Beyond Rope Ladders & Padlocks: A New Approach to Safety Planning

Sherry Hamby & Sarah ClarkSewanee, the University of the South

Presented at the Ending Domestic & Sexual Violence: Innovations in Practice & Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH, November, 2011

sherry.hamby@sewanee.edu

Common Instruments & Tools

This review focuses on published instruments and tools.

You will see their content is rather narrow. Although many advocates do address these

risks, they do so largely without guidance from published documents or the nation’s premier resources on domestic violence.

Existing Dangerousness Assessments:Ask Only About Physical Harm

The most frequent topics covered by popular dangerousness/lethality assessment tools are (Laing, 2004; Websdale, 2000) : prior victimization; batterer’s drug & alcohol problems; batterer’s obsessiveness & jealousy; batterer’s threats to kill the victim or her children; batterer access to & familiarity with weapons; batterer’s violence outside the home; stalking; batterer’s suicidal ideation & behavior; partners are separated, or victim is fleeing.

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A Typical Safety Plan—Nat’l Coalition Against Domestic Violence

If you are still in the relationship: Think of a safe place to go if an argument occurs - avoid

rooms with no exits (bathroom), or rooms with weapons (kitchen).

Think about and make a list of safe people to contact. Keep change with you at all times. Memorize all important numbers. Establish a "code word" or "sign" so that family, friends,

teachers or co-workers know when to call for help. Think about what you will say to your partner if he\she

becomes violent. Remember, you have the right to live without fear and

violence. 44

…Focuses on leaving & physical safety If you have left the relationship: Change your phone number. Screen calls. Save and document all contacts, messages, injuries or

other incidents involving the batterer. Change locks, if the batterer has a key. Avoid staying alone. Plan how to get away if confronted by an abusive

partner. If you have to meet your partner, do it in a public

place. Vary your routine. Notify school and work contacts. Call a shelter for battered women. If you leave the relationship or are thinking of

leaving, you should take important papers and documents with you to enable you to apply for benefits or take legal action. 55

The State of Safety Planning Bottom line: Many safety plans

devote more space to rope ladders and padlocks than to providing guidance on dealing with the financial, legal, and social risks faced by virtually all battered women.

In addition to leaving advocates to figure out how to do this on their own, one at a time, over and over again, what other consequences does this narrow focus have?

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What Gets Left Out of Existing Services?

Physical Risks Posed to Others Concern for others can constrain coping:

Children Family members Friends—especially those who offer shelter Pets Others, such as coworkers, advocates, etc.

Ex: Across 6 studies, 48% of women in shelters reported their pets had been harmed, 45% said they had been threatened, and 26% said the welfare of their pets delayed their decision to leave (Hamby, in preparation).

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Financial Risks Financial dependence is often the most

commonly mentioned reason for staying (e.g., Cruz, 2003).

Many areas of potential loss: Lower standard of living Loss of savings Cannot afford neighborhoods with low crime or good schools Would have to drop out of own schooling Job loss Loss of health insurance Loss of car/transportation Doesn’t have security deposit, rent, furniture for even a terrible

apartment in a terrible neighborhood. 9

Legal Risks Dual arrests are on the rise

(Hirschel & Buzawa, 2002) Arrest of batterer unlikely to lead

to jail time—will be back home & madder than ever

If disclose abuse to authorities, may be reported to CPS for “exposing” children to dv

D-I-V-O-R-C-E risks Risks losing custody of children Risks unfair divorce settlement

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Social Risks Stigma—Almost all of the social

statuses associated with leaving a violent relationship are stigmatized: “victim” “divorced” “single mother”

Loss of friendships, extended family, support of minister/congregants

Children’s loss of friends, schools, sports

May stigmatize entire family in many communities 11

Who Gets Left Out of Existing Services?

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Not all victims need shelters

Denise Richards Brooke Mueller Taylor Armstrong Phil Hartman

Rihanna Madonna Tina Turner 13

Not all victims are economically disadvantaged or lacking housing

Celebrities obviously do not represent the norm, but they will have to stand in for all the unknown lawyers, accountants, physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, teachers, computer technicians, journalists, artists, physical therapists, veterinarians, and all of the other women who don’t fit the stereotype of “battered woman.”

