Tayside Violence Against Women Training Consortium Spring 2011 Gillian Ferguson (Dundee city...

Tayside Violence Against Women Training Consortium


Spring 2011

Gillian Ferguson (Dundee city council) & Sarah Watts (TVAWTC)

Working with substance misusing women experiencing domestic abuse

– building not barriers, but bridges.


Our Challenge

If a substance misuse agency ignores a woman’s safety she may never get sober. If domestic violence providers ignore her drug use she may never be safe.

Marai Larasi, NIA Project


Learning objectives for the day:

• Thinking about the connection between domestic abuse and substance misuse.

• Exploring the additional impact upon substance misusing women of domestic abuse.

• Understanding the effects upon parental capacity of domestic abuse and substance misuse.

• Improving practice working with women with complex and multiple needs.


Breaks & lunch

Fire drills

Loos

Mobile phones

Self care & time out

Group agreed contract

Housekeeping


The Chatham House (RIIA) Rule originated at Chatham House with the aim of providing anonymity to speakers and to encourage openness and the sharing of information:

"When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed".

Chatham House,1927


‘It’s just much easier to deal with one problem … so I think that [workers] try and put people in silos and say, “Well, we can deal with this problem and let’s hope everything else gets sorted out.’ (female drugs worker)

‘It’s difficult for them to see it and name it for what it is because they don’t feel confident or capable to, because they haven’t been trained.’ (female women’s service worker)

‘Particular refuges have not been well staffed … so have always felt that they have limited ability to cope with women with additional substance use issues. They feel they can cope with one issue, but they can’t cope with additional issues.’ (Drug Action Team worker)


Exercise 1

What role do you think drugs/alcohol play in domestic abuse?

In small groups, take ten minutes to discuss and flipchart what you think the role substances play in domestic abuse.


Substance misuse and domestic abuse

Statistics show a connection…but does that show cause and effect?

- ice cream sales and drowning- recession and lipstick wearing


As an excuse: “it’s only when he drinks…”

The disinhibition theory vs learned disinhibition theory

Societal and individual beliefs about the links between alcohol and violence may encourage a person to drink to find courage to commit violent behaviour.

Potentially violent men may drink to provide themselves with an excuse for violent behaviour.

Finney (2004) Home Office findings


But also when he doesn’t drink…

“The connection between domestic abuse and alcohol does not account for economic control, sexual violence, and intimidation, which are often part of a [abuser’s] ongoing pattern of abuse.

This has little or no identifiable connection to his use or dependence on alcohol.”

Zubretsky & Digliroamo (2007)

“It’s no excuse, no excuse whatsoever cause if they do it when they’re straight as well as when they’ve had something how can they use it as an excuse?” (Helen)


Some other theories of correlation

• Cognitive distortion (disrupting his thinking)• To cope with feelings about perpetration (double

bind)• To cope with guilt and shame about own abuse• Part of his socialised ideas of what is ‘manly’• Co-etiology of ipv & su (intensifying his

motivation for personal power)

Understanding intimate partner violence:

intimate terrorism*Disaggregated data: sex of repeat victimisation

violent resistance

situational couple violence

97% intimate terrorism; 56% situational

1970s Pittsburgh sample

Johnson,2001

With the kind permission of Nel Whiting - SWA

Functional v Expressive Violence

• Expressive violence• Annoyance-motivated aggression

• Does not serve a specific purpose

• Impulsive or a release of tension?

• Functional violence• Goal-orientated

• Motive-driven

• Controlled and controlling.


Time for a tea refill!


Exercise 2 ‘No Boundaries’ scenario one clip (a – c)

How might the perpetrator employ substance misuse on his own or his partner’s behalf within the domestic abuse?

In your same small groups, take a few minutes to think about how substance misuse is used to support domestic abuse by Billy.


How can the perpetrator use addiction to extend his power and control?

