Control of time, movement and activities nature and seriousness of the offence.
within the home. Children and young people
can be affected by the control imposed on their The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which
mother. Children and mothers can be restricted came into force on 1st April 2019, creates a
in the time they can spend together and the “course of conduct” offence intended to cover
capacity to enjoy each other’s company. This ongoing patterns of behaviour where a person is
can undermine their relationship, depriving abusive towards a partner or ex-partner. As well as
children of feeling stable, protected and physical abuse, it specifically covers other forms of
nurtured. emotional, financial and psychological abuse and
coercive and controlling behaviour that could not
l Restricted space to act. Children’s freedom to be easily prosecuted under pre-existing law. It is
act and speak may be restricted by the rules important to be aware that many victims will
imposed by the perpetrator; for example, not experience abuse and there will be no police
being able to play or have friends over, or being involvement and/or no conviction. Given the
made to keep quiet. nature of coercive control it is vital that social
workers do not rely on either of these to judge
l Isolation from sources of support. Control of the severity or impact of abuse being
the mother’s movements outside the family experienced. They should also not conclude that
home can also negatively impact on children, the absence of any criminal justice involvement
who may not be allowed to see friends and proceedings throws doubt on the veracity of the
other family members (for example, victim’s experience.
grandparents), or take part in extra-curricular
activities. This deprives children of the
resilience-building influence of positive
relationships and connections outside the
family home.
7
Katz, E (2016)

8
 Scotland’s overarching strategy to eradicate
violence against women is called Equally Safe.
Drawn up jointly by the Scottish government and
local authorities umbrella body COSLA, it sets out
a vision for a Scotland where women and girls are
safe, respected, equal and free from all forms of
violent and abusive behaviour.

A joint protocol between Police Scotland and the

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
(COPFS) on the investigation and prosecution of
domestic abuse has been developed with the
specific input of Scottish Women’s Aid. This public
facing document is helpful in setting out the
procedures that will be followed by police and the
COPFS in responding to reports of domestic
abuse, the investigation and evidentiary processes
needed, and how the prosecution will be dealt
with. It includes support available for women and
children as vulnerable witnesses. It is
recommended that you familiarise yourself with
this document.

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 also In addition, victims of crime have specific rights in
introduces a statutory aggravator when domestic relation to access to information about the police
abuse involves or affects a child. This includes a investigation, prosecution, court’s decision on
child hearing, seeing or being present during an sentencing and release of prisoners. These are set
abusive incident. out in a Victim’s Code and Standards of Service
for the relevant statutory agencies. Awareness of
The Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 includes these rights and the obligations on statutory
domestic abuse in its definition of factors that a services will be helpful to you and the people you
court must consider when making decisions about support. More can be found here
Parental Responsibilities and Rights (PRRs) and the
welfare of the child. The Children’s Hearing Act
(Scotland) 2011 (section 67 (f)) created a specific
referral ground relating to domestic abuse and Five-minute reflection
permits referral to the Reporter in the course of
relevant proceedings (section 62).
• Do you feel confident
6. What other key policy and guidance distinguishing between
should I know about? domestic abuse and other
The National Guidance for Child Protection in
forms of violence that might
Scotland, 2014 highlights that: exist in a relationship?
• Do you know why you should
l Domestic abuse can profoundly disrupt a child’s
environment, undermining their stability and not rely on police involvement
damaging their physical, mental and emotional and/or a conviction when
health.
l If the non-abusive parent/carer is not safe, it is
judging the severity of abuse
unlikely the children will be. Supporting the someone is experiencing?
adult victim of domestic abuse ultimately • Can you list some of the tactics
supports the child.
l The impact of domestic abuse on a child should perpetrators might use to
be understood as a consequence of the control people’s behaviour?
perpetrator choosing to use violence rather than
the non-abusing parent’s/carer’s failure to
• Does leaving an abusive
protect. relationship equal safety?

