18th November- 22nd November 2024
Practice Week 2024
on the theme of Domestic Abuse
In November 2024, Plymouth City Council Children’s Services coordinated a multi-agency practice week on the theme of domestic abuse to help share knowledge and skills, identify what’s working really well in our system of support, and what needs to be strengthened. The week included services shadowing each other’s work, a series of learning webinars and listening to children and families themselves about their experiences of support.
The week was supported by practitioners from:
• Livewell South West Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
• AHIMSA
• Barnardo’s Family Hubs
• Livewell South West Family Nurse Partnership
• Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Plymouth City Council Children’s Services
• PAUSE Plymouth
• Daffodil Parenting Assessment Unit
• Plymouth Domestic Abuse Service
• Devon & Cornwall Police Moonstone Team
Webinars
Nine multi-agency, partner led webinars took place across Practice Week, with over 300 attendees from a variety of agencies from across the city. The webinars focused on the impact of domestic abuse upon children and families and how different agencies support and work with families experiencing Domestic Abuse.
Below is an overview of each of the webinars offered over the week. If you would like further information or access to a webinar recording, please email the PSCP Business Unit on PSCP@plymouth.gov.uk.
CAMHS
This webinar explored how the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service can support children’s emotional health and wellbeing that is impacted in the context of domestic abuse. The presentation explored the definitions of abuse, the impact on a child or young person’s emotional well-being/mental health, and the importance of a multi-agency response.
AHIMSA
An introduction to their service and service user’s journey, including an introduction to the Multi-Agency Tasking And Co-Ordination (MATAC), which aims to identify serial, high-risk, high harm perpetrators of domestic abuse and encourage them to engage in behaviour change work to address their abusive behaviours.
Barnardo’s Family Hubs
The DART team focused on delivery of DART (Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together) that is delivered to young people aged between 7-14 and their mother. They also included how feedback is gained from the children and young people.
Useful Links
Barnardo’s Children’s Charity WebisteFamily Nurse Partnership
This webinar explained the roles and function of Public Health Nursing services and material used when focusing on healthy relationships and domestic abuse alongside a brief case study.
Useful Links
Family Nurse Partnership Livewell SouthwestDaffodil Parenting Assessment Unit
The webinar presented the Daffodil Family Centre work, which is a national parenting assessment centre which provides focused, strengths-based, time limited residential assessments. The centre enables parenting capacity to be assessed whilst the childr reminas in the care of the parent.
Useful Links
The Daffodil Centre- TreviPause Plymouth
Help shaping the development of better outcomes for ‘Pause’ women. Using experience and learning gained, describing their work with a focus on Domestic
Abuse.
Assessment Skills, Theories & Models- The Learning Academy
The Learning Academy within CYPFS webinar explored a variety of models and theories linked to practice when working with children and families who have experience or are experiencing domestic abuse. This included the Power and control wheel (Duluth model) and the Domestic ABuse Stalking and Homicide (DASH) risk assessment tool.
Plymouth Domestic Abuse Service and Police Moonstone Team
This webinar explored what the Plymouth Domestic Abuse Service (PDAS) offers and the response to domestic abuse in the city from PDAS and the Police Moonstone team (The domestic abuse investigation and safeguarding team within Devon & Cornwall Police).
Curious & Courageous Conversations
This webinar explored why some safeguarding conversations can be viewed as ‘difficult’, considered some personal barriers practitioners may encounter when having courgaeous and curious conversations, considered the effect and power of emotion on communication and looked at some tips and strategies for managing conversations in safeguarding situations.
Useful Links
Curious and Courageous Conversations CourseWhat our practitioners said about practice week:
“It was really helpful to hear about children’s brain development and that their behaviours can be a result of trauma.”
“Thank you so much for all the useful information, your passion and energy is infectious”
“I really enjoyed the shadowing opportunity and would like to help out again.”
“It was inspirational to delve deeper into cause and effect.”
“Thank you, it’s been a really positive session, with lots of helpful info.”
“It was a privilege to have been present to see two excellent professionals at work to protect a young child and to support their parents in doing so.”
Useful Resources
The resource suggestions below may support you to further develop your knowledge and understanding of some of the topics discussed during practice week.
Brene Brown (Book) ’Dare to Lead’
Marshall Rosenberg (Book) ‘Nonviolent Communication- A language of life’
William Ury (Book) ’Getting Past No: Negotiating with Difficult People’.
Margaret Heffernan (Ted Talk) ’Dare to disagree’
Patterson, K. Grenny, J. MacMillan R. & Switzler, A. (Book) ’Crucial Conversations’
Ury (1991) (Model) ’Golden Bridge’
Domestic Abuse & Children Practitioner’s Guidance and Toolkit
The guidance and toolkit is an online resource for all practitioners across the city to access information and tools to assist when working with families and children that have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse.
Domestic Abuse & Children Practitioner’s GuidanceDomestic Abuse & Children Practitioner’s Toolkit
Safeguarding Week 2025
Our next multi-agency practice week (held in June 2025) was on the theme of Child Sexual Abuse.
FIND OUT MORE HERE