1 / 16

Hearing The Silent Voices

Hearing The Silent Voices. Detective Sgt. Steve Kelly Merseyside Police. The Progress on DV. Up to early 90’s – A private matter Mid 90’s – Women’s Aid ‘outed’! Establishment of DV Units DV a Crime? Early 2000 – DV Legislation

gerd
Download Presentation

Hearing The Silent Voices

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Hearing The Silent Voices Detective Sgt. Steve Kelly Merseyside Police

  2. The Progress on DV • Up to early 90’s – A private matter • Mid 90’s – Women’s Aid ‘outed’! Establishment of DV Units DV a Crime? • Early 2000 – DV Legislation H.O. Performance Indicators Recognition of DV crimes Recognition of cost to society

  3. What about the Children? Merseyside Force Policy: • 1991 – No mention of children! • 1998 – ‘Ensure the safety of the victim and any children’ • 2000 – ‘Physically check on the wellbeing of any children’

  4. Research tells us…. • A third of children present during an incident try to protect their mother (Hammer 1990) • 90% children are in the same or adjacent room during a violent attack (Hughes 1992) • Children living with DV experience direct physical& sexual harm – 10% had witnessed their mother being sexually assaulted (NCH 2002) • In 30-66% of DV cases the abuser is also abusing the children in the family. (Hester et al 2000, Humphries & Thiara 2002) • Children are an integral factor in their mother’s management of DV, 50% catalysed them into seeking help. (Zink et al 2003) • At least 750,000 children a year witness DV & almost 75% of children on the CPR live with DV (DOH 2003)

  5. The Impact of DV on Children • Developmental • Emotional • Physical • Personal • Social

  6. DV in Reality • Abuse in pregnancy • Witnessing abuse • Involvement in abuse • Subjected to abuse • Abuse through child contact/ abduction • Murder

  7. Hearing the Silent Voices Hearing the Silenced Voices

  8. How to Respond

  9. The Perfect Policeman • Give children the opportunity to speak • Listen • Do not judge • Be gentle & kind • Be strong • Have a fast car

  10. Our New Policy • Actively seek out children • Give them an opportunity to tell what they have seen and how they feel • Consider them as a witness • Refer to Social Services – C.P. Issues • Inclusion within dynamic risk assessments

  11. Operation Goodwill • Helping children and young people living with DV to recognise it and to speak out about it • Educating the adults of the next generation as to what is and is not acceptable behaviour within relationships

  12. Giving them a Voice • Initial response • Education • Support Groups

  13. Hearing the Voices Children need time to discuss the feelings they have about violence. Children need to know it is NOT their fault and that this is NOT the way relationships should be. Children need adults who are knowledgeable about DV issues and skilled in listening and responding appropriately.

  14. Hearing The Silent Voices Detective Sgt. Steve Kelly Merseyside Police

More Related