Working Effectively and Safely with Men in Children’s Services

2. Working Effectively and Safely with Men in Children’s Services Clare Roskill Freelance Consultant October 5th 2007 Newcastle

3. What is a difficult father? • Covers a multitude of behaviours • In context of Children’s Services a father may be seen as difficult if, for example, he: • Verbally abuses staff • Fails supervised contact appointments • Writes letters of complaint • Demands scarce resources • Asks for weekend appointments

4. What is a dangerous father? • A father who is an actual or potential risk to a child through: • abuse to child or neglect • violence to the child’s mother or carer • substance abuse More controversially, is a father a dangerous father if he: • is involved in activities away from home that threaten his own life? • Is involved in activities away from home that cause violence to others? • works very long hours?

6. Why work with fathers who are dangerous? The best interests of the child are paramount The same father can be both a risk and a resource Behaviour is not static and change does happen. We need to balance immediate/ medium term safety with possibilities of improved relationships in the longer term Our own concepts of dangerousness may be influenced by our own experiences, and our willingness to engage with such fathers Assessment of dangerousness is not an exact science

7. With few exceptions children want to be in contact with their fathers They want fathers who: • are good fun; have hobbies they can do with them; have money • are not too hung up on work • show love and provide physical contact • set boundaries • support them and are interested in them (Milligan and Dowie, 1998)

8. A threat to women and children, being involved in a large amount of domestic violence and drugs; possibly involved in sexual or other forms of abuse • (Scourfield ,J, Critical Social Policy 26(2) 2006) • Of little or no use, being uncommitted to family life, unable to take responsibility, or absent • (Scourfield, J, see also above) • A threat to themselves because of their physical appearances such as skinhead or very large physique • (Ferguson, H, & Hogan, F, 2004) Social workers working within the context of child protection may have reservations about some fathers, seeing them as e.g:

9. Different theoretical approaches inform both assessment and treatment • Attachment theory: Violence seen as a response to loss and grief • Cognitive behavioural approaches: Learnt behaviour can be changed • Feminist approaches: male violence as exercise of power over women and children

10. Theoretical approaches (continued) • Solution-focused practice: emphasises finding safe goals for offender/victim/professionals. Does not try to explain or predict • Narrative approach: emphasises replacing unhelpful life stories and labelling by self and others (Milner,J, and Myers, S, Working with Violence, Policies and Practices in Risk Assessment and Management, 2007)

11. Risk Assessment Factors Some highly significant factors are (nearly) unchangeable e.g. • male • young low socio-economic group • poverty • low IQ. • abusive upbringing • previous offending “The application of risk assessment within criminal justice is a bit like betting on a race when the outcome is known in advance”. (Horsefield 2003)

12. Therefore a number of highly significant factors influencing likelihood of violence cannot be changed. However there are other more “dynamic” factors, some of which may - with very great difficulty- be open to change, e.g. • employment • reducing damaging use of drugs and alcohol • victim empathy • anger management • impulsiveness

13. Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) for the most serious offenders, resulting in closer working arrangements between police, probation and other local agencies Public protection re registered sex offenders, violent offenders and others who may pose a serious risk to the public depends on: Defensible decisions Rigorous, but not full proof, risk assessment- e.g. OASys ( Offender Assessment System) Delivery of risk assessment plans that match public need for protection Evaluation ( Kemshall, H, 2003)

14. NO RISK ASSESSMENT IS FULLY PREDICTIVE

15. Good Risk Management Local agencies should: • Plan and coordinate how each local agency fulfils its respective role • Draw up joint protocols on information sharing – who will share, how, when and what information • Be clear as to the respective roles of the different agencies and how they will record their involvement • Monitor that these roles are fulfilled • Agree a joint plan for the evaluation of work undertaken

16. Local agency workers should: • Use as rigorous as possible assessments, whatever their limitations at this point in time • Be trained to question appropriately re detail, frequency, severity of violence • Never condone violence but should be willing to listen to the complexities of individual histories • Never accept perpetrator’s denial, minimising or refusal to accept damaging effects of violent behaviour • Receive support and good quality, regular supervision

17. When and how to involve violent men in contact arrangements with their children • The contact must be safe and positive for the child. Contact is NOT ALWAYS appropriate • Lord Justice Wall Feb 2006: report to President of Family Division. 29 children from 13 different families murdered by their fathers 1994-2004 • In 5 cases contact ordered by court;3 by consent • Family Justice Council - risk assessment should be undertaken by court in cases of DV, before consent order made

18. Contact (continued) LJ Wall stressed need for: • further training re DV for those involved in court cases, including solicitors, barristers, judges • Victims of DV to be aware of damage to children. It is a failure to protect child emotionally (and sometimes physically) • Where highly conflicting accounts of DV, voice of child should be heard • CAFCASS screening in contact and residence applications should be extended nationally • Unsupervised contact should not necessarily follow supervised contact

19. When, if at all, to include women/mothers in work with men re domestic violence Need to consider: • Continuing risks to children and adult victim • Factors associated with risk of further assaults - history of DV; current stressors; other activity that may provoke the DV such as substance misuse; mental state • Perpetrator’s attitude to DV- whether remorseful; in denial; extent of motivation to take change; attitude to male dominance

20. Be very cautious about joint work with a couple experiencing DV unless you are a specialist or you have carried out a thorough risk assessment and have agreed with manager that there is little or no further danger to woman and/ or child –unlikely • But do not ignore the man’s needs • If he is motivated, try to find a specialist perpetrator programme which will help him understand his violence and learn different ways of behaving. Programmes mainly of up to 75 hours • A number offer separate support services for women.

21. Some Strategies and Points for Action for Father-Inclusive Services • Check whether published policies and procedures set out specifically how fathers will be involved. They tend to be subsumed as “parents” = mothers • Restructure agency forms so that they encourage the seeking and retaining of information on fathers • Develop a father-inclusive work culture, with an expectation that fathers will be sought out, whether near or far, in prison, in hospital, off the scene. Worker safety should not however be jeopardized • Implement the duty on LA to consult both parents re decisions about the child, irrespective of whether the father has Parental Responsibility or not.

22. Strategies and Points for Action (continued) • Engage young fathers before, during and after their child’s birth and ensure they have a role to play in the child’s life. “Unplanned does not mean unwanted.” • Remember that the most significant father figure may be a step-father or mother’s partner. • Develop local resources that welcome fathers. Do not assume these necessarily have to involve activities or sports. Some fathers like to talk! • Be prepared to be flexible about times and dates for meeting fathers

23. Strategies and Points for Action (continued) • Meet fathers without prejudgement, whatever their history. • Consider the paternal relatives - often overlooked as a resource • Family Group Conferences can be a very positive way of re-engaging the father and/ or the paternal family network • Encourage the development of further community resources to support fathers with history pattern of violence (Fathers Matter, 2006, Family Rights Group and ongoing ,

24. Whenever possible help to make the father a positive resource for the child rather than seen as ………

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