Multi- Agency Response to Children Affected by Domestic Abuse

New ways of ensuring agencies work together to provide better support and intervention for those children affected by domestic abuse are to be piloted across Scotland, Ministers announced today. Pathfinder pilot projects will run in four areas of Scotland: Edinburgh, Falkirk, West Dunbartonshire and Dumfries and Galloway, over the next two years.

The projects will put the needs of children at heart of new ways of co-ordinating services and sharing information.

A new framework will guide local agencies such as the police, social work services, the Children’s Hearings system, health professionals and voluntary organisations on how they could respond.

The key objectives of the pilots are to:

• ensure all agencies place the child’s needs and interests at the centre of their activity;

• achieve better joint working by all relevant agencies, in all the interests of the child;

• test and refine the framework and tools for a multi agency response which can then be used throughout the country as part of the Executive’s Getting it Right for Every Child approach;

• adopt a unified, timely, appropriate approach to situations where children are affected by domestic abuse;

• provide specialist advice on the Single Assessment, Record and Plan to be used by agencies.

The Pathfinder projects and a new National Delivery Group for Children and Young People Experiencing Domestic Abuse were announced as an Executive conference on progress and good practice for delivering greater support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse began in Edinburgh today.

Speaking before he was due to address the Conference, Deputy Education and Young People’s Minister Robert Brown said: “It is vital that children get the help they need when they need it. We are learning more and more about how domestic abuse affects children.  We need to focus on the needs of children living in these difficult circumstances, ensuring that children and young people affected by domestic abuse get the help which is suitable for them. Children’s needs must be a central consideration in domestic abuse cases.

“It is important that agencies are able to respond to the children in an appropriate, timely way. They must work together to ensure that young people who are coping with experiences like this have access to the support they need whether this is from formal, professional services or indeed by enabling mothers and family members to help the children affected. That’s exactly what these pathfinder pilots are designed to achieve.”

The National Delivery Group for Children and Young People Experiencing Domestic Abuse will advise Ministers on delivering better services for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse by:
* monitoring the aims and objectives of the Domestic Abuse pathfinder pilots to ensure these are met;
* engaging with children and young people experiencing domestic abuse to ensure their views inform policy and practice;
* developing and promoting good practice across all agencies;
* developing and promoting good practice on prevention education work with all children and young people.

Membership of the group will include Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW), Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS), Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA), Association of Directors of Education Scotland (ADES), those in the health service and the voluntary sector.

Deputy Communities Minister Johann Lamont said: “Through talking to and working with survivors of domestic abuse we have a better understanding of it. We recognise that it has a huge impact on children and young people, and moreover, that it is vital there is a particular focus on their needs too.

“That understanding shapes action by the Executive, agencies and those we work with to address domestic abuse. The experiences of children and young people have informed our strategy for tackling domestic abuse and today’s announcement takes practical action a step further.

“The purpose of the Group and the pilot projects is to harness the good work already underway and underpin our shared expectations with agencies to help children and young people in ways which meet their needs.

“When we know that many, many young people witness or feel the fear of the physical and emotional abuse which takes place in the home, it is crucial that we do all we can to lessen the impact and provide care and support both to children directly and in assisting women to protect their children from an environment of domestic abuse.”

Tom Halpin, Deputy Chief Constable, Chair of ACPOS Family Protection Portfolio said: “Watching, hearing, or later learning of a parent being harmed threatens the core sense of stability and security provided by family. Children, who live in a household with domestic abuse experience sadness, fear, guilt, anger, shame and confusion. The impact of witnessing a parent being emotionally and physically injured is intensified when another parent figure is responsible for the violence.

“The Police Service in Scotland is committed to the protection of children and welcome the launch of the Four Pathfinder Pilot Projects across Scotland which have been developed in line with the Vision for Scotland’s Children contained within the Getting it Right for Every Child Proposals.  Where police officers identify children who live in a household with Domestic Abuse, we give a commitment that we will work together with partner agencies to facilitate support and further intervention where this is required”