News
January 2012
New Respect publication
Respect's response to criticisms of our approach to the accreditation of domestic violence perpetrator programmes.
Respect is greatly saddened to learn of the death of Ellen Pence. Ellen was a truly inspirational woman who worked so hard to create responses and interventions which challenge violence against women and girls. We will miss her greatly and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.
'Ellen was an inspiration around the world. She visited the UK often and built up quite a following! Unlike a lot of people with a big following, she was very grounded, not at all grand, full of fun, always pleased (delighted in fact) to tell it like it is. It was always refreshing to see her, she always challenged, always with humour, often at the expense of any powerful men in the audience - senior police officers being her favourite target. Which funnily enough always seemed to go down well with a mainly female, feminist, activist crowd.
When I got the news on Friday night, I went online and watched her speaking at the BISCMI conference. http://www.biscmi.org/wshh/biscmiellenpence2010.html. Not many people get a standing ovation before they start speaking. Her speech is as good a reminder as any what a smart, funny, passionate, inspirational woman she was. The way she threads her cancer experience into the speech is remarkable. "Sometimes I see stupid people" might just become a catchphrase. Here's to an amazing woman. I can't think of anyone who has contributed more. She will be much missed.'
Jo Todd, CEO, Respect
Obituary tribute message courtesy of DAIP:
Ellen Pence (1948-2012) was a scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 17 countries. A leader in both the battered women's movement and the emerging field of institutional ethnography, she was the recipient of numerous awards including the 2008 Society for the Study of Social Problems Dorothy E. Smith Scholar Activist Award for significant contributions in a career of activist research.
Known for her generosity, quick wit and sense of humour, Ellen learned from battered women and has worked with and trained thousands of professionals in the domestic violence field. Her work with men who batter is the basis of DAIP's Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pence graduated from St. Scholastica in Duluth with a B.A. She was active in institutional change work for battered women since 1975, and helped found the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in 1980.
She is credited with creating the Duluth Model of intervention in domestic violence cases, Coordinated Community Response (CCR), which uses an interagency collaborative approach involving police, probation, courts and human services in response to domestic abuse. The primary goal of CCR is to protect victims from ongoing abuse.
Pence received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto in 1996. She used institutional ethnography as a method of organizing community groups to analyze problems created by institutional intervention in families.
She founded Praxis International in 1998 and was the chief author and architect of the Praxis Institutional Audit, a method of identifying, analyzing and correcting institutional failures to protect people drawn into legal and human service systems because of violence and poverty.
Ellen died of breast cancer on January 6, 2012.
Ellen’s Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Pence
December 2011
Seasons greetings from Respect
October 2011
SAVE LEGAL AID CAMPAIGN
In a few days MPs vote on massive changes to the way legal aid works in England. These new rules could mean some vulnerable families are put in even greater danger.
We urge you to take action by writing to your MP today.
Find out more:
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/page.asp?section=0001000100100020§ionTitle=Save+legal+aid
http://www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/policy.php
New date for Working with Young Peoples' Violence in Close Relationships 5 day training course
1st to 2nd and 13th to 15th March 2012 in Bristol.
For more information please click here.
New date for An Introduction to Expert Domestic Violence Risk Assessment course
15 December 2011 in Birmingham.
For more information please click here.
Duty of Care: 'Recognise, Respond, Refer, Record' article. Domestic abuse and the role of employers and HR.
Respect's Neil Blacklock and Nicola Sharp (formerly Refuge) highlight the important role of the employer, and more particularly HR, in supporting employees who experience, or perpetrate, domestic abuse in an article published in the The HR and Training Journal of Public Service.Co.UK. on 10 October 2011.
Article http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=17448
September 2011
Working with Cafcass Referrals
***FREE seminars for members only***
7th October 2011 in York
14th October 2011 in London
Please click here for further information and the booking form.
An Introduction to Expert Domestic Violence Risk Assessment
25th October 2011 in York
This day is for anyone who is considering training to undertake expert domestic violence risk assessments for the family courts. For further information and the booking form please click here.
News from a Respect accredited member
DVIP
Innovative Response to Violence in Families
A half day conference by the Domestic Violence Intervention Project
21st September 2011 - 9.30am-1.30pm. NCVO Building, London, N1 9RL
DVIP have been involved in setting up and delivering innovative services to reduce use of violence within families since 1992.
