29/4/2008 - Help for children caught up in domestic violence : Cumbria County Council

The harm caused to children by domestic violence will be the subject of a major conference in Carlisle next Wednesday (30 April).

The event will see leaders in the field from across the UK gather at Carlisle Racecourse to explore ways to provide the best help and support to children who are exposed to violence in the home.

The conference, hosted by Cumbria’s Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and Cumbria Domestic Violence Strategic Management Board (DVSMB) will feature Davina James-Hanman, the director of the Greater London Domestic Violence Project, domestic violence consultant Sandra Patton, as well as the county council's Children's Services Director Moira Swann, and Annette Hennessy, Acting Chief Officer Cumbria Probation Area, and chair of the CDVSMB

Cumbria’s safeguarding children board is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of local work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The domestic violence management board is responsible for implementing a coordinated response to domestic violence in Cumbria.

The aim of the conference will be to discuss what work is being done, and what needs to be done in the future.

The day will begin with talks from a variety of partners on the impact and frequency of domestic violence and its effects on children and families. They will look at ways of providing a better service to victims and will be reviewing the safeguarding procedures. The afternoon will conclude with workshop activities on how the policies should be put into practice and what support partners can offer children and young people who are affected by domestic violence.

•In 90% of domestic violence cases children are in the same or next room

•A study in 2003 found that domestic violence affects 66% of children on the child protection register and 58% of those are looked after full time

•Many children are being identified by Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) as being in need of support

•Recent surveys of young people have shown that 42% know girls who have been hit by their boyfriends and that 50% of young men and 33% of young women said it was OK to hit a woman or force her to have sex in some circumstances.

Anne Ridgeway is Associate Director of Children Services for clinical governance and sexual health at Cumbria PCT, and the chair of the safeguarding board. She said:

"All children witnessing domestic violence are being emotionally abused. They can experience both short and long term cognitive behavioural and emotional effects.

"Children are individuals and may respond in different ways such as depression to physical symptoms, aggression or self harm. They may also feel angry, guilty, insecure, alone, frightened, powerless and confused.

"We do not want children in Cumbria to be growing up in this way".

The county council's Children's Services Director Moira Swann will be opening the conference. She also has statutory responsibility for the work of the board. She said:

"Ensuring that children are kept safe is at the very heart of the work of the safeguarding board.

"We know that the outcomes for children growing up in violent homes are worse than for those that don't grow up in such surroundings.

"It is down to all the board's agencies to work together to reduce incidents of domestic violence in all families - especially where children are involved.

"This means working to try and reduce the number of situations that are likely to lead to violence, but it also means dealing robustly with incidents that do occur.

"The safeguarding board and its partners are working hard to ensure that all staff understand the issues and respond appropriately - giving support to victims and their children, as well as dealing with the behaviour of those carrying out the violence."

Annette Hennessy is Chief Officer of Probation for Cumbria, and chair of the Cumbria Domestic Violence Strategic Management Board. She said:

"The only way to provide an effective service to children is for partners to work together to provide and organised, serious response to domestic violence to protect children and victims."

Media enquiries to Alison Lister 01228 606335. Please contact to arrange interviews etc; below are case studies which Penny Scott from Let Go is happy to talk about, but unfortunately we are not able to provide young people who have experienced domestic violence first hand.

Ian, 15, is the eldest of four children. He lives with his mother and stepfather, who is the father of the younger two children, in a small rural community. The family are comfortably off and seen as respectable within the village. The stepfather is regularly physically violent towards Ian's mother, usually on a Friday evening after the pub. He is also demanding, controlling and bullying towards the children. Ian is a particular target as stepfather sees him as a challenge when Ian stands up for his mum, and he calls him names and humiliates him in front of the rest of the family. Ian never asks mates around as he would hate them to see what goes on at home and how the family are treated.

Ian feels angry with his stepdad, and sometimes with his mum for putting up with it. He feels ashamed that he can't protect his mum. Sometimes he feels he'd like to smash his stepdad's face in, but he hates feeling like this and is afraid that he may grow up to be like his stepdad.

Nobody outside the family knows what is going on and Ian has no one to talk to about his fear, anger and shame.

