Prevention Subgroup “From Teens to Twilight”

1. Prevention Subgroup “From Teens to Twilight”

2. Aims • To explore myths of domestic violence and the categories of people it affects • To discuss how the issue of age has an impact on intervention • To look at the thinking and behaviours of: young and old victims, young and old perpetrators, social guardians • To provide information on the prevalence of dating violence and elder abuse • Share information on research and activities

3. Resistance or Discount Theory Significance Account ability Solvability Existance

4. Dating Violence and Elder Abuse Louise Frazer, NSPCC

5. NSPCC Partner Exploitation and Violence in Teenage Intimate Relationships • (Christine Barter, Melanie McCarry, David Berridge and Kathy Evans) • It is the first UK research on teenage partner violence – spanning England, Scotland and Wales. • Limited evidence about partner exploitation in teenagers.

6. Aim: • The research explored the young peoples experiences of physical, emotional and sexual forms of violence in their partner relationships, including their coping strategies and views on intervention. • Methodology: • 1,353 questionnaire responses were analysed. • A total of 91 interviews (62 girls and 29 boys) were undertaken. • Findings: • 88% reported having experience of some form of an intimate relationship. • The majority of young people either told a friend or no-one • about the violence.

7. Experiences Physical abuse: - Over ¼ of girls answered YES to physical abuse - 11% of girls (1 in 9) & 4% of boys said YES to experiencing severe physical abuse Impact?: 86% of boys said there was NO negative impact at all of these experiences 76% of girls said YES their emotional well-being was impacted upon. example Girl: “He bit me on the face, it was horrible, really disgusting.” Interviewer: “Why...?” Girl: “Because when I was trying to show my point of view, he doesn’t appreciate it.”

8. Emotional Abuse: 72% of girls & 51% of boys experienced emotional abuse from their intimate partner. “being made fun of” & “constantly being checked up on by partner”. Impact? 1/3 of girls & 6% of boys stated that the emotional abuse had negatively affected their wellbeing. example Girl: “Like when I’d be out with my friends and he’d drag me off and say he didn’t want me out any longer and I’d got to go in and it could be like half past six.”

9. Sexual Abuse: 31% of girls & 6% of boys experienced some form of sexual partner violence. 78% of girls who encountered sexual violence had an older partner Impact? 70% of girls & 13% of boys stated that the sexual violence had negatively impacted on their welfare. example Girl: “I only went out with him for a week. And then…’cos I didn’t want to do what he wanted to (have sexual intercourse) he just started…picking on me and hitting me.”

10. Other Wider Factors Found • Link to experience of family violence: • 86% of young people who had no experience of family violence also reported no experiences of partner violence (compared to) • 36% of those who had experiences of family violence • Partners: • 75% of all of the girls involved had a ‘much older’ partner. • 75% of these girls experienced physical violence, 80% emotional violence and 75% sexual violence. • Having a same-sex partner was also associated with increased incidence rates for all forms of partner violence.

11. Attitudes Of Young People Statements: Girl: “Everybody does it [control], I thought he was weird and then I talked to my friends and all their boyfriends are the same.” Boy: “She tried to batter me but I’m too strong…it’s nothing.” “Not all holding down and stuff is abuse” (Female participant aged 15) Girl: “Like, when I told someone, I was really proud of myself but I was like really scared of what they were all going to say.”……. “……..Because I thought all my friends were going to resent me, like they wouldn’t want to speak to me and things like that… if they thought it was my fault I brought it all on myself”

12. Attitudes Of Young People • Cont… • Girls rationale - feeling cared for and loved • Boys control - appropriateness of their girlfriend’s clothes. • Boys minimised their own use of violence - “messing around” & mutual aggression justifications. • Boys minimised impact of the violence – linked to masculinity. • Boys more frequently portrayed their violence towards their girlfriends as being in self-defence.

13. Boys & Physical Abuse: • ‘only acceptable form of physical violence in relationships was play-fighting and that if the boundaries of this was breached their partners would let them know.’ • Boys & Sexual Abuse: • ‘They felt that girls could not be sexually violent towards boys or pressure them into unwanted sexual acts.’ • Double Standards for Sexual Coercion: • Male peer pressure to be sexually active, or at least to present themselves in this way. However • Some boys also indicated that girls with a “bad” (slut) • Reputation were viewed as more “deserving” of sexual coercion.

