Daphne project: 1999-158

Daphne Initiative 1999

Final Report

Project Nr.:1999/DAP/158./C

Title:

Schools' Response and Resources in Helping Children and Young People Exposed to Domestic Violence

Start Date:1.12. 1999End Date:31.3. 2001

Co-ordinating Organisation name:

The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters

Contact person:

Name:Mikko Oranen

Address :Oulun ensi- ja turvakoti, Kangastie 9

Postal code:FIN-90500City:OULU

Country:FINLAND

Tel. N°.:+358-8-651 5524Fax Nr. :+358-8-382 484

e-mail : Website:

Partner Organisations’ names and countries:

Refuge, UK

1. Aims of the project

This cross-cultural research project was born out of our daily work with women and children escaping domestic violence both in the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters in Finland and Refuge in the UK. Refuge has offered advocacy, individual and group support to children and their mothers at Refuge since the beginning of 1995 and a similar project has been running in Finland since 1997. The aim of our work in both countries is to support these families as they recover from the abuse they have suffered and begin to rebuild their lives, though we both recognise that it is not always easy. The impacts of abuse include practical as well as emotional hurdles to overcome and for some children these difficulties are clearly apparent within the educational system. It was an awareness of both the immediate problems facing children in the school system, and any future risk to their academic achievement that led us to become involved in this project.

The school is a very important place for many children and young people, capable of reaching almost all who attend. The school can and should play a vital role in preventing violence. Indeed schools are expected to work with pupils on learning how to resolve conflicts without using violence. Schools can be similarly proactive and effective in supporting children who have witnessed and or experienced violence at home. However, we did not have any information about the attitudes, knowledge and beliefs of the school system in relation to domestic violence, nor of the extent to which schools have been able to respond to such children. This led to the idea of a survey of the professionals working at schools and educational system.

This cross cultural survey of education personnel, sought to explore:

1.the attitudes, knowledge and experiences of those in regular contact with children who may be witnessing and or experiencing violence at home

2.the response of the educational system to children who have witnessed and or experienced violence at home

3.evidence for existing school based strategies and intervention to prevent violence within relationships

Specifically, we were interested in discovering the extent to which these professionals were accurately informed about the causes of violence against women and the potential overlap between woman abuse and child abuse. We wanted to know if they were aware of children and young people who had experienced and or witnessed violence at home and the psychological and practical impacts of these experiences on children. Furthermore, we wanted to find out if the schools had policies and procedures for managing disclosures of violence against women and / or children and if they were able to offer practical advice and support to women and children

We hoped that the findings (which would highlight areas of strength as well as weakness) could be used to make recommendations for practice when developing co-ordinated community approaches to tackling violence against women and children within the home.

The Beneficiaries

We hope that all those working within schools e.g. pupils, teachers, social workers, psychologists as well as those responsible for the development of services within education and related areas such as health and social services can benefit from the results of the survey. This information will enable them to respond more appropriately when they are in contact with pupils who have been experiencing violence at home. They now have valuable baseline information from which supportive policies and procedures could be developed within the educational system.

2. Implementation of the project

The project involved an extensive survey for primary and secondary school teachers, and heads of schools and the pupil welfare staff (school health nurses, school physicians, school welfare officers, educational social workers and school psychologists), with the aim of examining their experiences, activities, attitudes and co-operation in helping children and young people who have experienced or witnessed violence at home, as well as the obstacles encountered. The survey instrument (questionnaire) was developed collaboratively and was largely identical, though there were some differences mostly in response to the variation within the educational system of the two countries. The basic phases of the research procedure were the same in both countries. Around 850 questionnaires were distributed to schools and associated agencies in each country. In Finland the response rate was 40% and in the U.K it was 14% - the total number of respondents was 450. Due to the low response rate the data was analysed using mainly frequencies and cross tabulations. For some questions it was also possible to use factor analysis. The data was analysed in the same way for both sets of results.

We had planned to hold introductory seminars to motivate and make the participants committed to implementing the inquiry and developing the work to be done in schools. However, the timetable for project completion was so tight that it was not possible to arrange the seminars within the time available. In addition, we realised that not all survey participants would be able to attend an introductory seminar and this may lead to a response bias in those who were likely to attend. Nevertheless, this lost opportunity to galvanise support for the project may have contributed in part, to the low response rate. Although two local education authorities agreed to co-operate in the UK survey, ultimately only one was able to participate.

