Dear Sir/Madam
Freedom of Information request- ref OCE121144
Thank you for your request for information which we received on 22 December. In your request, you asked for the following information:
Description of information sought and responses as follows:
1. Do you have a domestic violence strategy?
• If so, who holds responsibility for the strategy?
• Please include a copy of the strategy, or a web link, if you haveone.
Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum develops successive three year multi-agency strategies for domestic violence on behalf of Wolverhampton. The current strategy is in draft format as it has been agreed that it will be extended to incorporate all the elements of the government's Violence Against Women and Girls (and Men and Boys) Strategy covering domestic and sexual violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and so called honour crimes.
2. Do you have a functioning domestic violence partnership withinthe authority?
• If so, who is included in that partnership?
• Do you work with the local police force to seek referrals aboutdomestic conflict?
or violent incidents to which police are called –even if this does not result in the
bringing of charges or arrest?
Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum (WDVF) is the local domestic violence partnership arrangement. The Forum has an Executive Board that consists of Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust, Soroptomists International of Wolverhampton, Aquarius (voluntary sector alcohol addiction service), Wolverhampton Homes (Social Landlord), The Haven Wolverhampton (local domestic violence specialist service for women and children), Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust, West Midlands Police, Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust, Platform 51, Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service, Wolverhampton DV Forum, and Wolverhampton City Council representatives from its Safeguarding Service, Children’s Centres, Housing Service, Healthy Schools, Children & Young People’s Service, and Social Care.
WDVF is a membership organisation, so in addition to its Executive Board it organises quarterly themed meetings to raise awareness of issues regarding domestic violence. These meetings and details of national consultations, events, and updates on domestic violence matters are circulated and offered to circa 50 member organisations across the public, private and voluntary/community sectors.
Since February 2010, with the endorsement of Wolverhampton’s Safeguarding Children’s Board and Wolverhampton’s Community Safety Partnership, WDVF has set up a co-located multi-agency team around domestic violence. Partner agencies at the co-located team premises include an Independent DV Adviser from The Haven Wolverhampton, a criminal justice Independent DV Adviser from WDVF, West Midlands Police Child and Adult Protection Officers, a Children’s Social Worker, a Senior Housing Officer, and a Safeguarding Children’s Specialist Nurse around domestic violence. All cases involving children or pregnant women are discussed at the co-located team, as are all high risk adult cases.
In addition to the referrals and multi-agency working arrangements shown above, West Midlands Police refer cases to The Haven Wolverhampton where victims give permission. Contact and signposting opportunities are also made with victims through WDVF’s Domestic Violence Link Worker who is based in the Public Protection Unit at the local Police Station.
3. Do you use a nationally recognised domestic violence riskassessment scale (such as Barnados, Respect, Family Matters) whenestablishing which services should be provided to families at risk of, or suffering from, domestic violence?
• If not, do you use an in-house risk-assessment scale?
WDVF’s co-located multi-agency DV team uses the Barnardo’s Risk Assessment Scale. All incidents reported to the Police where there are children or pregnant women are assessed and actioned jointly using this assessment model.
4. Do you use a standard definition of domestic violence? If so, please provide us with that definition.
• Does this definition include?
i. Intimate partner violence?
ii. Parent-child violence?
iii. Broader family violence (e.g. involving
uncles/grandparents/cousins)?
iv. Sibling violence?
v. Child-parent violence?
vi. Any other forms of violence? (Please specify)
In Wolverhampton, the standard definition for domestic violence covers all the named relationships where parties are adult, as follows:
“Domestic violence is defined as any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are or have been in a relationship together, or between family members, regardless of gender of sexuality.” Child protection, youth offending, and social care procedures are enacted as appropriate where parties are not adults.
5. Do you offer any early intervention family support services designed to prevent or reduce domestic conflict or violence?