14. NSPCC Domestic Abuse Recovery & Support Service • The Domestic Abuse Recovery and Support Service currently covers two areas in NI - Foyle and Belfast - Funded from NSPCC,WHSCT, Belfast & SE Trust and DHSSPS • Services offered • Qualified social work staff who provide: • Initial assessments into the traumatic impact of exposure to DA • Individual and group work programmes tailored to meet the assessed therapeutic recovery needs of children • Similar individual and group work for non abusing parents • Caring Dads programme – helping abusive fathers value their children and positively parent • Reports for CP services and Courts

15. Aims • Increase awareness of the dynamics of Domestic Abuse in the family • Reduce the traumatic impact of DA on children • Improve parent/child relationships • Build resilience and protective strategies • Increase Child/YP’s perception of appropriate behaviour and healthy relationships • Reduce the intergenerational cycle of violence by working with perpetrators • All within families experience where the needs of both parents and children are taken into account – holistic approach

16. Preventative Education Donna Taggart, Omagh Women’s Aid

17. Preventing Domestic Violence “The most positive way to reduce and eliminate Domestic Violence from our society and it’s effects on children and young people is through a strategy of preventative education work”. (WINAF)

18. “Schools and youth settings are perfect places to work with children and young people while they form their ideas about their relationships. The aim should be to prevent violence from being a feature in their lives rather than to intervene after the event” (Tackling Domestic Violence 2005)

19. Preventing Domestic Violence Can Take Several Different Forms: • Primary Prevention: (e.g. intervening early to stop further abuse) • Secondary Prevention: (e.g. helping victims to overcome the negative effects of abuse) • Tertiary Prevention: (e.g. educating all children and young people about the issue so that they have the necessary knowledge to identify such behaviour later in life and equipping them with the skills to have relationships based on respect and a mutual commitment to non-violence)

20. Women’s Aid Have Developed and Deliver Two Preventative Education Programmes: • Helping Hands • Heading for Healthy Relationships

21. Heading for Healthy Relationships A preventative education programme for 13-18 olds. Aims to increase and explore young people’s understanding of the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

22. The Programme is Intended for Young People: • Who themselves are or have, experienced domestic violence within the home • Who are or have experienced dating violence with a teen partner • Who may never have experienced either domestic or dating violence but who will benefit from increased knowledge and skills in protective techniques and interventions in all aspects of their lives

23. Key Issues Explored • Unwritten rules within society and how they can affect the development and quality of relationships • Understanding Relationships- how they develop and impact upon daily living • Healthy and Abusive Relationships

24. Key Issues Explored Continued • Choice, Rights and Responsibilities within Relationships • Early Warning Signs of an abusive relationship • Dating and Domestic Violence

25. Comments from young people who attended the programme: • “Today made me think about how important it is to listen to your gut instinct and that people have choices in their own behaviour. There are no excuses for violence” • “The course has helped me understand that I have rights, responsibilities and choices in relationships, plus how and when to get out of an abusive relationship and who to talk to! Thanks!!!” • “Today made me think about how I treat my boyfriend and helped me evaluate my own relationship”

26. Statistics: Heading for Healthy Relationships and Post-Primary Provision Between April 2008 and June 2009, The Heading for Healthy Relationships preventative education programme was delivered in 57 out of 223 post primary schools in Northern Ireland.

27. Women’s Aid groups collectively were delivering Heading for Healthy Relationships Programme to approximately 26% of the post-primary provision in Northern Ireland. • Between April 2008 and June 2009 over 50% of post primary schools in the Western Area accessed the Heading for Healthy Relationships Programme.

28. Helping Hands A preventative education programme for 7 12 year olds which overall aim is to explore and promote behaviours which will contribute to a safe environment.

29. Aims of Helping Hands Programme • Develop children’s levels of self esteem and confidence • Enable children to explore and express feelings • Inform children of their right to feel safe all of the time • Increase children’s ability in safety planning • Empower children to identify their own personal safety network • Explore how choice of behaviour can affect feelings of others • Identify healthy ways to manage conflict

30. Comments from Children Who Completed Helping Hands: • “I learned who I can tell when I have any worries and who to ring when there is an emergency” (Boy, aged 9) • “I learnt that there are no worries too bad or small that you can’t talk about it with someone you trust” (Girl, aged 10) • “The children have a better understanding of their early warning signs and how to access support when feeling distressed or worried” (Class Teacher, Jan’10)

31. NIWAF Statistics: Helping Hands and Primary School Provision Between April 2008 and June 2009 the Helping Hands preventative education programmes were delivered in 72 out of 873 primary schools, equivalent to 8.2% of the primary provision in Northern Ireland.

32. 21.6% of this figure was attributed to the number of schools which accessed the Helping Hands Programme in the Western Education and Library Board. • In the Western area delivery of the Helping Hands Programme is taking place in approximately 1:5 schools.

33. Elder Abuse DVD

34. Group Discussion What are the key issues in this segment that arise for you in terms of preventative work in your practice setting? What could the Partnership do to address these issues?