9
PART 2: RESPONDING TO DOMESTIC ABUSE

Working with survivors

1. Understand what is really going on and child will experience abuse in different ways
and have developed individual and family coping
The foundation for good practice in supporting strategies. It’s important that each person in the
women who have experienced domestic abuse is family is listened to, their feelings validated, and
an awareness of the dynamics of coercive control, account taken of their protective efforts.
as discussed in the previous section. The next
Instead of “why does she not just leave?” ask
thing we need to do is try to understand what is
yourself “why does she stay?” Try listing, together
going on in a particular situation, so that we can
with her, the reasons she is still in the relationship.
act appropriately. To do this we must really listen
This will help build an understanding of the
to women’s accounts of their experience and
barriers to leaving. These can include financial
feelings, look beyond individual incidents, identify
dependence, social isolation, low self-esteem,
patterns of abuse, and explore the impact on the
threats (to the woman, children, extended family
whole family.
members, pets) and simply having nowhere to go.
Before engaging with a survivor ask yourself: Consider the impact of wider issues such as
mental health, substance use, socio-economic
l What do I know about what is going on in this
status. Do they exacerbate the abuse? Is there a
family?
causal link? Domestic abuse can have an impact
l What gaps are there in my knowledge?
on mental health and drug or alcohol use. There
l What questions can I ask to help me understand
are other factors which can be used by the
what the pattern of abuse is and how it’s
perpetrator to secure and maintain power, for
impacting on the woman and the family as a
example controlling/administering alcohol, drugs
whole?
or prescribed medication. Are wider socio-
l How does the pattern of abuse impact on this
economic issues having an impact?
person’s education, employment and income?
l How is it affecting her housing and health? Consider for example race, religion, poverty,
l What about social activities, family connections disability, sexuality, gender identity, immigration
and friendships? status and how these might impact on a woman’s
l How can I engage her in this assessment in a potential to leave an abusive relationship.
way which doesn’t place the responsibility for Perpetrators are likely to threaten to share intimate
safety with her? knowledge they hold about a woman with friends,
family, co-workers, for example information about
their sexuality or previous relationships. Research
2. Recognise strengths suggests women in rural areas are disproportion-
ately affected by domestic abuse and find it harder
It is important to highlight what a woman is doing to access support and to leave.8 Women with
to protect herself and her children despite the insecure immigration status, who may have no
abuse she is experiencing. For example, she might recourse to public funds, face extra barriers to
be keeping her children in a routine, making sure leaving.
they are fed and clothed, making sure they get to
school and to medical appointments. Although Be aware of these and make yourself familiar with
these sound like everyday parenting tasks, imagine organisations who have specialist knowledge
how challenging it might be to perform them about such concerns (see links to Shakti Women’s
when every aspect of your life is controlled and Aid, Amina Women’s Resource Centre).
subject to surveillance.
What is the perpetrator’s position in the
Ask her about her experiences, help her to identify community? Is he someone who is
abusive behaviours and explore how they impact admired/revered/feared? How might this impact
on everyone involved. Remember each woman on her decision to leave and her options for

8
National Rural Crime Network (2019)

11
 A note on language
Think about the way you frame questions to a survivor of domestic abuse. Instead of
‘why haven’t you/why didn’t you…?’ try asking ‘what does that mean for you?’ ‘how
does that feel? how does it impact on you and/or children?’ ‘what do you think might
happen if….?’ ‘what do you want to happen?’. Reflect this in your recording as well.
Remember that what goes into a report often forms the picture a Sheriff or another
decision-maker has of what is going on in a family. Try to frame things around what
she has done despite his behaviour and place the responsibility for abuse with the
perpetrator, not the survivor.

support? We must thoroughly examine the risks a her children at further risk. Account must be taken
woman might face in leaving and what they need of trauma and complex needs that might co-exist
to weigh up when considering their safety. In and intersect with domestic abuse. The NES
doing so we must not make assumptions but carry National Trauma Training Framework indicates
out assessments in partnership with women. standards for child and family workers at the
trauma enhanced level.
3. Don’t see it as a ‘stay or go’ choice
Effective support for children
Understand that it is not a simple choice between
“stay” or “go”. Not when she’s been cut off from
family and friends, has no access to finances, he’s 1. Listen and validate
threatened to kill her and/or her children, her self-
esteem has been destroyed, she feels ashamed, Each child in a family will experience abuse
humiliated and terrified. differently. We cannot assume that each sibling in
Even if she can get out, where does she go, who a family will have the same recollections or
can help, will people even believe her? And we feelings. Give each child the opportunity to talk
know that after a relationship ends, the abuse does about how they feel and what the impact has been
not necessarily finish. It can continue and indeed for them.
escalate, and it can go unrecognised by those not Children will often internalise responsibility for the
immediately impacted. The majority of domestic abuse, and indeed they may have heard messages
homicides happen shortly after a woman leaves an from the perpetrator which affirm this. It’s also
abusive relationship. 55% of women killed by their common for a child to hold their mother to
ex-partner or spouse in 2017 were killed within the account, especially if the perpetrator has
first month of separation and 87% in the first year.9 outwardly blamed her, for example using
When there are children involved, mothers can something she has done or omitted to do as
find themselves in a ‘catch 22’ situation, and justification for his actions. It’s worth taking some
staying put can sometimes seem like a safer option time to explore with a child that domestic abuse is
than leaving. We need to explore how we make never a child or a mother’s fault, that we’re each
sense of a woman’s actions in such a situation, and responsible for our own behaviour, not that of
to do so we must keep in mind those of the others, stressing that everyone has a choice about
perpetrator. how they react to situations.

As social workers we must support people to make Validate their feelings and try not to judge children
the changes they need to and support mothers to for actions they might have taken, or choices
look after their children. This involves recognising made in an abusive situation. Often children feel
and appreciating all the factors that are preventing an obligation to try and intervene in an abusive
her from doing so, and not holding her to account situation, especially where their mother is getting
for those which are beyond her control. hurt, and this can result in them being physically
hurt themselves. Explain why it is not safe to
We must be careful to practice in a way which intervene while helping them to recognise that
does not lay the responsibility for protection of her there are things they can do to try and keep
children solely at her own feet. We should not themselves safe and to get help.
insist she takes action that ultimately puts her and

9
Femicide Census: 2017 Findings

12
2. How can I help children to keep safe? 3. Who else can help?

