Coordinating support for domestic and family violence

Coordinating support for domestic and family violence 

A review of over 500 studies found considerable overlap between domestic and family violence and other forms of child maltreatment (Herrenkohl et al.). Violence against women is widespread in the Australian population and statistical evidence from the Personal Safety Survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics) found more than 50% of the reported cases had children in their care at the time of the violence (Campo (a)). 

Therefore, when responding to notifications or case managing a child in need of protection, consider the presence of domestic and family violence. This can include, but it not limited to active curiosity about the dynamics of the child’s parents to determine as much as possible, if domestic and family violence is occurring and which high risk factors may be present. 

When domestic and family violence is identified as a focus area of intervention for case planning coordinate appropriate supports to the child, mother and person using violence. 

Support for the persons experiencing violence, including the child, should include discussing strategies to increase safety when living with violence or abuse and what each person will do if they feel unsafe, or threatened by escalating violence. 

The Safe and Together model recommends providing support to help a family reach a point of safety where the person using violence changes his behaviour using these five stages:

The specific type of plan will be dependent on the stage of intervention and assessed level of risk and could be either an immediate safety plan, a safety and support plan or a case plan.

Information sharing guidelines

The Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act, 2012, Part 5A allows Child Safety practitioners, as a prescribed entity to request and share information to assess, or to manage domestic and family violence risk. 

However, information sharing can occur without consent if NOT disclosing information is likely to adversely affect the safety of the person, or another person. Refer to the Domestic and Family Violence Information Sharing Guidelines.  

Planning for safety

We can utilise various planning approaches to detail the identified risks and collaboratively develop strategies to mitigate them for a child exposed to domestic and family violence. 

Supporting change for adolescents using violence

Family violence can include an adolescent using violence in the home, directed towards a parent, their siblings, or both. Research has found a strong link between adverse childhood experiences which includes exposure to domestic and family violence and the use of violence by adolescents (Joshi and Truong). These situations can develop into child protection concerns as the behaviour is either a manifestation of the previous violence in the home or the violence is posing a risk to other children in the home. 

It is common for parents experiencing abuse by their adolescent to feel ashamed, humiliated, and responsible for the situation which has led to the power imbalance. These feelings are often a barrier to seeking help to address the issue.  

‘I had an abusive husband, and now my eldest son is abusive too. I am scared to get Youth Justice involved as I will be criticised as a bad parent. There doesn’t seem to be any way out’. 

‘I have a 7-year-old with a terminal illness and an abusive 17-year-old. My husband and I have separated. I can’t get a domestic violence order against my son because he’s a minor and he can’t move out for the same reason. I love both of my sons and wish I could get some help for my eldest, but he is much bigger than me and calls all the shots’

(Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research). 

Campbell et al.(a). identified the co-occurrence of disability and mental ill-health across the wider family as well as diverse co-occurring trauma experiences in 91% of case files which included refugee backgrounds, parental suicide attempts, bereavement and child removal and adoption. 

This research and case examples illustrate the complexity of adolescent to parent violence and that often it is an extension of domestic and family violence within the family. 

‘Violence doesn’t just come out of nowhere for these young people … these young people are generally survivors of experiences of violence, either past or current. So that’s something that we’re always keeping in mind … that’s my priority when going into these assessments, finding out about the safety of the young person and what’s going on at home …’

(Practitioner―Campbell et al.(c)). 

Engage with the members of the family to focus on improving their circumstances, emphasising there is no excuse for any type of abuse and avoid blaming the victim for the abuse. 

Our role may be to coordinate a collaborative service response, involving police, youth justice and community services using a holistic view of risk and use of violence with focus on managing and recovering from: 

• the impacts of prior and current adult-perpetrated domestic and family violence on the young person and wider family members, including parents and siblings
• the impacts of trauma from migration, intergenerational for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and systemic trauma Campbell et al.(c)).  

Paid leave

The Australian Government has implemented 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave to help employees experiencing domestic and family violence. This leave applies to all government employees in Queensland via a Public Service Commission Directive. Employers are required to keep this information confidential. Policies regarding the evidence required by the employer may vary between departments. Provide information and direct a victim survivor to this support mechanism. 

Improving outcomes for the child

There is relatively little research examining the best responses to children exposed to domestic and family violence as the majority who have been exposed on or above the threshold for child protection intervention have faced multiple forms of abuse and require significant support. Therapeutic responses working with the child and their non-offending parent are rated as the most beneficial (Campo (a)). 

Barlow and McMillan researched a variety of approaches to improving children’s trauma symptoms and externalising and internalising behavioural problems. Once safety and stability has been achieved for the child, focus can be given to: 

• strategies for managing when things remind them of previous trauma
• supporting their schools or childcare centres to provide an understanding and supportive environment to aid healing and recovery
• establishing communication protocols between the professionals involved and the parents to create security, safety, and care across the child’s daily experiences
• arranging access to specialised trauma-informed counselling
• building or rebuilding safe and secure attachments with their parents, other adults who act protectively
• creating opportunities for the child to access other adults including extended family, community connections (sport, music, or recreation groups) as these connections pave the way for extending the child’s support network and foster ongoing positive experiences and social interactions with adults and peers.