In the last year these include:
- developing a new approach to working with parents addressing both domestic violence and parenting issues in integrated programmes for men and women.
- supporting Westminster's widely acclaimed pathfinder project 'Family Recovery' by delivering specialist interventions with perpetrators of domestic violence.
- developing an intervention and support service for young people using violence and abuse in intimate relationships and against parents.
We look forward to sharing our learning with colleagues in a half day conference focusing on improving safety for vulnerable children, young people and adults.
Key speakers include:
- Dr Maddy Coy (Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit): Evaluation of Jacana Parenting Programme
- Natasha Bishop (Westminster Family Recovery Project): Benefits of having a domestic violence perpetrator specialist embedded within this multi-disciplinary team
DVIP practitioners will also present details of our current services, including the Yuva Project (young perpetrators); Children's Therapy; Al-Aman (Arabic speaking services).
Cost: £50 voluntary sector; £55 public and health sector; £60 private sector
Buffet lunch is included.
For booking forms or more information please email info@dvip.org or call 020 7928 4620
August 2011
Respect's Men's Advice Line in the Metro - Men are victims of domestic violence too
'As well as practical advice, we provide emotional support and give the victim the space to talk and tell his story. For a lot of men, this is their first opportunity to talk about it'
(Ippo Panteloudakis, Helplines Manager in an interview with Metro newspaper, 24.08.11).
Download: Metro article 24.08.11 (jpeg)
Men's Advice Line - FREEPHONE - 0808 801 0327
Website www.mensadviceline.org.uk
Email info@mensadviceline.org.uk
Respect & Fresh Start - MARAC referrals to Fresh Start, a Domestic Violence Prevention Programme (DVPP)
A new report which reviews and analyses Fresh Start's experience of MARAC as a mechanism to engage perpetrators of domestic violence in behaviour change programmes.
Download: MARAC referrals to Fresh Start (pdf)
July 2011
Domestic violence perpetrators - Working with the cause of the problem - UPDATED PUBLICATION
We have updated our publication Domestic Violence Perpetrators - Working with the cause of the problem. Please download it (pdf, 67.1 kb) if you want to find out why domestic violence prevention programmes are so important, and, how they make a vital contribution to stopping domestic violence and preventing harm.
The 5th National Practitioner's Network
The 5th Young People's Service Practitioner's Seminar will be held in Nottingham on 5th October 2011 in conjunction with the Nottingham Domestic Violence Forum. As usual we will provide a range of presentations and workshops around new and effective practice in the sector - full details of the line up will be distributed in due course.
If you are interested in booking a place please download the flyer and booking form here.
June 2011
Save legal aid for women experiencing violence
Respect is supporting Rights of Women on a campaign to save legal aid for women experiencing violence.
On Tuesday 21 June the Government published the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill and its response to the consultation on the reform of legal aid in England and Wales. The Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on the same day and is being fast-tracked through Parliament: the second reading will be this Wednesday (29 June).
We urge you to take 5 minutes out to write to your MP nowand let them know that the proposals will have a negative impact on women and are entirely inconsistent with Government commitments on violence against women and girls. Because the Bill is moving so quickly, we have attached a template letter for you to download that you can use to write to your MP (more detail, further help and instructions on how to do this are also available as a download below).
Download: information about the campaign and how you can help
Download: template letter to send to your MP
Thank you for lending your support to this campaign.
Follow us on twitter!
Respect is now on twitter so if you are a fellow tweeter or tweeper and want to keep up to date/stay in touch then you can follow us @RespectUK
Respect in the media
You may have heard reports in the media at the beginning of June about the increase in the number of convictions for female perpetrators for domestic violence related offences. This news led to Respect's Helplines Manager, Ippo Panteloudakis, responding to a series of media requests.
1) Ippo was interviewed live on BBC Radio 5 Breakfast show (hosted by Nicky Campbell & Rachel Burden) on 6th June. Nicola Graham-Kevan also represented her views on this issue.
2) He then did an interview on the United Christian Broadcasters Radio station on Wednesday 8 June on the same topic:
3) And, to round things up Ippo gave a statement to the Barking and Dagenham Post:
Overall it was a good and busy media week!
May 2011
New dates for Risk Assessment Training Level 1 and 2
September 2011 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
October 2011 in London.
For further information please click here.
