May 2017

Mini - Handbook for Clients

Revised May 2017

Registered Charity Number: 1088536 | Company by Limited Guarantee: 04167948 | Registered in England & Wales: Hills House, Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 8EL

Contents

1. Welcome to PDVI

2. Initial Assessment and Allocation

3. How we will Support you

4. Your Voice, Your Input – We want it!

5. Your Communication and Cultural Needs

6. Confidentiality

Our Responsibilities to you

7. Equality of Opportunity

9. Professional Boundaries with Staff

11. PAC Appeals Policy and Form

12. PAC Complaints, Comments and Compliments Policy and Form

Welcome to PDVI

Increasing the Safety of Our Clients and Their Children

PDVI’s Ethos

Since it was established in 2001, PDVI has aimed to increase the safety of clients and their children who experience domestic abuse by providing a range of services, which support women and men, without distinction of sex, political, religious, or other opinions, to change their situations and challenge the use of abuse and violence in their intimate relationships.

PDVI uses specialist staff and trained volunteers to deliver our services. As well as providing direct services to clients, PDVI is committed to working to improve responses to domestic abuse through participation in inter-agency work and training.

PDVI’s Definition of Domestic Abuse

PDVI defines domestic abuse as the systematic use of violence and abuse to gain power and control partner over a (ex) partner or family member. Domestic abuse occurs across all cultures, ages, ethnic groups and social classes. As well as covering physical violence – including all forms of aggressive or unwanted physical violence – including all forms of aggressive or unwanted physical contact and sexual violence – domestic abuse includes non-physical abuse such as verbal, financial, social, racist, psychological or emotional abuse, threats, neglect, harassment and the use of economic, structural, institutional or even spiritual abuse.

All these forms of domestic violence are harmful and have lasting effects on the victim and on any witnesses, especially children – PDVI takes them all seriously.

PDVI will work with victims regardless of their gender or sexuality.

PDVI’s Principles and Objectives
  • The primary aim of all domestic abuse intervention work is to increase victim and children’s safety.
  • At PDVI, because the safety of victims and their children always comes first, we will always maintain confidentiality unless weapons are an issue or it come into conflict with our child-protection policy.
  • PDVI is part of a community response to domestic abuse and aims to work alongside other agencies to stop domestic abuse and increase victim & children’s safety.
  • We believe that where the domestic abuse is a crime it should be addressed by the criminal justice system.
  • PDVI is not about reconciliation or mediation and does not undertake couples counselling.
Our Understanding of Domestic Violence

The work at PDVI is underpinned by the following understanding of domestic abuse.

  • Domestic abuse is unacceptable behaviour
  • The right to live free from intimidation, abuse and violence is a basic human right
  • Domestic abuse is very common – one in four women & one in six men will experience it.
  • Domestic abuse has the potential of being very dangerous – each week in the UK two – three women are killed by a partner or ex- partner.
  • The abuser is 100% responsible for their abusive behaviour.
  • Domestic abuse is not the fault or responsibility of the victim & children – nobody ever deserves to be abused.
  • Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on children. On top of the physical risk, it constitutes an emotional abuse of children who witness it or are otherwise aware of it within their home.
  • Violence towards a partner is intentional and instrumental behaviour – it’s about power and control over a (ex) partner within their relationship.
  • Violence & or abusive behaviour towards a (ex) partner is learned behaviour.
  • Perpetrators can change –their behaviour is within their control and they can choose to stop – however, making changes is far from easy and many people do not have sufficient motivation.
  • Victims cannot stop a perpetrator’s violence – but there may be things they can do to increase their own security and that of their children.

Initial Assessment and Allocation

On receiving a referral PDVI aim to contact medium and high risk clients within 48 hours and standard risk clients within 7 working days.

Our clients come from many sources:

  • Clients can be referred by the Police Public Protection Unit, National Probation Services, Social Services, Solicitors and voluntary agencies
  • Clients can refer themselves by calling our helpline.

After receiving your referral a support worker will contact you with information about the service. Should you wish to obtain support, they will arrange to meet you at a safe location for an initial assessment of your support needs. Should youdecide to proceed with support, following the initial assessment, the support worker will progress your application to the next allocations meeting.

