Victim Safety Team
The Victim Safety Team provides specialist safety advice, information, and support for victims of all genders over the age of 16 of Domestic Abuse across Blaenau Gwent. Support and advice can be provided for those in a relationship or those who have left/considering leaving.
The team is often the first point of contact for those seeking the service and they will work with clients to explore their rights, options and opportunities.
The Victim Safety Team will work with clients on a one-to-one basis to develop safety plans, complete risk assessments, provide practical advice and support for victims in need.
They will liaise with a multitude of agencies to ensure that the client’s safety is paramount and ensure that their voice is heard- these would include Police, Probation, Health, Social Services, Mental Health Teams, Substance Misuse Teams, Housing, Court and Legal Services and many more.
Referrals can be made via the referral email- referrals@phoenixdas.co.uk or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to one of the Victim Safety Team.
Rise & Thrive Project
The Rise and Thrive Team provide a package of ongoing support to victims of domestic abuse aged over 16 in Blaenau Gwent. Support can be provided for those in a relationship or those who have left. This work takes place on a group and 1-2-1 basis.
Recovering from an abusive relationship is a process and the Rise and Thrive Team work with those who have experienced abuse to identify their strengths and needs to rebuild their lives. The team will increase victims knowledge and understanding of their experiences and provide additional support to help their wellbeing- this may include linking in with other community organisations or professionals such as Housing, Substance Misuses services, Social Services and many more. The team provides useful and workable plans that are individual for each victim and may include such things as budgeting, training, wellbeing, goal setting etc..
A further element of the Rise and Thrive Team is our Community Support Worker who can support clients who are hoping to gain confidence in themselves, attend training/employment or community groups.
RESET Group Programme
The RESET Programme has been designed by the Rise and Thrive Team to help victims understand domestic abuse and how it has affected their lives, and give them practical support in recovering from this abuse.
The Programme is a 10 week rolling programme and open to Blaenau Gwent residents only.
Aims:
- The programme will help participants understand and define domestic abuse and realise the impact it has on them and their children.
- The programme also incorporates wellbeing for the participants to help with their experiences with positive coping strategies
- To help participants recognise the signs and tactics of abusive behaviour in future relationships.
- To motivate participants to recognise their strengths to survive and thrive.
Sessions cover:
- Power and control
- Emotional abuse and Coercive Control
- Isolation and Gaslighting
- Social Presence- Cyber Abuse
- Financial Power
- Nature/Nurture
- Positive Engagement
- Consent
- Minimise, Deny and Blame
- Moving forward
Referrals for the group programmes can be made via the referral email – referrals@phoenixdas.co.uk or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to one of the Rise and Thrive Team or the Victim & Family Team Manager.
Recovery Team – Child and Parent Support
The Recovery Team are able to provide support to children aged 5-18 who reside in the Blaenau Gwent area and have been impacted by violence and abuse at home.
Children referred will be assigned a worker within the Team. This worker will support the child to help them understand their experiences and recognise their own emotions and feelings. Workers will create safe spaces for children to explore their wellbeing. Workers utilise various tools to engage children at a pace that is suitable for their individual development and needs. The team uses a play-led approach to help children’s wellbeing through the intervention.
Parenting support is also offered to the non-abusive parent who feel they would benefit from additional guidance and support from an unbiased and experienced practitioner.
Referrals for child and/or parenting support can be made via the referral email- referrals@phoenixdas.co.uk or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to the Victim & Family Team Manager.
Youth Respect Team
The Youth Respect Team are able to offer support and guidance to young people across the Blaenau Gwent Area who are struggling with their own behaviours within relationships. This is available for those aged 11-18 years.
Healthy Relationship Work
Young people concerned about their behaviours and responses within their intimate relationships can have support from our Youth Respect Team. Referrals will be assigned a key worker who will work with that young person.
We offer a strengths based,solution focused behaviour change programme with 8-10 sessions which seeks to address changes in behaviour.
Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse
Child/Adolescent to Parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) is one of the most hidden, misunderstood and stigmatised forms of family abuse. Phoenix DAS is a leading organisation in Wales, proactively responding to this social problem.
Our behavioural change programme of work offers a full family support approach that utilises tools to engage both young people and their parents/carers.
The work incorporates safety planning, risk assessment, de-escalation techniques, exploring power, respectful communication skills, responsibility and restorative practice.
