Chorzów, 2010

1. FUNCTIONING OF THE SYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE THERAPEUTIC SYSTEM FOR THE PERPETRATORS

2. The Act on prevention of domestic violence of 29 July 2005 obligedthe Council of Ministers to adopt the National Programme for Preventionof Domestic Violence • Chorzów, 2010

3. The Programme is addressed to: The Programme is addressed to: a) victims of domestic violence, including: - children - spouses or partners in informal relationships - elderly people - persons with disabilities b) perpetrators of domestic violence c) witnesses of domestic violence

5. The domestic violence prevention programme is implemented by: • government administrative bodies • territorial self-government units • non-governmental organisations • churches and other religious associations

8. The programme is aimed to: • decrease the scale of the phenomenon of domestic violence • increase the effectiveness of protection of victims of family violence and enhance availability of support • increase the effectiveness of intervention and corrective actions towards abusers

10. General aims are implemented by means of: • diagnosing systematically the phenomenon of family violence • increasing social sensitivity to domestic violence • improving competences of the services dealing withthe problem of domestic violence • providing victims of family violence with professional support • interacting with and exerting impact on family abusers

11. A comprehensive perspective of preventing domestic violence determines four basic types of actions addressed to various types of recipients: • preventive: diagnosing, informing, educational, addressed to the whole society and people working with victims and abusers • interventional: protective and therapeutic, addressed to victims of domestic violence as well as educative and isolating, addressed to abusers • supportive: psychological, pedagogical, therapeutic and other, addressed to victims of violence within family • corrective and educational addressed to abusers

12. Our Centre is mainly implementing the interventional, supportive and corrective/educational goals.The preventive goals are addressed to people being in contact with victims of domestic violenceor abusers who have previously received our support (probation officers, social workers, police officers, school educators).

13. The need for systemic counteractionof domestic violence inspiredthe development of principlesfor the framework correctiveand educational programmefor domestic violence abusers withinthe Silesian region.

14. The framework corrective and educational programme is in line with the actions provided for in the legal acts ands strategic documents implemented at the national and regional levels, such as: • Act on prevention of domestic violence • National Programme for Prevention of Domestic Violence • Development Strategy of the ŚląskieVoivodeship 2000-2020 • Social Policy Strategy of the ŚląskieVoivodeship 2006-2020 • VoivodeshipProgramme for Prevention and Solving of Alcohol Problems 2006-2010

15. The Ordinance of the Minister of Labourand Social Policy of 6 July 2006 specifiesthe detailed directions for correctiveand educational impacts towards the abusers. The elaborated Strategy for Solving Social Problems in Chorzów by 2020 indicatedthe necessity to develop and implement programmes addressed to domestic violence perpetrators.

16. Such actions are undertaken in order to: • prevent the abuser from future abusive behaviours • developing self-control skills and ability to coexist within family • shaping educational skills in parents without resorting to family violence • gaining knowledge and raising awareness in the scope of the mechanisms generating domestic violence

17. The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to: • convicts sentenced for misdeeds connected with domestic abuse, serving sentenceof imprisonment or those for whom the court suspended execution of the penalty, obliging such abusers to participate in the programme

18. The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to: • domestic violence perpetrators taking part in alcohol or drug addiction treatment (therapy); in such case – participationin the programme may be supplementary to the main therapy.

19. The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to: • individuals who voluntarily enrollfor the programme, due to other circumstances.

20. Addiction therapy is addressedto domestic violence abusers identified as alcohol or drugs addicts or persons addicted to other intoxicants, psychotropic or substitute substances.

21. Corrective and educational activitiesare not conducted in locations where the victims of domestic violence receive support.

22. Method of implementation for the correctiveand educational programme under the exampleof Chorzów

23. The corrective and educational programme for Chorzów has been implemented since September 2007.It is a proprietary programme developed by a psychologist. The programme sessions are conducted in the Social Welfare Centre.

24. The aims of the therapy include: • taking responsibility by perpetratorsfor their behaviours • teaching abusers to refrain from using violence • teaching perpetrators to control aggressive behaviours • changing the way of thinking and systemof beliefsto favour the developmentof partnership attitudes • changing violent behaviours into partnership-based behaviours

25. In 2007 - 11 participants of the programme,of which 10 men and 1 woman. • In 2008 - 44 participants of the programme,39 men and 5 women. • In 2009 - 50 people enrolledfor the programme, 44 men and 6 women. • In 1st half of 2010 - 25 people took partin the programme, 20 men and 5 women

26. The programme participants are referred to the programme by social workers, probation officers, police officers, based on a court decision,or they enroll voluntarily.