Yes we offer early help to families. We have, around the city, 8 Multi agency support teams (MAST) which use the common assessment framework to support children and their families. We have 24 psychologists attached to the MAST who offer consultancy to teams and individual practitioners working with children and who also provide direct therapeutic work. Our 3 family centres and 20 children’s centres also contribute significantly to Wolverhampton’s offer of early help. The Freedom and McEwan group projects stand out assupportive responses to women who have suffered domestic violence and who are considered to be at high risk from perpetrators of sexual abuse, offering 1:1 and group sessions.
Our Duty and Assessment social work team provides a worker to meet with a detective from the public protection unit, 2 or 3 times per week, and together they go through incidents the police have been called out to where a child was present and decide which need referrals to children’s social care.
MARAC meets monthly to ensure a multi-agency focus on troubled families suffering domestic violence.
6. What early intervention family support services designed toprevent or reduce domestic conflict or violence do you offer(please indicate all that apply)?
• Parenting support
• Support for families with violent or potentially violent
teenagers/youths
• Strengthening mother-child or parent-child relationships e.g.
through creative play sessions
• Counselling and family therapy sessions
• Outreach
• Perpetrator focused programmes
• Other – please state what these are
WDVF has recently successfully received a grant to set up a non-mandated perpetrator programme in Wolverhampton for the next 2 years. The programme’s Project Manager has just been appointed with a view to starting the programme as soon as possible.
The Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Service have also extended the work they undertake with convicted domestic violence perpetrators. In addition to the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme that is offered to a small number of high risk offenders, a large number of offenders are taking part in one to one and group work on the service’s Structured Intervention Against Domestic Abuse Programme. These programmes also provide opportunities for support to partners.
All of the services bullet pointed above exist in Wolverhampton
7. What was the annual budget for your domestic violence/family conflict services for each of the past three years, and for thecoming year? What percentage of your overall budget did that equate to?
We do not have a specific budget in the social care aspect of the business for domestic violence/family conflict. The Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum has a budget in the region of £170,000 annually. It is not possible to estimate what percentage of the family support budget is spent specifically on DV and family conflict as it is a feature of much of our work with troubled families and in need children.
8. How do you contact families who you think would benefit from access to early intervention services designed to prevent or reduce domestic violence or family conflict?
• What is the uptake rate of these services by families you contact?
• Are there any specific difficulties in encouraging families to take up these?
services?
We contact families as their needs become apparent to services. Typically that is generated from universal services to our MAST service or if concerns are greater by referral to our social care Duty and Assessment team. Referrers are expected to have consent from service users when referrals are made unless to do so would increase risk or compromise safety.
From April 2010 to end of March 2011 referrals to social work duty and assessment were as follows. The table shows 23 % of referrals derived from domestic violence. However family conflict will be present in the 51% categorised as Abuse/risk and indeed other categories below. As for uptake of the 3488 referrals, 82% converted in to Initial Assessments by a qualified social worker which is I believe a high conversion rate. The remainder of referrals are signposted with information and advice.
PRESENTING ISSUE / % / TotalAbuse/ Risk / 51 / 1775
Access to Files / 0 / 6
Accommodation / 2 / 76
Adoption Intermediary Services / 0 / 1
Adoption Support / 0 / 2
Behaviour / 6 / 207
Carer Issues / 7 / 229
Child Development Issues / 1 / 52
Domestic Violence / 23 / 798
Emotional / Relationship Issues / 2 / 59
Health / 1 / 25
Learning Difficulty / 1 / 20
Material / Financial / 0 / 14
Mental Health / 3 / 89
Mobility / 0 / 1
Other Physical Disability / 0 / 12
Private Fostering / 0 / 11
Relationship Conflict / 1 / 22
Substance Abuse / 2 / 87
Wishes to Pursue Carer Role / 0 / 1
(blank) / 0 / 1
Grand Total / 3488
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, please write to:
FOI & Corporate Complaints Coordinator
Wolverhampton City Council
Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours faithfully
Sarah Campbell
Customer Relations Team