Work with a child to develop a safety plan which is There are specific supports available for children
realistic and removes any responsibility for abuse, who have experienced or are experiencing
or for intervening in abusive situations, from them. domestic abuse.
Research suggests that listening to children and
involving them in planning and decision-making Local Women’s Aid organisations can often
can have a positive impact on their ability to provide 1:1 or group support for children, and they
cope.10 do not have to be in refuge to access this. They
can provide support while children are still living in
A safety plan is a tool you can use with women the abusive situation.
and children to help them plan their response
should an abusive situation occur. It can help Other organisations, such as the Cedar Project (in
children to feel safer as they have thought about several areas of Scotland) provide a 12-week
what they can do to get help. It can be a written group to help children recover from their
plan, suited to the child’s age and stage, and it can experiences of domestic abuse once they are safe
involve activities such as drawing round your hand from the abuse. Children’s groups run
and naming people you could talk to/ask for help concurrently with groups for mothers, with a focus
on each finger, or using a doll’s house to explore on how the mother can support her child through
safe places to go in the house. recovery, and how their relationship (often
damaged by domestic abuse) can be
As well as how to get help, support the child to strengthened.
think about who they can speak to about their
feelings. If you’re using a written plan with a child, It can be difficult for children to talk about
remember to speak to them about who they want domestic abuse, for all sorts of reasons including
to share the plan with and where they will keep it. fear and worry about being “different” and a desire
Understand and acknowledge why a child might not to upset others, especially their mother. But
try and intervene when abuse is happening but research tells us that children do want to talk, and
support them to think about action they can take they often especially want to talk to their mothers.
which does not place them at greater risk, for
example finding a place to be physically safe, Mothers also struggle to talk to their children
contacting someone they trust. It is important to about what is or was going on. They too worry
emphasise to the child (ren) you are working with about causing distress, of bringing up things that
that keeping themselves safe does not mean that are “in the past”, of being judged for what they did
they are failing to protect their mothers. or did not do. Often mothers are unsure how
much their child knows or remembers of what
The Cedar network website has a short animation went on.
called ‘Mikey and Jools Keep Safe’. The film and
the accompanying guidance notes can be used Encouraging communication between children
with young children when looking at safety and mothers can help each of them to understand
planning. the other’s actions and feelings and can be a huge
part of the safety planning and recovery process.
Local Cedar Projects and Women’s Aid Try to offer support for this to happen. If there’s a
organisations will have examples of safety plans waiting list for specialist services, ask those
you can use with children and women. See services for some tools or resources that you
Appendix B & C for examples. might use yourself with the family to facilitate
communication.
Children who’ve been exposed to domestic abuse
may be at increased risk of other forms of abuse. Domestic abuse can impact on a child’s
Talking to children about safety in general, how to presentation and performance at school, and it’s
recognise unsafe situations and how to get help, is important that teachers have the information they
good practice. need to understand and support a child. A good
working relationship, and open channels of
communication with a child’s school is important,
where appropriate, and taking account of the need
for confidentiality. Ensuring relevant information is
shared in a sensitive way can help improve the
child’s experience of school and facilitate positive,
supportive relationships with school staff.

10
Mullender at al (2002)

13
 Young people and domestic abuse
Remember that young people can experience domestic abuse in their own close
relationships. Please bear this in mind when working with young people. Help them
to understand what constitutes healthy behaviour in a relationship, and what to do to
get help if they are concerned, either about their own behaviour or that of their
partner.

Want to read more about this? Try these links:

http://safelives.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Safe%20Young%20Lives%20web.p
df
https://library.nspcc.org.uk/HeritageScripts/Hapi.dll/search2?searchTerm0=C1739
www.preventionplatform.co.uk/?page_id=2346

Assessing Risk
Every attempt should be made to keep a child with
their non-abusing parent whenever possible.
However, there are times when the child’s safety
simply cannot be assured and it’s necessary for
them to be separated. When this happens it’s
important to remain clear that the abuse is not the
fault of the survivor and acknowledge all she’s
done to try to protect her child.

There are some models of risk assessment which

you can find online but to date there is not one
that deals comprehensively with coercive control.
Five-minute reflection
Another thing to remember about formal risk
assessment tools is that they should be carried out • What is a ‘failure to protect’
by someone who is specifically trained,
experienced and skilled in assessing risk in discourse and why is it
domestic abuse situations. unhelpful when supporting
There are people in specialist organisations such women?
as Women’s Aid who meet those criteria, and • Why it is not a simple ‘stay or
wherever possible you should aim to carry out risk
assessments in partnership with one of those go’ choice for women
specialists. It’s a good idea to make sure you know experiencing domestic abuse?
who to contact in your locality who can support
you with this. Good starting points are your local
• What do you need to consider
Women’s Aid service or Violence Against Women when speaking to women and
Partnership. children about their
Another point of contact is your local MARAC experiences of domestic
(Multi- Agency Risk Assessment Conference) abuse?
Coordinator. A MARAC is a meeting where
representatives of local organisations (statutory • Why is it important to give
and non-statutory) meet to discuss the situations children a space to talk about
of people who are deemed to be at high risk due
to domestic abuse. The focus is the safety of the
their experiences and feelings?
adult survivor, but consideration is also made to • Why is safety planning
the safety of any children involved, and links are important?
made with organisations who can support this.