April 2011
Two new dates for Working with Young People Using Violence in Close Relationships Training
June and November 2011 in London
For further information please click here.
February 2011
New dates for Working with Young People Using Violence in Close Relationships Training
Monday, 4 April to Friday, 8 April 2011
Respect Office, London
For further information on this 5 day course please click here.
January 2011
Notice of Respect's AGM & 10th Birthday celebration
Thursday, 17 February 2011
5pm - 7pm
The Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, London,
183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE
Please click here to download a map.
Respect's AGM will be held after our conference in the hope that as many members as possible will be able to attend. This is your chance to find out more about - and have a say in - Respect's work.
We are offering a £20 discount (1) off the Young People's Violence in Close Relationships conference delegate fee to all Respect members who attend the AGM so we do hope you'll join us.
The AGM is an open meeting, and anyone interested in Respect's work is very welcome to attend. Only Respect members present at the AGM are entitled to vote. If you are not a member, you are very welcome to join up now or on the night if you would like to be able to participate in the voting process and/or benefit from the conference discount. (2)
Business of the AGM
As per the constitution (6.II) the business of the AGM will include:
Considering the reports and accounts of the past year
Copies of the accounts will be presented at the AGM.
Electing the Officers and Members of the Association to the Executive Committee for the next year
The Chair plus a majority of elected representatives must be members of Respect - the remaining elected representatives (i.e. up to 5) need not be Respect members.
Reviewing / revising the rules determining membership subscription for the next year
All motions to revise the constitution and all other motions which affect the general policy or management of the Association
Only members are entitled to propose motions at the AGM. If you are a member and wish to propose a motion, or if you are interested in joining the Executive Committee, please contact Jo Todd, CEO, at jo.todd@respect.uk.net / 020 75490 578 for further details.
Alternatively please download the:
- 12 Essential EC Roles here.
- Trustee job description and person specification here.
- AGM Nominations and Elections Procedure here.
- AGM Motions Procedure here.
- information about the Executive Committee here.
- AGM Nomination Form here.
- AGM Motions Form here.
-AGM Amendment to a Motion Form here.
To read the draft AGM minutes from 22nd October 2009 please download them here.
The deadline for nominations to the Executive Committee and motions is 14 days before the AGM, 3rd February 2011.
(1)Conference delegates will be asked to pay the fee in full up-front. Respect will issue back credit notes for £20, after the AGM has taken place, to all Respect members who attended the business of the AGM.
(2) For details of how to join click here or contact Respect's membership officer for details. Telephone: 020 7022 1801 or email membership.respect@respect.uk.net
November 2010
NEW - Government publishes its strategic narrative to end violence against women and girls
The Government strategic narrative 'Call to end violence against women and girls' is now available to download.
The paper outlines the vision and guiding principle in the following areas:
- Prevent - To prevent violence from happening in the first place by challenging the attitudes and behaviours which foster it and intervening early where possible to prevent it.
- Provide - To provide adequate levels of support where violence does occur.
- Work in Partnership - To work in partnership to obtain the best outcome for victims and their families
- Reduce the risk - To take action to reduce the risk to women and girls who are victims of these crimes and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Download: Strategic narrative to end vawg
NEW - Respect lobbying pack
Respect has produced a new lobbying pack to help support our members. It is intended to help them to make the case for their work during this rocky period.
Click on this link for details: Respect lobbying pack
Report - Lessons Learned from Respect Accreditation Assessments
Respect is half way through the third year of Respect Accreditation (we have completed 24 assessments of organisations providing a Domestic Violence Prevention Programme and an Integrated Support Service) and it's time to take stock of what we have done so far, draw out the lessons and begin the process of renewing the Respect Service Standard and accreditation process, so that it can continue to meet the needs of the sector from April 2011 onwards.
We have produced this report detailing our findings to date.
Download: Lessons Learned from Respect Accreditation Assessments
Accreditation panel decisions
Following an accreditation panel meeting Respect would like to announce, and congratulate, two more members on becoming Respect Accredited providers. They are:
- DVPP (Barnardos North East) and
- Splitz Support Service
Respect would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate several more projects on becoming Providers of Domestic Violence Prevention Programmes (DVPPs) as a Contact Activity. The following organisations now join the full list as recognised approved providers of DVPPs for the Family Courts:
- Bridging to Change - Relate (Greater Manchester South)
- Essex Change - (North Essex Relate)
- InPact - Knowsley Domestic Violence Support Services (Knowsley)
- SAFE Project (Middlesborough)
- STDAPP - (South Tyneside Domestic Abuse Prevention Project)
The Respect Accreditation Status page on this website has been updated to reflect these new developments.
