Intervening with Domestic Violence Perpetrators: How Focusing on Perpetrators Improves Community- Wide Practice for Families Kristen Selleck, MSW David

Intervening with Domestic Violence Perpetrators: How

Focusing on Perpetrators Improves

Community-Wide Practice for Families

Kristen Selleck, MSWDavid Mandel &Associates, LLC

May 9, 2013

Safe and Together™ Principles

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2

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Keeping children Safe and Together™ with non-offending parent

Safety Healing from trauma Stability and nurturance

Partnering with the non-offending parent as default position

Efficient Effective Child-centered

Intervening with perpetrator to reduce risk and harm to child

Engagement Accountability Courts

(c)2013 David Mandel & Associates LLC Do not reproduce or distribute without permission

Safe and Together™ Critical Components

Perpetrator’s pattern of

coercive control

Actions taken by the perpetrator

to harm the child

Full spectrum of the non-offending

parent’s efforts to promote the safety and well

being of the child

Adverse impact of the

perpetrator’s behavior on the

child

Role of substance

abuse, mental health, culture

and other socio-economic

factors


Actions Taken by the Batterer to Harm the Children

Choosing to expose them to their abusive

behavior

Using children as a

weapon against the children's

other parent

Undermining the other person's

parenting efforts

Accidentally causing

physical harm to children as a result of the

violence towards non-

offending parent

Physical/sexual/

emotional abuse or neglect

perpetrated directly

against the children


Pathways to Harm

Abuse by perpetrator

• Towards non-offending parent

• Direct abuse or neglect of child

• Abuse of siblings

Effect on partner’s parenting

• Depression/PTSD/anxiety/substance abuse

• Loss of authority• Energy goes to

addressing perpetrator instead of children

• Interference with day to day routine and basic care

Effects on family ecology

• Loss of income• Housing

instability• Loss of contact

with extended family

• Educational and social disruptions

Harm to child


Practice Implications• Direct practice with

survivorso Strengths-basedo Trauma informedo Supports needs of

children/parentingo Perpetrators’ behaviors as

context

• Direct practice with perpetratorso Behavior change is the goalo Focus on the impact on

childreno Monitor over timeo Informed by experiences of

children and survivors


• Screeningo Trauma-based behaviors and

needso DV context for working with

individuals with various needs

• Interviewing/Engagingo Focus on perpetrators’ behaviors,

strengths of survivors and needs of children

• Direct practice with childreno Relationship between children and

survivorso Relationship between children and

perpetratorso Traumao Behavioral issues

Group Activity: Discussion Questions

• What current practices (in your own and/or other systems) can be amended to focus on perpetrators’ exclusive role in harming children?


Intervening with Perpetrators

• Direct

• Community-based

• Indirect

• Through child-centered practices


Direct Interventions with Perpetrators


• Interviewing with Purpose• Documenting behaviors• Family conferences/team meetings• Referrals to BIP with details about behaviors• Juvenile/Dependency court proceedings• Discussing concerns and plans with:

o Providerso Law enforcemento Criminal court personnel (including prosecutors)o Probation officers

Case Plan Recommendations


• For the perpetrator: Batterer Intervention (rather than anger management, individual therapy or couples’ counseling); Substance Abuse or Mental Health Treatment (when necessary); behavior-specific goals (to end violent behaviors and provide safety and for basic needs of children)

• For the survivor: Continue efforts to provide for the safety and well-being of children; to know about available resources (domestic violence advocates, shelter, therapy for self or children); to continue to inform child welfare of perpetrator’s behaviors

Case Plan Recommendations, Continued


• To avoid: Case plans that ask both partners to end the perpetrator’s behaviors (Example: Mom and Dad should not engage in further DV); Case plans that overburden survivors with services simply because the perpetrator is not working with CPS; Case plans that do not take into account batterer-generated risks

• Making victims responsible for perpetrators’ behaviors is both dangerous and counterproductive to child welfare’s goals

Batterer Intervention Treatment Issues


• Counseling should focus on stopping the abuseo Behavior change is the priority

• Anger management, couples counseling and individual counseling are problematic with domestic violence perpetrators

• Communication between provider and CPS is critical to avoid the batterer manipulating either partyo Share with program what you know about the batterer's pattern

of coercive control and actions to harm the children.o Share what your goals for the batterer are

• Substance treatment is best done at the same time (if possible)

Community Based Interventions

• Regardless of whether you or your system directly intervenes with perpetrators, you are part of a community that does

• Perpetrators are more likely to change behaviors when there is a clear coordinated response by community partners


Calling criminal court or probation

Working with law enforcement

Informing batterer intervention

providers about batterer behaviors

Talk to substance abuse and mental health providers

Interview the perpetrator about the impact of their

behaviors on children

Have a family conference with the

perpetrator’s resources related to

behavior change


Indirect Interventions with Perpetrators

• Documentation

• Discussion with those who are working with perpetrators

• Use knowledge of perpetrators’ behaviors to guide practice with survivors and children

• Provide context to issues in the family functioning

• Understanding the role of the perpetrator at all times (in relationship, post-separation, new relationship)


Child-Centered Interventions with

Perpetrators• Is this best for the children?• Does it take into account the safety of the

children in various circumstances?• Does it take into account situation changes?• Does it take into account the trauma children

have experienced/ could potentially experience?• Does it improve the relationship between

survivors and children?• Does it allow for stability for the children?• Does it allow for the children to safely talk about

their experiences?


Documents

Intervening with Domestic Violence Perpetrators: How Focusing on Perpetrators Improves Community- Wide Practice for Families Kristen Selleck, MSW David