14
Intervening with perpetrators

1. Why is it important to engage with to their partners, including signposting to specialist

perpetrators? domestic abuse support services.

Any intervention with an abusive man has the

It’s an area which social workers can have
potential to increase risk. This means good risk
concerns about or lack confidence with but
assessment and risk management is essential.
engaging with perpetrators is essential if we are to
accurately assess their risk to partners and to This needn’t be daunting. It may be that others can
children. If we engage perpetrators effectively, we take the lead and it should always be a shared task
can also be more successful in persuading them to with all other professionals involved.
seek help.
Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences
Ideally, that help will come from specialist (MARACS), professionals’ meetings and Risk
domestic abuse services. There is no substitute for Management Case Conferences (RMCC) can all be
the focused behavioural change work these offer. used in this regard.
Unfortunately, across much of Scotland these
programmes are only available to men on court Using validated tools specific to assessing
orders. domestic abuse risk is vital in informing these
processes. The Spousal Assault Risk Assessment
Where this is the case other services that address (SARA) is the one that is most widely used in
substance use or mental health issues may help to Scotland and the one for which training is most
reduce risk. It is important to emphasise that readily available (the tool can only be used under
neither substance use nor mental health issues licence once training has been undertaken).
cause domestic abuse. They can, however,
exacerbate the behaviour and increase risk. It is important to consider your own safety too.
Whilst most men who are abusive to intimate
partners are not abusive or threatening towards
2. What if a perpetrator is hard to engage? professionals, some are. Certainly, initial
assessments should be carried out in an office that
Some men may refuse to engage with you. If this has staff safety measures in place. This should
is happening, consider the barriers to engagement generally be the case for any ongoing work.
and reflect and record these in your assessment.
Whether he does or doesn’t engage, the man’s 4. Involving the non-abusive partner
behaviour, its impact and his willingness to
acknowledge and change should be the focus of Given that most abusive men will either continue
your assessment and intervention. to be in a relationship with, or have contact with
their partner, strenuous attempts should be made
There are specific models of intervention which to work in partnership with those women.
are perpetrator-focused (see the following section
for examples). Keeping a perpetrator focus It is essential that women do not have unrealistic
throughout your engagement with the whole expectations that their partners will change as a
family will help ensure that the formulation of result of any intervention. But they need to be
plans will better reflect the experience of the aware that the work is being done and that they
family. It will mean interventions to address and are able to inform risk assessments. This should
manage risk and increase safety may be more ensure that their safety plans are more effective.
effective.
There may be other professionals involved with a
3. Remember - safety is paramount man’s partner. She might, for example, have
support from a domestic abuse advocacy worker,
The primary purpose of this work must be the a social worker from children or adults’ services, a
safety of women partners and children. For you to counsellor or an addiction worker. In such cases it
accurately assess a man’s behaviour and ongoing might not be essential to work with her directly -
risk to his partner, child/children and, in some you might be able to keep her informed and seek
cases himself, it is essential to attempt to contact her views through those professionals.
his partner/partners as part of your assessment.
Creating good and mutually respectful
This should be a feature of any structured relationships with specialist support services
behaviour change work with men who abuse. That working with women and children is crucial to
includes work that has been court mandated or working effectively and increasing safety around
voluntary. Contact and support should be offered domestic abuse.

15
5. Motivation to change “let’s put that aside for now” and re-visit it when he
is more ready to revaluate these beliefs and
Behavioural change work with abusive men should attitudes.
only be undertaken through specialist
Always remember that for many abusive men
programmes. However, it is important to try to
minimisation, denial and blame are defence
engage with perpetrators outside of these
mechanisms. They will often use them either to
programmes, as part of your assessment and to
mitigate the consequences to the individuals, or
help plan interventions.
against feeling the shame of their behaviour.
Most men who choose to seek help are, at some
So, if you see minimisation, denial and blame don’t
level, unhappy about their behaviour. They may
assume it’s because they’re indifferent to the
approach professionals through personal moti-
effects of their abuse. However, those that are will
vation to change, or because their partner or other
be the most difficult to engage and potentially the
professionals have encouraged them to do so.
most risky.
They may also be motivated by a hope that they
can mitigate the legal consequences of their 7. Blame and trust
behaviour. They might hope to boost their
chances of having contact with children. Or they At the same time, because of the above, it’s highly
may wish to reconcile the relationship without a likely that in the early stages of your work with a
genuine understanding of the need to change man he will give you accounts of his – and indeed
their behaviour. It is important that the man’s his partner’s – behaviour that underplay his abuse
motives in “seeking help” are thoroughly explored. and attempt to blame his partner.

