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GLOUCESTERSHIRE ENCOMPASS February 2019. Gloucestershire Encompass. In conjunction with Gloucestershire Police , Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board we are launching a new initiative called Gloucestershire Encompass. Aims and Objectives.
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Gloucestershire Encompass In conjunction with Gloucestershire Police, Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board we are launching a new initiative called Gloucestershire Encompass.
Aims and Objectives • Explain what domestic violence and abuse is and identify who is at risk • Describe the physical and psychological effects of domestic abuse • Consider the impact of domestic abuse on unborn children and children and young people • Classify the behaviours displayed by an abusive person
Aims and Objectives • Understand the mechanism of Gloucestershire Encompass and the referral process • Understand the role of schools and what action is to be taken upon receipt of a referral • What support is in place for professionals and families
Domestic Abuse • Home Office Definition • Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. Including so-called ‘Honour’ based crimes.
30% of those who experienced DA self harmed 20% those who experienced DA have attempted suicide 79% who witnessed DA felt less confident in “coming out”
Coercive Control “Not only is coercive control the most common context in which [women] are abused, it is also the most dangerous” Evan Stark
Scapegoat Referee Victim’s Confidant Perfect Child Abuser’s Confidant Abuser’s Assistant
Gloucestershire Encompass: Introduction • Our ambition is to ensure that all incidents of domestic abuse are shared with schools, not just those where an offence can be identified. • Within every school a trained Key Adult (DSL) is appointed – the Key Adult receives information about abusive incidents directly via their encompass@ email address. • Gloucestershire Encompass is an integral component in child safeguarding and protection policies and, as such, should be cited in the school's Safeguarding and Child Protection policies.
Subject: Gloucestershire Encompass Notification Good morning. Attached is your notification that a domestic abuse incident has been recorded by the police which the attached child/ren may have been exposed to or involved in. This information is shared in order for you to monitor and support the child where you feel appropriate. It may give you a reason for any change in behaviour noticed, and will help you respond to and support the child appropriately. Following advice from the police, please read and be mindful of the following before reading the notification: • When making the decision whether to speak to the child , please take into account whether they were present or not; they may be unaware of the incident. • Please be aware that this notification does not indicate that the child is the victim in the incident. • Please also be advised that DA alerts will be received following an incident relating to any family member over the age of 16. Therefore they do not always indicate an incident between parents / carers, but the incident could relate to an older sibling , another family member, or an ex-partner. This would be the case whether or not the incident happened at the home address . As a result, please ensure that there is no presumption made by staff as to who was involved in the incident , nor any presumptions made as to who the victims or perpetrators are in this incident. • In the light of this, it is not advisable to discuss these notifications with parent / carers unless they approach you, as this could lead you to inadvertently disclosing information on an ex-partner or other family member. • Please note that the notification period is up until 7am this morning , therefore incidents occuring after this time will not be flagged until the following working day. • Please also remember that these incidents have not yet been investigated and so may not lead to any charges being brought. Next steps: All these incidents have been assessed by the police and any referrals to social care have been or will be made by the police. Therefore, there is no need to re-refer to the Gloucestershire MASH UNLESS you have additional information or concerns that would meet the threshold for referral, or if this alert adds weight to concerns having used the levels of intervention. If the child is absent today, please follow your normal attendance procedure . If this alert and subsequent absence adds weight to concerns that would meet the threshold for referral having used the levels of intervention, or you have you have additional information or concerns that would meet the threshold for referral, please make a referral into the Gloucestershire MASH. If the child is dual registered, please ensure you alert the DSL at the other education provider and that this is done via Egress. Please follow the Gloucestershire Encompass process for schools as shared with you. Kind regards Halah Shams El-Din Gloucestershire Encompass on behalf of Police MASH Manager, Gloucestershire Constabulary
What could you do? What shouldn’t you do?
It’s quite normal to be upset, even for quite a while after a frightening event; children and young people (and adults) may feel angry, sad, guilty, confused, or any combination of feelings. Some people continue to feel scared, even though the danger has passed. Children and young people worry less if you can help them to see that their reactions are normal and understandable. Most people find that entirely natural human responses to distress are most helpful: feelings of care, love, safety, support, engagement and a sense of belonging to a community. Schools can play a vital role in providing this.
How pupils may react As pupils start to understand and “get their heads around” what happened, the following reactions are common: • Reliving the event, for example, through having nightmares, the event unexpectedly popping into their mind, blaming themselves or often thinking about what could have happened or they could have done differently. Younger children may seem to re-enact what’s happened, either through their play or drawings. • Not wanting to think or talk about the event, or avoiding anything that might remind them of what happened. • Getting angry or upset more easily. • Not being able to concentrate, struggling to remember things or seeming confused more easily. • Struggling to sleep or losing appetite. • Being more jumpy and on the lookout for danger. • Becoming more clingy with parents/ carers or members of staff. • Withdrawing, avoiding or conflicting with others. • Appearing numb or not seeming to react to things. • Physical complaints such as stomach aches or headaches. • Temporarily losing abilities (e.g. cognitive skills, feeding, toileting)
How can you help? After a frightening event, young people need support from the adults who know them best. As staff members, you have invaluable experience, competence and skills in dealing with children and young people and, in partnership with families, are the best people to provide this support. It is important to: Try to make things as normal as possible: Everyone feels safer when they know what to expect and pupils may feel unsure of what to expect after a frightening event. You can help pupils to feel safer sooner, by sticking to their usual routines and activities as much as possible and ensuring that they are with adults that they know and trust. It helps pupils to see that, despite these awful events, the world remains largely unchanged and that life goes on. They learn this through seeing you cope with the event and seeing that the routine of life is continuing. Be visible and accessible: Reach out to pupils, do not expect them to find you. Make it easy, safe and culturally acceptable for people to be helped.
When and where to seek more help? Many children feel upset for a few weeks after a frightening event. They may show this in the ways mentioned earlier. But over time, most become happier and more confident again. Some children will continue to have problems several weeks after the event. If you are worried that a child is very distressed, or continues to be distressed after a month or so, you could seek further help from the child’s GP or support services such as the EPS.
Young People • Group work for young people, aged 13-19 • Mixed sex groups • Male facilitators alongside GDASS staff School workshops developed by GDASS Delivered to secondary schools and youth groups in classes or assemblies Mixed sex groups
A whole School Approach/Ethos • Interactive programme which aims to equip young people and/or teachers with the skills and knowledge to be able to prevent bullying, sexual violence, domestic abuse, racism and homophobia within their school and friendship circles. • The Initiative is made up of one hour sessions held over eight weeks or 3x 2 hour evening sessions with teachers • ALL staff must be involved and onboard for this approach to make significant changes
Young Person Project Co-Ordinator- Sarah Pinkney- sarah.pinkney@gdass.org.uk GDASS professionals line: 01452 726 561 GDASS support line: 01452 726 570
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3xoZXSW5yc Everyday Hero