Parents and young people are assigned individual support workers to guide them through the programme. Joint appointments may be completed at intervals if it is deemed appropriate to do so.
Referrals for child and/or parenting support can be made via the referral email – referrals@phoenixdas.co.uk or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to the Youth Respect Team Leader or the Victim & Family Team Manager.
Pathfinder
Building on a successful pilot in North Wales and Devon, the Family Law Pathfinder has been extended to the South East Wales Family Court Division. Beginning April 29th 2024, family law cases in which domestic abuse is identified will automatically follow the Pathfinder model where children and their experiences are at the heart of proceedings. Within this, the Family Court Pathfinder IDVA is a specialised role that complements traditional IDVA services by addressing the unique needs of families within the family court system.
Jointly funded by South Wales and Gwent OPCC, and delivered through a partnership between Safer Merthyr Tydfil and Phoenix Domestic Abuse Services, this service draws on a wealth of experience in supporting both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse. The Family Court Pathfinder aims to improve outcomes for children and families, particularly those impacted by domestic abuse, ensuring a collaborative, inclusive, and compassionate approach to family justice.
Domestic Violence Intervention Programmes
We know that often people are worried about the impact of their abusive behaviour on their partner or ex-partners, but that it can be difficult to get help to stop behaving this way.
Feelings such as guilt and shame can prevent people from reaching out for help, leaving them stuck in an ever spiralling negative situation.
Those brave enough to take the steps to work with us have found the intervention helps them to improve their relationships and feel better about themself as a person and as a parent.
By working in a safe environment to understand their own behaviours, thoughts and beliefs alongside learning specific skills around managing aggression, it is possible to make life altering changes for the better.
Would others call your behaviour abusive?
Abuse in a relationship can involve a pattern of behaviours, including:
- Physically harming or threatening to hurt your partner
- Pushing or shoving your partner
- Frightening or intimidating your partner
- Jealous behaviour and checking up on your partner
- Controlling or pressuring them into doing what you want, not what they want
- Calling your partner names, humiliating them or swearing at them
- Punching walls, or throwing things, or damaging property
- Insisting on sex, when you know your partner doesn’t want to
- Restraining your partner or stopping them from going out
- Upsetting or scaring your children
- Hurting or threatening to harm pets to make your partner or children do what you want
Abusive behaviour has an impact on the health and wellbeing of those who experience the abuse, and also on those who carry out the abuse.
What do we offer?
Phoenix DAS are able to work with adults (over the age of 18 years) who want to change their behaviour in relationships.
In order to ensure the work is right for you we will carry out a three part assessment with a highly skilled member of our team. If as a result of this we feel our work would be appropriate then we will discuss with you how to move forward which could be either :
a 24 week group programme
or
a 12 session 1-1 programme.
Interventions take place weekly in a variety of locations across the area and are in the evening as well as the day time.
Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes (DVPP)
Phoenix Domestic Abuse Service has been offering domestic abuse perpetrator intervention for over 12 years to encourage positive behaviour and attitude change. The Phoenix Respect Programme is accredited by Respect, the UK’s accrediting body for perpetrator programmes, and has featured on BBC Panorama to raise awareness and promote change at a societal level.
Funding for your intervention work is currently under review. Unfortunately this means that there is often a charge for this work. Please contact us for up to date pricing and to discuss options around payment.
Phoenix Respect Programme
What is it?
Phoenix DAS delivers a community based domestic violence perpetrator programme which includes a dedicated Partner Link Officer to ensure the safety of partners and/or ex-partners of domestic abuse. The programme is a Respect Accredited programme for men or women in heterosexual or same sex relationships. The Phoenix Respect Programme intervention is designed to help people who want to stop being abusive in their intimate relationships and to improve their current or future relationships.
What does it include?
The Phoenix Respect programme takes on average seven months to complete once the person is committed and motivated to attending their weekly sessions. The programme consists of a suitability assessment completed over three sessions, followed by 24 group sessions, one midway session and one exit session. Referring agencies will be provided with updates and reports throughout the intervention period covering level of meaningful engagement and changes in risk.
What are the aims of the programme?
The Phoenix Respect Programme is designed to help participants stop their abuse by achieving five objectives:
- To provide known partners and/or ex-partners of the service users undertaking the Phoenix Respect programme with information, and to support safety planning.