Even where the man’s motives are initially self- It can be helpful to acknowledge this in the early
serving, it is possible to help him shift his stages and say that, for the reasons outlined
motivation towards, for example being a better above, you would not expect him to be entirely
parent, or being more accountable for his abusive honest with a stranger. Tell him that you hope that
behaviour. by working together and establishing trust you will
get to a place where he can be as honest as he will
6. Applying core values have to be if he is going to affect real and long-
lasting change.
Engaging with a domestically abusive man who is
However, given all that, it is vital to be aware of the
seeking help, while certainly requiring an
experiences and perceptions of his partner in
understanding of a range of causes underpinning
relation to the abuse she has experienced.
domestic abuse, is largely about applying core
social work values. It is therefore extremely helpful to meet her, if she
is willing, or at least have some phone contact;
It is essential to work in a motivational way. Create
knowing the woman’s reality helps safeguard
the conditions where they can engage honestly.
against collusion. If you have made every effort to
Be empathic. Listen reflectively. Developing
engage with the man’s partner without success,
discrepancy is important, as is “rolling with
there are no other professionals involved with the
resistance”, which we’ll explore below.
partner and you have no historical information
It’s crucial to let the man tell you his story, so you from the partner regarding his abusive behaviour,
can understand the beliefs and attitudes that you should consider what her account of what he
underlie his behaviour. This doesn’t mean tells you might have been.
colluding. Reflect that you are listening and trying
When working with perpetrators on a behavioural
to understand his perspective, not that you agree
change programme it will be important to
with it.
familiarise yourself with the Scottish Government’s
Once you understand his beliefs and attitudes you Community Payback Order Practice Guidance
can help him develop discrepancy. Ask him to which contains helpful instruction around
describe the father/man he wants to be. Ask him engaging with perpetrators and their partners.
to look at which behaviours, attitudes and beliefs
are getting in the way of that.

“Rolling with resistance”11 is simply recognising that

direct confrontation is unlikely to work. He is likely
to batten down the hatches, It is better to say,

11
Miller, W.R., and Rollnick, S. Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People To Change Addictive Behavior. New York: Guilford Press,
1991.

16
8. Perpetrators as fathers

A crucial step in our journey away from the failure Five-minute reflection
to protect discourse is to hold men to account for
their actions as fathers.
• How can engaging with men
If a father exercises coercive control, he has made lead to better assessments?
the choice to do so, and as such it must be viewed
as a parenting choice. More positively, the • Why is it important to involve
experience of perpetrator programmes is that the survivor in any work with
being a better father is one of the most positive
motivating factors at our disposal, so focusing on the perpetrator?
being the best father he can be should be a major • Is direct confrontation likely to
focus of behavioural change work. be effective?
It is essential to a GIRFEC and child-centred • Do we routinely hold men and
approach that we hold men to account for their
abusive behaviour in every forum where the
women to equal standards of
welfare of their children is discussed. When parenting?
planning a child protection case conference, for
example, ensure the father is invited and include
his criminal justice social worker if he has one.
In this context, while acknowledging their abusive
behaviour is unacceptable, it’s less about
condemning perpetrators for their actions and
more about building working relationships with
fathers so that they can begin to be open about –
and be accountable for – their behaviour.

It is also likely to ensure that child protection

agencies make more accurate and comprehensive
assessments of men’s parenting and risk to
children. The focus must always be on his
behaviour and on promoting behavioural change.

17
PART 3: MODELS OF INTERVENTION

There are different models of intervention, The Safe & Together™ approach can easily be
designed to support women, children and men. imposed on our existing processes and systems –
Here we will summarise two which are in use in it simply requires us to think differently about what
parts of Scotland, and which have the backing of we already do. It fits well with other models
the Scottish Government. currently in use and encourages us to move away
from looking at individual incidents of abuse, to
identifying patterns of behaviour, and exploring
1. The Safe and Together ™ Model their impact on the family. Because it not only
considers safety, but wider wellbeing, it fits with
Getting It Right For Every Child
(GIRFEC) and enshrines the SHANARI
indicators.
Remember that domestic abuse
perpetration is a parenting choice.
The Safe & Together™ Model
advocates that where children are
involved, and their safety is being
considered to keep the perpetrator’s
actions at the fore. Explore his
parenting choices, identify how his
actions are impacting on the family.