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The VIGOR: Multiple Criteria Decision Making

for IPV

Types of Problems Addressed with MCDM

Selecting routes for nuclear waste transport (Chen, Wang, & Lin, 2008).

Promoting recycling (Gomes et al., 2008) Understanding stock trading (Albadvi et al., 2007) Deciding best locations for emergency vehicles (Araz et

al., 2007) Understanding “medical tourism”—when people will

decide to have surgery abroad (Bies & Zacharia, 2007) …and dozens of other applications in environmental

sciences, engineering, agriculture, and finance (Hajkowicz, 2008) 16

What Do These Problems Have in Common with Battering?

Multiple facets to the problem “Success” can be evaluated on multiple criteria Not all criteria easily evaluated with dollars or

some other uniform metric—involve value judgements (originally developed as an alternative to cost-benefit analysis).

Multiple options to choose from, and these options vary in how well they meet different criteria.

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Using MCDM Principles to Create the VIGOR: Victim Inventory of Goals,

Options, & Risks 6 other experienced advocates reviewed the

VIGOR and provided extensive feedback, paid $100 honorarium.

Pilot study with over 100 individuals who have been victims of battering

Students in an undergraduate research seminar helped further streamline and simplify the wording.

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Pilot Study: Risks, Strengths, Options as Perceived by Victims of Battering

102 people (98% female) with histories of intimate partner victimization were recruited from 2 domestic violence programs (1 shelter, 1 support group) in 2 Southern states.

Wide age range: 28% 18-25, 25% 26-30, 27% 31-40, 20% 41+

Ethnically and racially diverse: African-American (54%), White/Caucasian (26%), Hispanic (11%), Native American (9%), and other (1%).

58% reported income < $12,000 per year. Most had children (91%), mean 2.14 children per

participant. They provided their perceptions of their risks and

resources in a semi-structured format. Responses were coded using a boot-strapping method and analyzed. Participants were given a $25 gift card to thank them for their participation. DV agencies were paid $25 per interview to compensate them for staff time.

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Step 1: Identify Risks

Fear o

f phy

sical

harm

to se

lf

Fear p

artn

er w

ill m

urde

r the

m

Finan

cially

inse

cure

Conce

rn fo

r chi

ldre

n*

Lack S

ocial

Sup

port

Lose c

usto

dy

Family

rejec

tion

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

47.6

16.5

53.446.6 44.7

27.2 27.2

20*Concern for children includes concern for their physical, emotional, and social well-being

Step 2: Identify Strengths

Family

supp

ort

Churc

h Com

mun

ity

Religi

ous f

aith

Have f

riend

s

Shelte

r

Perso

nal S

treng

th

Have a

job

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 54.448.5

45.641.7 41.7 40.8 39.8

*Personal strength refers to a sense of being capable and having the ability to persevere. 21

Step 3: Identify Options

Seek c

ouns

eling

Get a n

ew jo

b

Get Ord

er of

Pro

tectio

n

Talk to

fam

ily

Join

a su

ppor

t gro

up

Get ne

w plac

e

Churc

h/pa

stor h

elp

Go to a

shelt

er

Apply

TANF

Save $

$

Get cu

stody

of ch

ildre

n

Seek d

ivor

ce0

10

20

30

40

50

60

49 47.1

37.3 35.331.4 31.4 30.4 29.4

25.5 23.519.6 18.6

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Novel OptionsReported by single or few respondents

Increase internet security (myspace, facebook, email)

Get a dog Apply for a gun permit Sleep with a knife under

pillow Find new friends/confidants Exercise Change locks (5%)

Step 4: Make Choices Based on Risk Priorities & Options

In MCDM, an option has “strict dominance” if it is better than others on some criteria, and at least as good on all others.

The result: NOT a generic checklist of safety precautions, BUT a personalized plan that links coping responses to specific risks.

Fleeing on an emergency basis with few belongings and possibly not even with your children, will not minimize many risks faced by typical battered women. 24

Conclusion Can improve our response to the most disadvantaged

women as help them address multiple needs. Victims who are seen as poor copers or in “denial” may

be prioritizing other risks. Holistic advocacy, using MCDM, has the potential to

considerably broaden the population that seeks help from domestic violence advocates, as many perceive advocacy is primarily about free shelter.

Next steps: Further testing of revised version (Beta 11.0!) with traditional dv agency clients and also hope to evaluate with less disadvantaged women.

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