October 2010: Cuts Watch 1 report
Here at Respect we're aware that both the recession and potential future public service cuts are putting some of our members under significant financial pressure. Our first step has been to find out the extent of the problem. We asked all Respect member organisations to fill out a short survey - Cuts Watch - to give us a snapshot of how things are and help inform both our lobbying and member support activities. We have produced a report which summarises the findings so far and are conducting a follow up survey - Cuts Watch 2 - to garner further responses. We will keep members posted with regular updates and are developing resources and tools to assist members in sustaining services.
Download: Cuts Watch 1 Summary Report
October 2010: National conference 2011
On Feb 17th 2011 we'll be running a national conference on young people's violence in close relationships. This will take place in London. We have a number of speakers confirmed. For more information please download the flyer here. If you would like to book a place the booking form is here. Please send all booking forms to sarah.read@respect.uk.net
October 2010: Respect's AGM 2010
Unfortunately due to the cancellation of the NPN in November 2010 we will be changing the date of our AGM. Respect members will be notified as soon as a new date has been arranged.
May 2010: New Respect practice guidance
The Respect practice guidance on identifying who is doing what to whom in intimate partner violence is now available, together with background information about the value and purpose as well as the consultation processes which took place in the production of this practice guidance. You can find out more on the research home page.
May 2010: Respect General Election Pack
Before the General Election, Respect staff produced a pack to support members' contacting their parliamentary candidates. Now that the election is over, this pack is still useful for contacting your local MP and for reference on the policies of the main parties on violence against women, so that you can hold MPs to account. We will be doing the same on a national level with the new ministers.
Download: General Election Pack 2010
April 2010: Frank Mullane offers to talk to perpetrators of domestic violence and the professionals working with them.
Frank tells his family's story of long term domestic abuse which can be seen from the perspective of coercive control as well as encompassing some of the nuances described by Neil Websdale in Familicidal Hearts (Jan 2010) - for example, shame. Frank's sister Julia Pemberton and nephew William Pemberton were murdered by Alan Pemberton before he turned the gun on himself. This tragedy followed unsatisfactory engagement with police after reporting domestic abuse. The talk can be supplemented with slides and Frank is open to direct and probing questions. The talk's length can vary to suit. To contact Frank to find out more please email him info@aafda.org.ukor telephone AAFDA on 07768 386 922. Website: http://www.aafda.org.uk/
February 2010: New Refuge Campaign "Care or Control?"
The campaign, which launched on 10th February, 2010 in time for Valentine's Day, asks women to think about whether their partner's behaviour is caring or controlling.
The 'Care or Control?' campaign features four different adverts which use teddy bears to depict domestic violence. This approach takes a radical departure from the frequently used images of battered women and has been done in the hope that women specifically, and society generally, will be less likely to dismiss the adverts as not being relevant to them personally.
The adverts feature a domineering male bear who holds a love heart with a message written on it. At first glance the bears and hearts mimic the stereotypical bears often given at Valentine's Day as tokens of love. But when read more closely, and in full, the messages are in fact sinister and menacing: 'you FALL FOR ME every time'; 'you will BE MINE forever'; 'ONLY YOU make me do this'; 'I WANT YOU all to myself'. Each of the four adverts explores a different form of controlling behaviour - jealousy, isolation, blame and charm. All adverts raise the question - is the bear in the advert being caring or controlling? All adverts drive readers to www.refuge.org.ukto find out more about the behaviours and take part in the 'Care or Control?' debate.
Acclaimed actress Helena Bonham Carter and long term supporter of Refuge's work says: "The stereotypical view of domestic violence is a woman with bruising, black eyes and broken bones. But sadly through my work with Refuge I've learnt that violence is just one aspect of abuse. Thanks to the support Refuge provides I've met many women who have been controlled in more subtle ways, but who have still lived in fear, walking on eggshells. I believe this campaign has the ability to reach out to thousands upon thousands of women so they can escape years of abuse and a lifetime of misery. I applaud Refuge and hope that everyone will get involved in the 'Care or Control?' debate at http://www.refuge.org.uk/.