Feedback seminars were held in both countries, with Finland running two separate days, one in Helsinki and another one in Oulu. Seminar participants included representatives from schools, local authorities, national and provincial government offices, including social services and health care providers. In total, 250 delegates attended the Finnish seminars with around 70 attending the UK seminar in London. In the seminars the results were presented and disseminated in report form.

Obstacles to implementation

There were considerable difficulties in co-ordinating planned project activities within the constraints of academic terms across two countries. This meant that it was not possible to carry out a pilot or item analysis on survey questions and some weakness within questions came to light only during analysis of the data. For this reason, the survey instrument should be viewed as a pilot. The contract period had to be extended so that it was possible to synchronise the feedback seminars with the academic terms.

3. Results and impacts of the project

Survey results from both countries indicate that education personnel come to know about violence in the lives of children they work with. In Finland, 53% of respondents said they knew of children living with violence, compared with 54% in the UK. There were some differences in terms of disclosures, with the majority of children disclosing to school nurses in Finland and to teachers in the UK. In Finland teachers were least aware of the their pupils' experiences of violence. High school pupils seem to be at greatest risk with more pupils suspected by those working with this age range in both countries. Reasons why professionals suspected abuse was occurring are roughly similar for both countries and arise mainly as a result of signs evident in children’s behaviour, work or comments.

When exploring beliefs about domestic violence, up to 99% of participants from both countries identified alcohol, drugs and difficulties controlling anger as the most common causes. Thus they were making a link between violence and substance abuse. However, it seems important to recognise the difference between aggravating factor that is something that makes the existing situation worse and a factor that causes a situation. According to other studies one in two (Finland) or one in three (UK) of the perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol, consequently in half or two thirds of the cases they were not intoxicated.

On the whole survey UK responses indicate that many participants were aware of the practical constraints experienced by abused women, such as not having any where to go, not having access to money or being unsure where they could seek help. In Finland, these items were identified less frequently as reasons why a woman might stay with an abusive partner. This might be related to the fact that more alternative housing is available for women who wish to leave, or that they may have more financial independence and resources (according to the national statistics 70 % of Finnish women are working outside home). Nevertheless, some gaps in knowledge were evident in that, participants seemed less aware that leaving an abusive partner may not always stop the violence and indeed can even place the woman at increased risk of serious injury or death.

As one might predict, participants seemed most informed about the impacts of domestic violence on children, with many accurately recognising the suggested risks presented in the questionnaire. The data gained from both countries was very similar. However, the Finns had a more negative view of the future for child witnesses with 94% estimating that children/young people might be more likely to use violence in later life (48% higher compared with the UK results), or to resort to criminal behaviour (33% higher) or abuse drugs/alcohol (29% higher). However, the Finns seemed more aware of the possible impact on schooling, with 94%, (compared with 69% in the UK) agreeing that witnessing domestic violence may lead to underachievement.

A number of participants from both countries (25% in Finland and 12% in U.K) reported that they had not received any information about domestic violence during initial training, continuing professional development, discussions with colleagues or from their own reading.

Involvement of beneficiaries

The lead partner in Finland established a steering group for the project. The group consisted of representatives of the main interest groups (National Board of Education, National Research Centre for Welfare and Health, Education Departments and Provincial State Office). The steering group reviewed the project plan and the questionnaire and commented on the manuscript of the Finnish project report. The implementation of the project and the significance of the results were also discussed in the group. The role of the group was of vital importance in building up the connections with the education authorities.

Impacts of the results

Preliminary feedback from seminar participants has been very positive, however, it is not possible at this stage to know the full impact of the project findings.

4. Dissemination and follow-up

All survey findings were presented in report form - a Finnish report (together with an English translation) and a U.K report. In both countries the report(s) were widely disseminated to range of relevant interest groups and agencies e.g. education departments, schools, teacher training colleges. In both countries the report was launched in the media.

The results suggest that there is a need for further information and training for educational professionals as well as co-ordinated responses/services for children. A follow up project designed to meet these aims was formulated and submitted to the European Commission under the Daphne initiative in June 2000, however this bid was unsuccessful.