- Justifying own abuse- Enabling own abuse

- Introducing or forcing use, including poly drug use- Being the primary or only supplier (and withdrawing

supply)- Being the only person who mediates her use- Spending a woman’s earnings- Threats of disclosure e.g. social services, schools, family- Limiting or sabotaging access to services


How/why do women use substances?

More likely to enter drug using career via intimate partner relationship (than men)

To cope with the direct abuse (15x more likely to use alcohol, 9x more likely to substance misuse)

To cope with the indirect abuse (prostituting to fund both dependencies)

To cope with historical abuse/trauma (more likely to have experienced childhood abuse)

To appease the abusive partner (“I know I’m not better than you”) and to help ‘manage’ his use.


Lunch!


a. What might be the impact upon parental capacity of domestic abuse?

b. What might be the impact upon parental capacity of substance misuse?

c. What might the consequences be for the child of living with both?

Children’s Experiences of Living With Dual IssuesExercise X – ‘No Boundaries’ scenario 4 (a – d)


Key Policy Context


The three planets (Work of Marianne Hester)

Domestic abuse: considered a crime

(civil and criminal law);range of support

violent male partner

Child protection: (public law)

welfare approach; state intervention

in abusive families; mother seen as failing to protect Child contact:

(private law);negotiated or

mediated outcome;good enough

father


What Do I Do If I Know My Client is Perpetrating Domestic Abuse?

• No excuses! Do not collude with or condone the violence. His substance use is not to blame.

• Highlight that as adults we are responsible for our behaviour.• Give him positive feedback on disclosing.• Explore how he uses his behaviour to control and manipulate his

partner.• Ask him what effects his violence has on his partner.• Are there child protection issues? Does your organisation have a

protocol for dealing with this?• What work is done with perpetrators in your area?

From Stella Project Toolkit.


Perpetrators – Quantitative Findings

• Bennett 1994 – 46% of substance misusers were perpetrators, 70% of perpetrators misused substances

• Brown 1997 – 58% reported at least one incident of physical aggression towards partner in the last year

• Gondolf & Foster 1991 – 20% clinical reports, 52% self report, 82% partner report of domestic abuse


Responding to Disclosure

• Believe her and say so.• Reassure her that she was right to

disclose • Acknowledge her experience and

accept her evaluation of the danger of her current situation

• Avoid saying ‘why don’t you?’ – it’s never that simple


Cycle of Change (based on the work of Prochaska and Diclemente)


The Leaving Process

• Stage 1 – Managing the situation• Stage 2 – Distortion of perception/reality• Stage 3 – Defining abuse• Stage 4 – Re-evaluating the relationship• Stage 5 – Ending the relationship• Stage 6 – Ending the violenceBased on the work of Liz Kelly.


Best Practice guidelines suggest:

Displays of information

Policy Statements

Routine Screening

Partnership / Liaision

Review and monitoring referrals

Systems and how they support safetyg

Responding and understanding


Contact details for substance misuse

Addaction Dundee: 01382 206888

Monday to Thursday 10am to 1pm & 2pm to 5pm. Saturday 10am to 3pm.

Harm Reduction Service: 01382 204248/01382 200532

Tayside Substance Misuse Service: 01382 424544

(TDPS and TAPS)

Tayside Council on Alcohol: 01382 223965

Social Work Drug Alcohol and BBV team: 01382 424507, 01241 435821, 01738 474455


Contact details for Domestic Abuse

Dundee Women’s Aid –

Perth & Kinross Women’s Aid – 01738 639 043

AWARE (Angus Women’s Aid) -

WRASAC (Dundee & Angus) – 01382 201 291

WRASAC (Perth) – 01738 630 965

National Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0800 027 1234

(24 hours)

Tayside police domestic abuse officers – 0300 111 2222

Barnardo’s Domestic Abuse Project – 01738 892516, 01382 596866, 01241 435 742


Thank you for your time and attention

Tayside Violence Against Women Training Consortium Spring 2011 Gillian Ferguson (Dundee city...

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