Try to adopt a ‘perpetrator pattern-

! based approach’ (Mandel, 2019)12.
©2019 Safe & Together Institute
www.safeandtogetherinstitute.com
This is more than a’ perpetrator
engagement’ approach which has a
limited focus on the practice of finding
The Safe & Together™ Model is an internationally and meeting with the perpetrator. A perpetrator
recognised suite of tools and interventions pattern-based approach is applied regardless of
designed to help child welfare professionals whether the perpetrator is engaged or not.
become domestic abuse informed. The Scottish
Programme for Government 2019-2020 has It has the following characteristics:
outlined a commitment to promote the principles 1) the perpetrator’s pattern of behaviour and
of the Safe & Together™ Model and over half the choices are identified as the sole source of the
local authorities in Scotland have undertaken harm to children caused by domestic abuse
training in how to use the Safe & Together™ tools 2) the perpetrator is exclusively responsible for
and approach.  their own behaviours and choices
3) it applies high standards for men as parents,
This child-centred model derives its name from and
the concept that children are best served when we 4) it understands the foundation of good child-
can work toward keeping them safe and together centred domestic abuse practice rests on the
with the non-offending parent (the adult domestic ability to describe the specific behaviours of
abuse survivor). The Safe & Together™ Model the domestic abuse perpetrator and their
provides a framework for partnering with domestic impact on child and family functioning.
abuse survivors and intervening with domestic
abuse perpetrators in order to enhance the safety “When domestic violence is the concern the
and wellbeing of children. perpetrator and his behaviour are the foundational
source of the risk and safety concerns for children
NOT the adult survivor or her behaviour.”13

12
Mandel, D. (2019). Safe & Together Model: Glossary of Terms. Safe & Together Institute.
13
Mandel, D. (2019). Safe & Together Model: CORE Training Participant Guide. Safe & Together Institute

19
– Try to hold a perpetrator pattern-based 2. Working with perpetrators: the
approach: Caledonian System
– At case conferences
– At core groups The Caledonian System is an approach to working
– At children’s hearings with perpetrators that has been developed in
– In case notes and reports Scotland. It combines a court-ordered programme
– In conversations with other professionals for men, aimed to bring about behaviour change,
– In conversations with family members with services for women and children. There are
moves to develop it further to include a non-court
The Safe & Together Institute is dedicated to: mandated programme, but so far only one local
authority is offering this.
l Advancing inquiry, knowledge, practice and
collaboration related to a perpetrator pattern- The key principles of the Caledonian System are:
based approach within the intersection of
l A ‘systems approach’. Working with men in
domestic abuse and children
isolation is potentially dangerous in terms of
l Developing a network of professionals,
raising risk to women. The approach advocates
organisations and communities that work
working with the whole family, and combining
together to create domestic abuse informed-
services for men, women and children.
child welfare and related systems
l Working towards ‘good lives’. The approach
doesn’t just focus on the abusive behaviours, it
It does this by providing:
looks at how men can be motivated to achieve
l Organisational Assessment & Consultation goals for a better life.
l CORE and Advanced Training l An ‘ecological model’ of behaviour. The model
l Mapping and Other Practice Tools takes account of wider structures and systems
l Coach and Trainer Certification and takes account of, for example, social
l Advocate Certification stereotypes about gender roles and how these
l Data and Research might impact on abusive behaviours.
l E - Courses

Core elements of the Caledonian System are:

Want to know more? l A Men’s Programme. This lasts at least two

years, is highly structured and is delivered by
To read more about: case managers and group workers.
l A Women’s Service. This offers information,
safety planning, advice and emotional support
• The Safe & Together Model visit:
to partners and ex-partners of men on the Men’s
www.safeandtogetherinstitute.com Programme. Women are under no obligation to
• For online learning and resources take part in this, and it’s provided by dedicated
visit: women’s workers.
https://academy.safeandtogetherinstit l A Children’s Service. This aims to ensure the
needs and rights of children are upheld. It is
ute.com
provided by dedicated children’s workers.
• Safe & Together Events in the UK visit:
https://safeandtogetherinstitute.com/
events-main/europe
Want to know more?
Or contact Anna Mitchell, Safe & To read more about:
Together Institute UK Lead –
annamitchell@safeandtogetherinstitute For more details about Caledonian and
.com how it works visit:
www.gov.scot/publications/caledonian
-system-evaluation-analysis-
programme-tackling-domestic-abuse-
scotland/pages/1

20
Appendix A

This practice guide is underpinned by the following legislation, principles and codes.

l The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act l The overarching principles of social

2018. Controlling, coercive and work – respect for worth and dignity,
manipulative behaviour is now fully for diversity, doing no harm, and
recognised as an offence, account is upholding human rights and justice
taken of the damage and hurt that non- www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-
physical abuse can cause, and includes work/global-definition-of-social-work
abuse carried out by former as well as
current partners. It has been described l The Scottish Social Services Council
as ‘world leading’ legislation which (SSSC) Codes of Practice for Social
‘could change Scotland forever’. We Service Workers and Employers
need to ensure that our practice reflects www.sssc.uk.com/the-scottish-social-
the positive change to the legislative services-council/sssc-codes-of-
landscape. practice
www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2018/5/co
ntents/enacted l BASW Code of Ethics. All BASW/SASW
members sign up to this code, which
l Allpolicies and procedures established has underpinned social work practice
by the Scottish Government in respect since 1975.
to the welfare and protection of www.basw.co.uk/about-basw/code-
children and adults. ethics

l Equally Safe: joint Scottish Government

and COSLA strategy to prevent and
eradicate violence against women and
girls
www.gov.scot/publications/equally-
safe-scotlands-strategy-prevent-
eradicate-violence-against-women-gir
ls/pages/1

l United Nations Convention on the

Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and
European Convention on Human Rights
(ECHR). Domestic abuse is a human and
children’s rights issue.
www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-
convention-child-rights
www.echr.coe.int/Documents/
Convention_ENG.pdf