Preclusions

Any adult who is experiencing/escaping or recovering from domestic abuse is eligible for PDVI’s services, however as PDVI operates and allocates support on a risk led basis, in the interests of safety and welfare there are some preclusions which would result in support our being unable to offer support. These preclusions are;

  • If you are believed to be the perpetrator of domestic abuse of a current client. (Where two victims present to the service stating that the other is the perpetrator this will be assessed and handled under our allocations policy).
  • If you are assessed as posing a significant risk to staff.
  • If you do not reside within the Pendle area.

Children and young people can be referred to our sister project, The Lookout which is able to offer age appropriate services to children and young people who have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse.

PDVI operates a waiting list for clients wishing to access support and allocations are determined based on priority of risk and need.

Allocation meetings are held weekly and you will be contacted within 7 working days of your Initial Assessment with an update on your application for support.

Should the application be successful, and once a support worker becomes available, they will contact you to arrange to meet to complete an individual support plan and commence support.

Should the application be unsuccessful, you will be contacted and advised of this. If possible and appropriate PDVI will support a referral to other supporting agencies. If it is safe to do so you will receive a confirmation of this decision in writing. If you disagree with the decision you are entitled to appeal using the PAC appeal policy and form contained in this handbook.

If at any time a client feels that they have been treated unfairly and without equal access to support services they can refer to PDVI’s Complaints, Comments and Compliments Policy and Procedure contained in the handbook.

How We Will Support You

PDVI offers a range of services to clients experiencing domestic abuse. All of our services are free and confidential, they are provided by experienced trained and experienced staff and volunteers, and are available for as long as you need or want them.

Clients vary in the type of contact that suits them and in the nature of support they need at any particular time, so our offerof support includes telephone and face-to-face work as well as varied support groups. All these services are aimed at helping you to plan and act for your own and your children’s safety by enabling you to explore and make sense of your experiences of domestic abuse/violence and increasing your control over your own life by:

  • Safety planning
  • Offering support
  • Giving clear messages
  • Providing information
  • Advocacy and report writing

You pick your own route through the services depending on your needs and on practical concerns around accessibility.

Support Group

We can offer a variety of support groups which are facilitated by our staff, and are client led, focussing on the issues you choose. The facilitators use a range of skills, counselling, therapeutic and educational techniques, but primarily they encourage members to take responsibility for the group. We also have guest speakers, when the group requests a specific topic, and we have a regular legal representative to address any legal issues raised within the group or individually.

What is Support?

Everyone needs support at some point in their lives and PDVI is here to support you to make positive and safe choices. Support can be difficult to define because it covers a wide range of activities. When PDVI refers to support it includes:

  • Helping you to make your own choices, we will never make those choices for you.
  • Listening to how you feel, and what you have to say about something.
  • Explaining what options are available and what the outcomes of those options are likely to be.
  • Explaining what barriers might preventyou from achieving something, and how you can overcome those barriers.
  • Empowering and motivating you to set and reach your own goals to live safely.

Policy Principles

Our approach to support and risk assessment is based on the following principles:

Person centred and empowering – in order for support planning to be effective we believe you need to be actively engaging and have a sense of ownership. We aim to achieve this by actively involving you in all assessments, planning and reviews.

Outcome focused – the choices, goals and priorities, which you want to achieve, are identified by you to enable you to be safe and attain an enhanced quality of life.

Choice and control – support planning offers a level of service that is appropriate to your individual needs. Services are able to respond quickly and effectively to any changes in your support needs that are identified.

Multi agency / Joint working – support needs that cannot be provided directly by PDVI will be proactively addressed by working closely with statutory, voluntary and other agencies with your agreement. Any plans or reviews will be developed with the aim of complimenting any statutory plans already in place.

Quality monitoring – Needs and Risk Assessments and Support Plans are quality monitored on a regular basis to ensure a consistently high standard for our clients.

Continuous improvement – Your feedback is encouraged and requested on a regular basis, the SafeLivesLeading Lights accreditation will be used to strive, achieve and maintain quality standards within our projects.

Support Plan

Whilst you are accessing PDVI you will have your own support plan. Staff will support you to meet the goals that you will set for yourself with the help of staff and you will be given many opportunities to reflect on your journey.

You can review your support plan whenever you like, however we will always review your support plan after an incident and/or on a monthly basis.

