Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Violent Crime Seminar

Workshops - 15 September

Workshop 4

Working with Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse
Michelle Newcomb, The STELLA Project

There was no formal presentation in this workshop. Michelle facilitated an interactive session with some input from herself and short exercises for delegates. Knowledge and experience was mixed but, as very little work has been done in terms of linking these two issues, there was plenty of scope for learning.

Background

• The Stella Project came out of joint work between the Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance (GLADA) and Greater London Domestic Violence Project (GLDVP) after gaps had been identified in both service areas.
  
  

• DV services have not traditionally had the skills or resources available to respond when a victim/survivor had substance misuse issues – it is difficult to find refuge space in these circumstances.
  
  

• Drug services did not give due consideration to the presence of domestic violence in the relationships of clients – this could result in potentially dangerous practice.
  
  

• The STELLA Project works to inform both service areas in good practice where their work overlaps. Much training across and between the sectors takes place and policy documents have been produced.
  
  

• The STELLA Project has produced a toolkit for staff working in domestic violence and drugs sectors to help inform.

Exercises

1. Delegates completed a short quiz, which drew out salient points in relation to domestic violence and substance misuse.

2. Delegates were asked to define domestic violence by identifying a range of abusive behaviours - these were grouped into physical, emotional, sexual and financial.

Michelle went on to overlay these behaviours with substance abuse issues and outline where one issue could impact on the other – examples as follows:

A domestic violence perpetrator accesses drug treatment services. The assessment does not consider domestic violence. A home detox is advised. Under increased stress, the perpetrator's abusive behaviour escalates during the home detox.

A mother of small children is misusing substances. She is also in an abusive relationship where one of the perpetrator's threats is to inform social services about her substance misuse. The woman is reluctant to access any drug treatment services because she fears that her children will be removed.

1. Delegates were divided into four groups to discuss and rewrite a series of myths, e.g. "Women who misuse substances are bad mothers".

2. The whole group was then asked to "boardstorm" a range of voluntary services potentially available to service users in both sectors:

Domestic Violence	Drug & Alcohol
Advice Centre	Day Centre
Outreach	Outreach
Refuge	Treatment Centre
Women's Centre	Drop-in Centre
Victim Support	Rehabilitation
Counselling	Counselling
Perpetrator's Programmes	Groupwork

• Michelle went on to highlight the similarities in service provision. The service areas traditionally do not work together and assume that their work and client groups do not overlap.
  
  

• They can however be brought together relatively easily, e.g. training swaps; having a DV representative on the Drug Reference Group and vice versa; this can lead to developments in information sharing and protocols.
  
  

• Nottingham and Tower Hamlets are current models of good practice in this field.

Resources

• London Drug and Alcohol Network website

• Webpage with background to Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance (GLADA) and useful links

• London Action Trust Webpage with information re: GLDVP

• Women in London webpage with background to the STELLA Project

• Drugscope website dealing with drugs and related issues – includes training on drugs and domestic violence

Last update: 01 December 2004