Leanne, six, has grown up in a family which suffers from multiple deprivation including frequent and extreme physical violence from her father to her mother. This is either within hearing or in front of Leanne's eyes. On one occasion the assault left her mother unconscious and bleeding in front of the child and her brother. Both parents use drugs and alcohol and mother rarely has the energy to give any affection, and often even basic care, to her daughter.

The only person who seems to think about being kind to Leanne, talking to her or making sure she has some breakfast, is her brother, who is eight years old.

Leanne tries to act as if everything is fine and she is always smiling. She draws pictures of little houses with smoke coming out of the window and happy families standing outside the door.

Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children Board has the lead responsibility in the county to coordinate and ensure the effectiveness of local work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The agencies on the board are Connexions Cumbria, Cumbria County Council, the Police, NHS, National Probation Service, cafcass, Cumbria PCT, Cumbria Youth offending Service and the Learning and Skills Council. For further information go to http://www.cumbrialscb.com/

The Cumbria Domestic Violence Partnership was established in 2003. its main aim is to ensure high quality domestic violence services are consistent throughout the county. The partnership brings together expertise, resources and commitment, partners from statutory , voluntary and private sectors, and managers, practitioners, communities, districts, Crime and Disorder Reduction partnerships, and local councillors.

Biographical details of speakers:

Corporate Director –Children’s Services Moira has the statutory lead responsibility for all Children’s Services, partnership working of Children’s Trust and Safeguarding Children in Cumbria.

Moira has been in Cumbria for 2 years, taking up her current post in 2005. She moved to Cumbria from Hertfordshire where she was Deputy Director of Children’s Services.

Hertfordshire was the first County in Europe to integrate their Children’s Services in 2001. It provided a great learning opportunity for moving to Cumbria to lead the Every Child Matters agenda.

Sandra is currently funded by the Scottish Executive as a Domestic Abuse Training & Prevention worker with South Ayrshire Women’s Aid. She also works extensively across Scotland as a freelance Domestic Abuse training consultant.

Sandra’s experience of working in the field of Domestic Abuse spans over 18 years, working in refuge as a children’s support worker, as a multi agency domestic abuse trainer and as a prevention worker within primary and secondary education.

Sandra was a member of the Working Groups that produced Scotland’s National Domestic Abuse Strategy and National Training Strategy. In 2002 she carried out research with pupils in secondary school called ‘Raising the Issue.’ This study was the first of its kind, in the U.K., to look at Domestic Abuse prevalence within the mainstream teenage population.

Her presentation will look in detail at children’s experiences of domestic abuse, and will aim to help practitioners consider how our services and our individual responses and attitudes impact on the lives of children & young people who have experienced Domestic Abuse.

Director of the Greater London Domestic Violence Project

Davina James-Hanman is currently employed as the first Director of the Greater London Domestic Violence Project, which she took up following five years at the London Borough of Islington as the first local authority Domestic Violence Co-ordinator in the UK. In her current position, she has responsibility for developing and implementing the London Domestic Violence Strategy for the Mayor of London.

She has worked in the field of domestic violence for over two decades in a variety of capacities including advocate, campaigner, conference organiser, crisis counsellor, policy officer, project manager, refuge worker, researcher, trainer and writer. She has published innumerable articles and two book chapters, both on different aspects of inter-agency work and formerly acted as the DoH policy lead on domestic violence.

She has also worked as a Consultant for a variety of public and voluntary sector organisations and Domestic Violence Inter-Agency Fora. In addition, she is an Associate Tutor for Centrex, the National Police Training Agency, an external examiner for the post-graduate certificate in domestic violence at the University of Westminster, a member of the Attorney-General’s Diversity Advisory Group and acted as Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into domestic violence (2007/08).

Acting Chief Officer –Cumbria Probation

Annette Hennessy has worked for the Probation Service since 1982 initially in Lancashire and for the past seven years in Cumbria.

She has worked in field teams and prison as a main-grade officer and manager. Since coming to Cumbria as Assistant Chief Officer, Annette has Chaired the Domestic Violence Strategic Management Board. The work of the Board, it's partners and Cumbria is widely recognised regionally and nationally as leading the way on the Co-ordinated Community Response to domestic violence. Safeguarding children from domestic violence is a priority for the Board.

Latterly, Annette has become the Acting Chief Officer for Cumbria Probation Area.