21
Appendix B – Example of a Child’s Safety Plan

22
23
Appendix 3 – Example of a Young Persons Safety Plan

24
References

BASW Code of Ethics Scottish Government (2018) Equally Safe:

www.basw.co.uk/about-basw/code-ethics Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating
violence against women and girls.
Broadhurst, K. and Mason, C. (2017). Birth Parents www.gov.scot/publications/equally-safe-
and the Collateral Consequences of Court- scotlands-strategy-prevent-eradicate-violence-
ordered Child Removal: Towards a Comprehensive against-women-girls/pages/1
Framework. International Journal of Law, Policy
and the Family, 31 (1), pp. 41–59. Scottish Government (2019) Domestic Abuse
Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 2017-
Femicide Census: 2017 Findings. Annual Report on 2018.www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents
UK Femicides 2017. Women’s Aid. /govscot/publications/statistics/2018/11/domest
www.womensaid.org.uk/what-we- ic-abuse-recorded-police-scotland-2017-
do/campaigning-and-influencing/femicide- 18/documents/00543362-pdf/00543362-
census pdf/govscot%3Adocument/00543362.pdf
Hart, R & L (2019) Operation Lighthouse: National Guidance for Child Protection in
Reflections on our family’s devastating story of Scotland, 2014 (This is currently under revision,
coercive control and domestic homicide. Seven due for publication in 2020)
Dials. https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-
Johnson, MP (2010) A typology of domestic guidance-child-protection-scotland/
violence: Intimate terrorism, violent resistance and Robins, R. & Cook, K. (2018) ‘Don’t Even Get Us
situational couple violence. Northeastern Started on Social Workers’: Domestic Violence,
University Press Social Work and Trust – An Anecdote from
Katz, E (2016) Beyond the physical incident Research. British Journal of Social Work (2018) 48,
model: how children living with domestic 1664-1681.
violence are harmed by and resist regimes of Witt et al (2018) Social workers’ attitudes towards
coercive control. Child Abuse Review, 25(1), female victims of domestic
pp.46-59  violence: A study in one English local authority.
Mandel, D. (2019). Safe & Together Model: CORE Child & Family Social Work, Wiley.
Training Participant Guide. Safe & Together UNISON Scotland & SASW (2018) Refuge and
Institute Asylum in Scotland: social work support a human
Mandel, D. (2019). Safe & Together Model: Glossary right not an administrative burden.
of Terms. Safe & Together Institute. www.basw.co.uk/resources/refuge-and-asylum-
scotland-guidance-no-recourse-public-funds
‘Mikey and Jools Keep Safe’ (2011) Cedar Network
www.cedarnetwork.org.uk/for- Safe Young Lives: Young People and domestic
practitioners/mikey-jools-animation abuse.
http://safelives.org.uk/sites/default/files/resourc
Miller, W.R., and Rollnick, S. Motivational es/Safe%20Young%20Lives%20web.pdf
Interviewing: Preparing People To Change
Addictive Behavior. New York: Guilford Press, 1991.

Mullender at al (2002) Children’s Perspectives on

Domestic Violence. SAGE Publications Ltd.

National Rural Crime Network (2019) Captive and

Controlled: Domestic Abuse in Rural Areas.
www.ruralabuse.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2019/07/Domestic-Abuse-in-
Rural-Areas-National-Rural-Crime-Network.pdf

NHS Education for Scotland (2017) Transforming

Psychological Trauma: a Knowledge and Skills
Framework for the Scottish Workforce
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/media/3971582/nationaltra
umatrainingframework.pdf

