Victim Safety Team
The Victim Safety Team provides specialist advice, information, and support for victims of domestic abuse of all genders aged 16 and over across Blaenau Gwent.
Support is available for individuals currently in a relationship, as well as for those who have left or are considering leaving an abusive situation.
The Victim Safety Team is often the first point of contact for individuals seeking support. The team works closely with clients to explore their rights, options, and opportunities.
They provide one-to-one support to develop personalised safety plans, complete risk assessments, and offer practical advice and assistance to those in need.
The team also works in partnership with a wide range of agencies to ensure each client’s safety and voice remain at the centre of all decisions. These agencies include the Police, Probation Service, Health and Social Services, Mental Health Teams, Substance Misuse Teams, Housing, and Court and Legal Services, among others.
Referrals can be made via the online form or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to one of the Victim Safety Team.
All Family Approach – Torfaen
The All-Family Approach is a new way of working in partnership with Torfaen Children’s Services to deliver cohesive, trauma-informed support for all members of a family affected by domestic abuse. This includes victims, individuals using harmful behaviours, and children or young people who have witnessed or experienced abuse.
Our multi-skilled team provides a range of interventions designed to reduce risk, build resilience, and promote lasting positive change. We offer one-to-one and group support, parenting and co-parenting support, and parallel interventions to ensure consistent messages of safety and accountability run through all areas of work.
By working closely with social workers and attending regular case management meetings, we ensure that each family receives coordinated, practical, and compassionate support. The approach focuses on improving and strengthening relationships, breaking cycles of abuse, and creating safer outcomes for children and families in Torfaen.
Referrals can be made for adults, young people, or whole families via the online form or by calling 01495 291202.
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. Once referred, each young person is assigned a dedicated key worker who will work with them on a 1-2-1 basis.
We offer a strengths based, solution focused behaviour change programme with 8-10 sessions. The programme aims to promote understanding, encourage positive communication, and support young people in developing healthier and safer relationship behaviours.
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.
The programme incorporates safety planning, risk assessment, de-escalation techniques, exploring power, respectful communication skills, responsibility and restorative practice. Young people are assigned individual support workers to guide them through the programme. Joint appointments with parents/carers may be completed at intervals if it is deemed appropriate to do so.
Referrals can be made via the online form or call 01495 291202 and ask to speak to the Child & Young Person Team Leader or the Victim & Family Senior 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), of any gender, 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 via the online form
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 adult displaying harmful behaviours 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 intervention 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 intervention workers. This may result in a waiting list for adult displaying harmful behaviours 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