We ensured that the contribution made by the European Commission was clearly visible in all of the written and verbal communication about the project. All work relating to the project, in both countries, was carried out under the heading of ‘The Daphne Initiative’.

5. Conclusions

We carried out a cross cultural survey of education personnel in Finland and UK in order to explore the attitudes, knowledge and experiences of those in contact with children who may be witnessing and or experiencing violence at home. We were also interested in the response of the educational system to children who have witnessed and or experienced violence at home. Besides this we wanted to gain information about evidence for existing school based strategies and intervention to prevent violence within relationships.

A total of 450 respondents returned the research instrument. Partly due to a sensitive subject a response rate was low (40 % in Finland, 14 % in the UK). Although the results do not permit broad generalisation, they do provide some indication of the attitudes of school staff to domestic violence, its manifestation and visibility in schools.

What we have learned through working together on this survey is that violence is occurring for many children within our schools and the adults working with and in the schools are only partly aware of this. It is possible that this could be true for many children across Europe and if this was the case, then the recommendations emerging from this survey would be applicable also to other member countries within the European Union. According to our results there are great similarities amongst educational personnel in terms of attitudes, beliefs and awareness of children living with violence in Finland and in the UK.

The main recommendation for both Finland and the UK is the provision of a nationally driven, integrated and appropriately resourced strategy to meet the needs of survivors of domestic violence and to work towards prevention. Central to this strategy should be a gendered understanding of domestic violence as well as an awareness of the risks to children.

The risks posed the experience of living with violence may be serious enough, but if it is connected with abuse or neglect (as is often the case for children living with violence) the risks may be far reaching. It seems crucial that those in contact with such children are aware of these risks and that they are able to intervene appropriately to offer to support and protection. Where professionals do not have access to such information or where the action they take is based on ‘misinformation’such as myths about domestic violence, then this could lead to inappropriate intervention.

Therefore, it seems clear that in order to respond most effectively, one must have an accurate understanding of the causes and dynamics of abuse as well as knowledge about the impacts of abuse upon both the woman and the child.

Finally there is, for all children, an urgent need for awareness raising and preventative work about the use of violence within intimate relationships. Learning about domestic violence should be integrated within the curriculum. Issues of gender inequality as well non-violent conflict resolution, power/control and discrimination (which affect all oppressed groups in society) should run through the ethos and curriculum of all school teaching and activity. This work is of value to all members of our society and to both men and women. It challenges myths and seeks to eradicate the stereotypes, which force us all into rigid forms of behaviour. It endeavours to expose and reform the damaging attitudes and behaviours within society (which allow us to oppress and dominate others) by promoting respect, equality and empowerment. Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults - preventative work of this type allows them to learn from our mistakes so they can play a part in creating a more equal and harmonious society for themselves and for us all.

ANNEX 1: KEYWORDS

The main purposes of the Daphne Programme are to create networks and to encourage the exchange of information and best practice. The Commission has therefore set up a database containing the details of all completed Daphne projects. This database is accessible via the Daphne page on the EC web-site:

(

Beneficiaries / Areas / Objectives
X Children /  Sexual violence / X Prevention of violence
X Young people / X Non-sexual violence / X Protection from violence
 Women / X Violence in domestic context /  Treatment of victims
 Homosexuals / X Violence in schools /  Reintegration of victims
 Migrants /  Violence in institutions /  Counselling victims
 Elderly /  Violence in urban areas /  Counselling couples
 Ethnic minorities /  Violence in rural areas /  Support to families
 Violence in the work place /  Legislative measures
 Violence to handicapped /  Treatment of offenders
 Violence to migrants /  Reintegration of offenders
 Violence to refugees /  Confidentiality
 Violence to asylum seekers / X Reporting abuses
 Violence to domestic workers
 Violence to prisoners
 Violence to the elderly
 Violence against homosexuals
 Trafficking in human beings / Instruments
 Commercial sexual exploitation /  Network with NGOs
 Internet /  Network with Public authorities
 Child Pornography /  Information Campaigns
 Sexism / Racism / X Research/Studies
 Register of Child Abusers /  Awareness-raising
 Non fatal self-harm /  Dissemination of best practice
 Physical punishment / X Conference or seminar
 Female genital mutilation /  Training
 Health impacts /  Production of materials
 Youth participation /  Telephone Helpline
 Youth work

ANNEX 2