27. Methods of work: • motivating to take partin the therapy • diagnostic sessions • therapeutic sessions • individual consultations • mini-lectures • practical activities • Workshops • socializing / family integration meetings • educational and therapeutic trips • group sessions

28. In 2010, we organised: • cinema outing and trip to Water Parkfor the families participating in the corrective and educational programme • therapeutic and educational trip to the mountains • educational and recreational trip to the salt mine, Santa Claus Day and Christmas Eve

29. “Wieliczka” Salt Mine2010

30. Santa Claus Day2010

31. In 2009 - 2010we organised one-day trip to Cracow and three-day trip to BukowinaTatrzańska. The character of such trips was both theurapeutic and educational. In Christmas time we celebrated Sainta Claus Day and Christmas Eve in the open-air ethnographic museum in Chorzów.

32. BUKOWINA TATRZAŃSKA 2009

33. Santa Claus Day and Christmas Eve2011

34. In some cases, these may be the first family outings or trips. Frequently, the family members learn from the start how to spend time together and organise their spare time. Such outings are always accompanied and supervised by our workers.

35. The corrective and educational programmeis financed from the state budget. The amount of the government subsidy depends on the number of program participants. With the forecasted participation of 50 persons, the amount of the annual subsidyisPLN 60,000 – equivalent of EUR 15,000.

36. Functioning of the systemof support for the victimsof domestic violence of the Specialist Support Centre for Victimsof Domestic Violencein Chorzów

37. From the beginning of the Centre’s activity,since 29 October 2006,we have been workingwith the victims of domestic violence.

38. The objective of support provided to the victims of domestic violence consist in: • aiming to use the solutions expectedby the victims of domestic violence • ensuring safety • broadening knowledge on the phenomenonof domestic violence • raising the victims’ awareness in the scopeof their rights and possibilities of receiving support

39. The persons receiving support from the Centre learn about us from the following sources: • information leaflets • internet • information provided by the Police • social workers • probation officers • previous recipients of our support

40. Last year: • 43 % families were covered by support owingto cooperation with the Police • 31 % families visited us voluntarily • 14 % families were referred to our Centre by other support centres, such as Social Welfare Centre, Centre for Crisis Intervention, Family Support Centre • 8 % received information about the centre froma probation officer • 3 % account for other applications (anonymous, from an employer)

41. In 2010, as many as 170 families received support from our Centre,23 adults and 27 children stayedin the shelter hostel. All the families received welfare support.

42. 85 people consulted a psychologist • 68 people received legal advice • 29 families consulted a pedagogy specialist • 41 children and 60 women took part in group sessions

43. Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse: • diagnostics (covering, inter alia, diagnosticsof addictions, physical and mental disorders, diagnosticsof other problems, e.g. educational, financial) • working in the allocated environment, motivatingto externalize the problem of domestic violence, evaluation and supervision of a family situation • developing of an individual support plan includingthe necessary needs, goals, methods and period of support

44. Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse: • support in dealing with administrative and other procedures, referring to particular people able to provide support if such support is not granted by the Centre • individual social, legal, medical and therapeutic consultations and counselling (psychologist, pedagogy specialist, social worker, legal adviser, doctor, therapist) • educational consultations, teaching harm-free educational methods

45. Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse: • group sessions for adults and children • interdisciplinary teams • socializing and integrational meetings • educational and therapeutic trips • isolation of victims from the abuser(e.g. a hostel, protected flats).

46. Sheltering in a hostel and support fromthe Centre is providedto the victimsof domestic violence also from outsidethe city of Chorzów. The hostel provides shelter to peoplefor a period of 3 months, howeverin justified cases this period is extended. Female inhabitants of Chorzów whose residence in the hostelhas been extended, either stay in the hostel or are referredto protected flats.

47. The hostel provides free of charge shelter and basic hygiene products, clothingand food are ensured to its residents.Hot meals are served in the bar area outside the Centre.

48. The Centre cooperates with other institutionsand organisations providing support, such as: Social Welfare Centre, Family Support Centre, Police, Prosecutor’s Office, court, probation officers and schools, nursery schools, counselling services, Municipal Office, State Agencyfor SolvingAlcoholProblems, centresfor treatmentof addictions, children’s homes.

49. Thank youfor your attention