November 2009: Man Made: Men, masculinities and equality in public policy
Public policy needs to respond urgently to the problems that men and boys create and the problems that they experience, according to a new report by the Coalition on Men and Boys. This must take place alongside efforts to improve the position and status of women. To go to the official website, please click go to http://www.themenscoalition.org.uk/Welcome.html
The study, Man Made: Men, masculinities and equality in public policy, which was funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Government Equalities Office, was launched at a meeting for MPs and Peers in the House of Lords on Monday, November 2nd.
Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was joined by Peter Baker, Chair, Coalition on Men and Boys, Sandy Ruxton, lead author of the report, Mary-Ann Stephenson of the Women’s National Commission and Dr Neil Wooding, a Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission as speakers at the event.
The report looks in detail at the issues of violence, fatherhood, education, work, and health. It shows that public policy fails to engage with masculinity issues even though recent equality legislation (the gender equality duty) requires the different needs of both sexes to be taken into account. The Coalition on Men and Boys believes that a better understanding of men and masculinity would lead to improved policymaking and service delivery as well as improved outcomes for men, women and children.
To prevent re-offending, every local authority should have a service for men who perpetrate domestic violence, argues the report. The problems men face due to long working hours and difficult-to-access primary health services must be tackled. Fathers need more support to enable them to be fully involved as parents. Schools should do more to educate boys about the need for respect within relationships and towards women and girls.
Men themselves must take more responsibility for promoting gender equality and they have great potential to contribute positively to caring, health, education and anti-violence strategies.
Please click here for more of the official press release
July 2009: Acting Chief Executive Officer Appointed
Respect is delighted to announce that Monica Tuohy is to be Acting CEO, covering while Jo Todd is on maternity leave. Monica has vast experience in the domestic violence sector, having been Director of Camden Women’s Aid for 7 years. She has been an acting/interim CEO 3 times before – for Jewish Women’s Aid, Islington Women’s Aid and London Civic Forum – and is an independent trainer and consultant. Monica begins at Respect on 24th August and Jo will be going on maternity leave on 11 September 2009. From 24th August, you can contact Monica at monica.tuohy@respect.uk.net/020 7022 1802.
11th May 2009: New! consultation on Respect position paper about categories of clients
Respect staff have drafted a position statement on categories of clients who present or are referred as perpetrators or victims of intimate partner violence or as both. We are trying to create a model of identification and assessment which will help guide specialist and non-specialist practitioners, whether they are working with men or women, people who are affected by intimate partner violence or using it. This position paper will help to inform work with male victims, female perpetrators and with clients whose domestic violence status is not initially clear.
We would like the views of practitioners, researchers, policy makers and anyone else who feels that they have useful experience, knowledge or insights to contribute. The consultation period is until 30th June 2009. Please send comments back to thangam.debbonaire@respect.uk.net before then.
Download the draft position paper on categories of clients
Download the consultation questions
February 2009: research team appointed!
We are delighted to announce that after a lengthy and rigorous process we have appointed a team of researchers to carry out the longitudinal research on the outcomes for women's safety of men's participation in accredited community based domestic violence intervention programmes in the UK. The successful team are: Professor Liz Kelly, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, London Metropolitan University; Dr Nicole Westmarland and Simon Hackett, Durham University; Dr Charlotte Watts and Dr Cathy Zimmerman, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The team are refining their proposed plan at the moment and will be presenting this to the independent advisory group at the first meeting in early April. Full details will be posted on the evaluation page in due course. In the mean time, the evaluation page contains the report of the seminar with Professor Gondolf in December for practitioners as well as other research news.
April 2008. Respect Accreditation application pack
The Respect accreditation system is now live as of 1st April 2008. In order to decide if your organisation is ready for accreditation, you can complete the self assessment workbook (link below). Use this to assess for yourself what you might need to do to be ready.
You can also download the full application pack (link below). This includes a checklist, application forms, guidance about the process and the desktop review list.
You should refer to the Respect Accreditation Standard (link below) for all the requirements your organisation must fulfil in order to become accredited.
There is further information on the Accreditation Page.
Download: Respect Accreditation - Self assessment workbook.doc
Download: Respect Accreditation - Application pack and desktop review list.doc