Commissioning Manager –Attendance and Exclusion Children’s Services, Cumbria County County Council

Stephen started his career as a residential care worker looking after children with complex and multiple disabilities. In 1986 he gained his Certificate of Qualification in Social Work at Northumberland University. He spent his first two years as a qualified Social worker, working in Harrogate District Hospital as a Medical Social Worker, from there he moved to Bradford Education. At Bradford he worked as a therapeutic Social Worker in Education working with families and children whose emotional and social needs were having a negative impact on the child’s or young person’s education. In the nine years he worked with Bradford, he developed the authorities Anti Bullying Policy and strategy, as well as a Crisis and Bereavement response team. In 1998 Stephen moved to Kirklees MC and took up a new post of Attendance Support Manager, leading a small team taking a systemic look at the role and contribution schools as organisations could make to improving school attendance. He became a visiting lecturer of Huddersfield University and undertook joint studies with the University’s school of Social Work Evaluation.

In September 2004 he moved to Cumbria as Senior Education Officer –Attendance and Exclusions, leading a successful Education Welfare Service, Stephen is also a member of a number of task groups that are developing and rolling out Cumbria’s new Children’s Services. Stephen sits on many of the LSCB sub groups, and on the MAPPA, Youth Offending and Domestic Violence Boards.

Penny manages the Let Go Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy Service for the North Cumbria area and is employed by Impact Housing Association. She represents the Service on the Cumbria Domestic Violence Strategic Management Board and on local partnership initiatives developing services for people affected by domestic violence in North Cumbria.

Penny was involved in the group which set up the Women's Aid Refuge in Wigan in the late 1970's and went on to study social work and gained a degree in social administration.

She has worked as a social worker and senior social worker with children's teams in Merseyside and Cumbria, and has also worked in supported accommodation for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. She also worked for the National Youth Advocacy service as an independent advocate for children leaving care, and through Cumbria Social Services, ran a peer group support group for parents struggling to manage their children's behaviour

Local Safeguarding Children's Board Multi-agency Trainer

Liz comes from a predominantly Education and Psychology background. Having graduated in Psychology, Liz went to Greece for ten years, working for the British Council, as a teacher and then a teacher trainer.

On her return to Britain, she worked in various adult prisons as a psychology teacher, mostly with sex offenders.

Liz then moved to the juvenile estate and was a teacher and then education manager in several young offender institutions.

In her last establishment, she was a member of the Senior Management Safeguarding team, whereby much of her remit was to chair internal case conferences.

She came to post as the Multi Agency Safeguarding Trainer in Cumbria, in January 2007.

Peter graduated from Nottingham University in 1960 with a degree in Industrial Economics. He then moved into ‘unattached’ youth work and later graduated as a social worker at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He worked for three years in New York, USA, as a social worker in a residential treatment centre for emotionally disturbed children, Hawthorne Cedar Knowles School.

In 1967 he returned to England to train for four years at the Anna Freud Clinic as a child psychoanalyst. Following qualification, he continued to work at the Anna Freud Clinic, and also had a variety of sessional posts in Brixton, Hoxton and Camberwell Child Guidance Units and at the Brent Consultation Centre. He became Principal Child Psychotherapist in Camberwell Health Authority and Senior Clinical Tutor in the Institute of Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital Children’s Department. Later, he became Consultant Psychotherapist at the Peper Harow therapeutic community and Director of the Brandon Centre, a psychotherapy and counselling centre for young people in London.

From April 1992 until his retirement in February 2004, he was the Director of YoungMinds the children’s mental health charity. He was a founder member of this charity and led its development to becoming an established authority in the field of child and adolescent mental health. He served on numerous committees and enquiries in relation to national developments in child and adolescent mental health service provision. He lectured widely throughout the country on a range of subjects relating to child development and organisational and service developments.

For the last three years he has served as Clinical Adviser to The Place to Be, a voluntary organisation the provides a comprehensive counselling and psychotherapy service in primary schools in England and Scotland. He also practices as a consultant to child and adolescent mental health services and child psychotherapy. He has written numerous papers and chapters which appear in various journals and books. He has also written ‘YoungMinds in our Schools’, published (2003) by YoungMinds,London.