Research
NEW! (May 2010) Respect practice guidance on assessing who is doing what to whom in domestic violence
Sometimes it is very clear from the evidence from clients who is the person using abuse and who is the victim. Sometimes, if there is some suggestion that both parties have used some violence or abusive behaviour, it can be challenging to assess who is doing what, to whom and with what consequences for risk and safety. This then presents challenges to practitioners when trying to decide on the most appropriate intervention.
Research and practice evidence can help practitioners to make sense of this. Some research has helped to identify key differences between violence as a perpetrator and violence used by victims as self defence or as resistance to abuse being perpetrated against them (Johnson, 2008; Bell, 2003). Our practice experience in programmes, on the Men's Advice Line for male victims and on the Respect Phoneline for male and female perpetrators has helped us to identify key questions and evidence which can help practitioners to use the lessons of research in practice. The preparation of the toolkit for working with male victims provided a further opportunity to review the evidence and identify practice implications. Reviews of research on male victims have been particularly helpful (Bell, 2003; Kimmel, 2003). The legislation on assault also helps to make clear that some forms of violence constitute self defence and are therefore legal, though not advisable for safety, as in the context of intimate partner violence they often increase risk (Johnson, 2008).
During the preparation of the male victims' toolkit it became very clear that there are significant dangers associated with incorrect identification of who is doing what to whom and with what consequences. If victims are incorrectly identified as perpetrators, for example, this decreases their access to appropriate protection and reduces their trust in helping agencies. If perpetrators are incorrectly identified as victims, this increases the extent to which they feel that they can continue to abuse without consequences, which increases risks to victims and to children. Both incorrect identifications also risk practitioners making incorrect and ineffective referrals to perpetrator programmes.
We have therefore combined our understanding of current rigorous research on different contexts for violence in an intimate relationship to produce practice guidance to help inform assessments, in order to help protect victims and children better, to make more appropriate referrals and to identify more thoroughly the sources of risk. The guidance is an extract from a section of the male victims' toolkit and further assessment forms and tools are available by purchasing a copy of the tool kit. This guidance went through two rounds of consultation with Respect members, other relevant practitioners and policy makers and a consultation workshop of practitioners, researchers and policy makers at the National Practitioners' Network in Bristol in October 2009, facilitated by Professor Ed Gondolf, who as well as being a highly respected researcher in this field has also extensive practice experience in the USA. Respect staff consulted Ellen Pence, co-founder of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Minneapolis, who has many years' experience developing responses to male and female perpetrators, as well as other researchers such as Michael Johnson. Revisions were made to the guidance following each consultation exercise.
The research evidence for the practice guidance is also available in the male victims' toolkit.
Respect briefing paper on the key evidence about domestic violence perpetrator programmes
Respect members and others have requested a briefing paper summarising the evidence from research about domestic violence perpetrator programmes. This is now ready: download Respect briefing paper on domestic violence perpetrator programmes.
Please feel free to use this for training, presentations, fundraising and other purposes and do let me know how this goes if you do. If you want to request or suggest other briefing papers please contact me on my email address below.
COMING SOON! more Respect briefing papers
New Respect briefing papers on evidence based practice in perpetrator interventions and on the research about perpetrators will be coming soon.
ALSO COMING SOON! Briefing note number 1 from the research team
The researchers carrying out the Respect multi site research project are completing the first briefing note from the pilot year which is just coming to an end. The team interviewed staff, men taking part in group work and partners/ex-partners of men taking part in group work in the five Respect member organisations who are taking part in the research. They asked questions about what counts as success in work with domestic violence perpetrators. Some of you will have seen a presentation of the preliminary findings at the Bristol 2009 National Practitioners' Network.
For further information
Respect Research Manager
Thangam Debbonaire: thangam.debbonaire@respect.uk.net