Follow-up and Priority Contact

We always try to stay in touch with clients by calling them at regular intervals. When we have specific concerns for the safety of the client and any children we immediately prioritise that call and do everything in our power to minimise the risk.

Accessibility

Our outreach workers offer face-to-face sessions in any safe location including the home, or we can offer the same support service by telephone. This provides access to our services for people who might otherwise struggle to access support due to childcare, disability, travel difficulties or a partner who will not let a client go out.

You can phone us whenever you need to. At present, we do not operate a 24hr service, our office hours are 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, however we do have a - 24hr answering machine service on the PDVI helpline01282 726000. If you leave a message, we willreturn your call promptly.

Completing your support

When your support plan is complete and you no longer need us to support you, we will review your support plan with you and close your support. If you have some ongoing support needs which cannot be met by PDVI’s services we will, with your consent, refer you to another agency who will be able to work with you to meet these needs.

If you need to come back to PDVI to access more support you can re-refer yourself at any time.

Your Voice, Your Input - We Want It!

You have a right to be consulted and involved in issues which affect you, and we want to hear from you in order to help us help you, and to help PDVI keep improving.

Examples of ways in which you could influence decisions are:

  • Support sessions - You can talk to members of staff in private.
  • The Complaints, Compliments and Comments Form - Your chance to put your thoughts and ideas across. You don’t have to put your name on the form if you don’t want to.
  • Evaluation forms – complete these throughout your support to tell us about your experience of our services
  • Staff recruitment – help us during the interview processes when we recruit new staff
  • Volunteering – after you have completed your support you can get involved with helping to organise activities and fundraising events for the project.

If you have any suggestions of different ways in which you would like your voice to be heard, influence the project or get involved please let us know.

Your Communication and Cultural Needs

If you would like to see the handbook or any of our other documents in another language or format please let us know. If you have any specific communication needs which are not being met, please let staff know as soon as possible.

Confidentiality

All information about the people we work with is regarded as sensitive and will be treated as confidential. Staff will not compromise your privacy by passing on personal information about you to other people unless you authorise them to do so.

However, there are some circumstances where it may be necessary to release information to other agencies. These are:-

  • If we consider a serious crime has been committed
  • If we consider that your or another person’s personal safety is at risk

In these circumstances the appropriate agency will be contacted and we will inform you wherever possible.

Other information necessary for the management of the project and development of residents are kept on record. These records are restricted to staff only and are bound by data protection.

If we need to give out personal information to other agencies you are involved with, such as Inspire or Housing Pendle, we will only do so with your consent.

Our Responsibilities to You

Equality of Opportunity

PDVI places a high emphasis on Equal Opportunities and Anti Discriminatory practice at all times.

The project will:

  • Try to stop discrimination or harassment by informing people that it is not acceptable in this project.
  • Take any reports of discrimination or harassment seriously and investigate to establish the facts and details of any incident.
  • Take appropriate action against anyone involved with discrimination or harassment.
  • Support clients who are being harassed or discriminated against, by offering advice and assistance including engaging other agencies where appropriate.
  • Make sure staff follow this policy at all times and ensuring all service users are aware of our policy.

Discrimination or harassment by a client may lead to support being withdrawn.

Discrimination or harassment by a member of staff may be grounds for dismissal.

The full PAC Service User Equality of Opportunity and Diversity Policy is available upon request from the PDVI team.

If you feel you have been treated unfairly in any way, you have the right to make a complaint. You can make a complaint yourself, or if you find this difficult (you may be embarrassed or scared) you can ask someone else to do this for you. This could be a member of staff, or someone from another agency etc.

If your complaint is against a member of staff, you can complain direct to the Project Manager, Jen Gore at PDVI, P.O. Box 1087 Pendle, BB9 4EQ or PAC Manager, Claire Bennett, Hills House, Leeds Road, Nelson. BB9 8EL

Professional Boundaries:

Staff Responsibilities for Themselves and You

PDVI exists for the benefit of the clients who are experiencing or have experienced Domestic Abuse. It is your right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Staff professional code of conduct

Professional boundaries give staff members and you clear guidelines as to best practice in their role at PDVI.

Staff members are expected to act honestly, conscientiously, reasonably and in good faith at all times having regard to their responsibilities, the interests of Positive Action for the Community (who manage PDVI) and the welfare of colleagues, other agencies and volunteers.