25
 Other Resources
Further Reading

Barter, C, McCarry, M, Berridge, D, & Evans, K General

(2009) Partner exploitation and violence in
teenage intimate relationships. NSPCC. https://womensaid.scot
Scottish Women’s Aid can provide information
Callaghan J, et al. (2015) Beyond
about training and services, and local Women’s Aid
“witnessing”: children’s experiences of
groups across Scotland, as wel as publication and
coercive control in domestic violence and
research.
abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence
https://sdafmh.org.uk 0800 0271234
Devaney, J (2014) Male perpetrators of
Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage
domestic violence: how should we hold them
Helpline, open 24 hours a day
to account? The Political Quarterly, Vol 85,
No. 4, October – December 2014.
www.zerotolerance.org.uk
Zero Tolerance is a Scottish charity working to end
McCarthy, M (2019) ‘All I wanted was a happy
men’s violence against women by promoting
life’: the struggles of women with learning
gender equality and by challenging attitudes which
disabilities to raise their children while also
normalise violence and abuse.
experiencing domestic violence. Journal of
Gender-based Violence, Volume 3, no 1, 101-
https://womenssupportproject.co.uk
17.
The Women’s Support Project is a feminist
Radford, L & Hester, M (2006) Mothering voluntary organisation working to raise awareness
Through Domestic Violence. Jessica Kingsley, of the extent, causes and effect of male violence
London & Philadelphia. against women, and for improved services for
those affected by violence.
Smith, L (2018) Children experiencing
interparental coercive control. ESSS outline, www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk
IRISS. Available at: Rape Crisis Scotland are a charity working to end
www.iriss.org.uk/resources/esss- sexual violence. There are local centres across
outlines/coercive-control Scotland. Free national helpline 08088 010302

Stark, E (2009) Coercive Control: How Men www.scottishwomensrightscentre.org.uk

Entrap Women in Personal Life (Interpersonal The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre provides a
Violence). Oxford University Press. free helpline and face to face confidential legal
advice. 08088 010 789 (see website for opening
hours)

www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/disclosure-
scheme-for-domestic-abuse-scotland
Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland.
Application can be made to check whether
someone has a history of domestic abuse.

https://www.sajescotland.org
Saje Scotland provides support for women in Fife
experiencing domestic abuse, including the
Freedom Programme. Their website has useful
resources including a section on safety planning
for women. They have also published a book: Her-
story Rewritten: true stories of women and girls
surviving partner abuse (2019) Saje Scotland.

Publish Nation www.lulu.com/shop/product-

24275643.html and
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZGFMW4S

26
 https://fearfree.scot
Services for BME women and children Support for people experiencing domestic abuse
who identify as a man or from the LGBT+
https://shaktiedinburgh.co.uk community.
Shakti Women’s Aid is based in Edinburgh and the
Lothians, with an outreach service in Fife, Dundee www.brokenrainbow.org.uk
and Forth Valley. They offer information and support LGBT+ domestic violence charity offering advice
to Black Minority Ethnic women, children and young and support.
people experiencing and/or fleeing domestic abuse.

https://mwrc.org.uk OlderPeople
Older people
Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre Awareness
raises awareness, trains and campaigns to address www.wearehourglass.scot/scotland
key issues and needs of Muslim women and girls Hourglass are working to protect older people
living in Scotland, including VAWG. from all forms of harm, abuse and neglect,
including domestic abuse.
www.hematgryffe.org.uk
Based in Glasgow, Hemat Gryffe Women’s Aid www.safelives.org.uk/spotlight-1-older-people-
provide support and refuge services for BME women and-domestic-abuse
and children experiencing domestic abuse. A spotlight on older people who experience
domestic abuse. Website includes link to their
Children report which has policy and practice
Children recommendations.
www.cedarnetwork.org.uk Allcock, A (2018) Older women and domestic
The Cedar Network. Cedar is a unique way of abuse. ESSS Outline, IRISS.
working with women and children who have www.iriss.org.uk/resources/esss-outlines/older-
experienced domestic abuse. As well as useful women-abuse
information and resources, the website contains
contact details for local Cedar projects in 11 areas
across Scotland. Womenwith
Women withDisabilities
disabilities
https://womensaid.scot/information- Of course, women with disabilities can access all the
support/children-young-people services above, but below are some specialist
Information about children’s experiences and ideas resources which might be useful.
on how to help.
www.womensaid.org.uk/the-survivors-
www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of- handbook/the-survivors-handbook-disabled-
abuse/domestic-abuse women
Advice and information if you’re worried about a Information, advice and useful links for disabled
child who might be experiencing domestic abuse. women experiencing domestic abuse.

http://safelives.org.uk/practice_blog/recognisin
AbusedMen
Abused men g-and-supporting-disabled-victims-domestic-
abuse
https://abusedmeninscotland.org A spotlight, including case studies, on the
AMIS provide information and support to men who particular experiences of disabled women
are experiencing or have experienced domestic experiencing domestic abuse.
abuse.
See also Fearfree (below) www.engender.org.uk/content/publications/Our
-bodies-our-rights—-Identifying-and-removing-
barriers-to-disabled-womens-reproductive-
LGBTQI+
LGBTQI+ rights-in-Scoltand.pdf
Report by Engender on disabled women’s rights as
www.galop.org.uk parents. Includes a section on disabled women’s
UK specialist LGBT+ anti-violence charity. Advice, experiences of violence.
support and advocacy to people who have
experienced hate crime, domestic abuse and sexual
violence. Includes National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse
Helpline 0800 999 5428 (see website for opening
times).

27
Cite as: SASW. (2020). Domestic abuse and child welfare: a practice guide for social workers.
Edinburgh. British Association of Social Workers

Users are welcome to quote from this report so long as the source is correctly cited as above,
unattributed quotes are forbidden under copyright protection.

www.basw.co.uk/scotland