- To help participants undertaking the programme to understand; why they use violence and abuse against partners and ex partners and the effects of this behaviour on their (ex) partners, children, others and themselves.
- To encourage participants to take responsibility for their abusive and violent behaviour in their relationships.
- To motivate participants to take specific positive steps to change their behaviours in their relationships.
- To encourage participants to learn how to use non-controlling behaviour strategies in their relationships in order to prevent future violence and abuse.
What are the benefits?
Increase well-being for all individuals involved, reduce the reoccurrence of domestic abuse in the future and to end the cycle of abuse.
How to refer?
Individuals can self- refer or a partnership agency can refer someone. Referrals can be made either by telephone on 01495 291202 or sent to the following email address;
Phoenix DAS recognises that starting this process can be extremely daunting and you will, no doubt, have concerns that you will be judged, harshly treated or vilified. The team work in a reassuring, non-judgmental manner and will be around to advise and lead you through this process and ensure that you get the best support throughout.
One-to-one Phoenix Respect Programme
The one-to-one intervention will be a bespoke package put together by the assessor based on the individual’s needs, risk and responsivity. It follows the same themes as the group intervention that includes three suitability assessment sessions and 12 individual work sessions. Referring agencies are provided with reports on level of meaningful engagement.
The one to one programme is available to individuals identified or at risk of being abusive to same sex partners or are female. Consideration will be given to working with male participants who routinely work unsociable hours/rotating shifts, individuals aged 18-21 years, those with mental health issues or substance misuse issues that might be impacted by a group setting.
Partner Link Work
A vital component of all of our work with perpetrators is victim safety. Within the team there is partner link officer whose role it is to contact all current and ex partners of our clients in order to:
Ensure they understand the programme and its limitations
carry out risk assessments at the beginning, middle and end of support. These are used as part of the original suitability assessment and also to monitor any changes in risk moving forward
To keep the client informed of any changes e.g lack of attendance at group or raised emotions.
By placing the perpetrator work within the wider setting of the wider Family Safety Centre and keeping the victim and children at the heart of the work, we believe there is a strong opportunity for success. There is also adequate support available that, should there be escalation of risk, safety measures can be put in place at the earliest opportunity. In order to monitor this risk effectively, it is vital we maintain a manageable workload for perpetrator workers. This may result in a waiting list for intervention for perpetrators although the service intends to maintain the current position of no waiting lists for victims. Any list is continually monitored and if it becomes too long, funding applications are submitted in an attempt to employ further members of staff.
CARA
What is CARA?
CARA sits within the criminal justice system as an early intervention targeting domestic abuse offenders meeting specific criteria to be issued with a Conditional Caution. Under the new two-tier policing framework CARA will be used for offenders receiving a Diversionary Caution.
CARA is a Domestic Abuse awareness raising intervention consisting of two workshops held 4 weeks apart.
CARA supports offenders to make better behaviour choices in their relationships.
CARA is not a perpetrator programme, cognitive behavioural therapy, anger management or a support group.
CARA promotes safety of offenders family through a linked victim contact service offering safeguarding and support.
History of CARA
In 2011 Hampshire Constabulary & Hampton Trust developed an intervention for lower risk, first time Domestic Abuse offenders.
From 2012 to 2014 Cambridge University led a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) for CARA, the first time a domestic abuse policing strategy had been trialled under experimental conditions. The resulting study indicated offenders who attended CARA were 35% less likely to be involved in Domestic Abuse re-offending when compared with the control group. For more information, The study can be accessed here.
Since then, CARA is now in nine police force regions in the UK: Hampshire, West Midlands, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Avon & Somerset, Dorset, West Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Thames Valley. Over 1500 offenders from these locations receive the intervention every year.
Birmingham University evaluation
CARA has recently been evaluated by Birmingham University. The report highlights how CARA is effective as a targeted early intervention for Domestic Abuse offenders. For more information, The study can be accessed here.
Delivery in Gwent
Phoenix DAS were jointly commissioned alongside Safer Merthryr Tydfil to delvier the CARA workshops throughout the Gwent and South Wales region as part of a role out programme jointley funded by the ministray of Justic and the Welsh Government. This work is releively new to our region and we look for ward to seeing how it develops. Please contact us for further information.
Learn more
For more information on Project CARA please visit www.ProjectCARA.org.uk
Emma Hazan, CARA Development Manager
Email: emma.hazan@hamptontrust.org.uk
Phone: 07399662225
