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Beyond Rope Ladders & Padlocks: A New Approach to Safety Planning. Sherry Hamby & Sarah Clark Sewanee, the University of the South Presented at the Ending Domestic & Sexual Violence: Innovations in Practice & Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH, November, 2011 s herry.hamby@sewanee.edu. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Beyond Rope Ladders & Padlocks: A New Approach to Safety Planning
Sherry Hamby & Sarah ClarkSewanee, the University of the South
Presented at the Ending Domestic & Sexual Violence: Innovations in Practice & Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH, November, 2011
sherry.hamby@sewanee.edu
Common Instruments & Tools This review focuses on published instruments
and tools. You will see their content is rather narrow. Although many advocates do address these
risks, they do so largely without guidance from published documents or the nation’s premier resources on domestic violence.
Existing Dangerousness Assessments:Ask Only About Physical Harm
The most frequent topics covered by popular dangerousness/lethality assessment tools are (Laing, 2004; Websdale, 2000) : prior victimization; batterer’s drug & alcohol problems; batterer’s obsessiveness & jealousy; batterer’s threats to kill the victim or her children; batterer access to & familiarity with weapons; batterer’s violence outside the home; stalking; batterer’s suicidal ideation & behavior; partners are separated, or victim is fleeing.
3
A Typical Safety Plan—Nat’l Coalition Against Domestic Violence
If you are still in the relationship: Think of a safe place to go if an argument occurs - avoid
rooms with no exits (bathroom), or rooms with weapons (kitchen).
Think about and make a list of safe people to contact. Keep change with you at all times. Memorize all important numbers. Establish a "code word" or "sign" so that family, friends,
teachers or co-workers know when to call for help. Think about what you will say to your partner if he\she
becomes violent. Remember, you have the right to live without fear and
violence. 44
…Focuses on leaving & physical safety If you have left the relationship: Change your phone number. Screen calls. Save and document all contacts, messages, injuries or
other incidents involving the batterer. Change locks, if the batterer has a key. Avoid staying alone. Plan how to get away if confronted by an abusive
partner. If you have to meet your partner, do it in a public
place. Vary your routine. Notify school and work contacts. Call a shelter for battered women. If you leave the relationship or are thinking of
leaving, you should take important papers and documents with you to enable you to apply for benefits or take legal action. 55
The State of Safety Planning Bottom line: Many safety plans
devote more space to rope ladders and padlocks than to providing guidance on dealing with the financial, legal, and social risks faced by virtually all battered women.
In addition to leaving advocates to figure out how to do this on their own, one at a time, over and over again, what other consequences does this narrow focus have?
66
What Gets Left Out of Existing Services?
Physical Risks Posed to Others Concern for others can constrain coping:
Children Family members Friends—especially those who offer shelter Pets Others, such as coworkers, advocates, etc.
Ex: Across 6 studies, 48% of women in shelters reported their pets had been harmed, 45% said they had been threatened, and 26% said the welfare of their pets delayed their decision to leave (Hamby, in preparation).
8
Financial Risks Financial dependence is often the most
commonly mentioned reason for staying (e.g., Cruz, 2003).
Many areas of potential loss: Lower standard of living Loss of savings Cannot afford neighborhoods with low crime or good schools Would have to drop out of own schooling Job loss Loss of health insurance Loss of car/transportation Doesn’t have security deposit, rent, furniture for even a terrible
apartment in a terrible neighborhood. 9
Legal Risks Dual arrests are on the rise
(Hirschel & Buzawa, 2002) Arrest of batterer unlikely to lead
to jail time—will be back home & madder than ever
If disclose abuse to authorities, may be reported to CPS for “exposing” children to dv
D-I-V-O-R-C-E risks Risks losing custody of children Risks unfair divorce settlement
10
Social Risks Stigma—Almost all of the social
statuses associated with leaving a violent relationship are stigmatized: “victim” “divorced” “single mother”
Loss of friendships, extended family, support of minister/congregants
Children’s loss of friends, schools, sports
May stigmatize entire family in many communities 11
Who Gets Left Out of Existing Services?
12
Not all victims need shelters
Denise Richards Brooke Mueller Taylor Armstrong Phil Hartman
Rihanna Madonna Tina Turner 13
Not all victims are economically disadvantaged or lacking housing
Celebrities obviously do not represent the norm, but they will have to stand in for all the unknown lawyers, accountants, physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, teachers, computer technicians, journalists, artists, physical therapists, veterinarians, and all of the other women who don’t fit the stereotype of “battered woman.”
14
The VIGOR: Multiple Criteria Decision Making
for IPV
Types of Problems Addressed with MCDM
Selecting routes for nuclear waste transport (Chen, Wang, & Lin, 2008).
Promoting recycling (Gomes et al., 2008) Understanding stock trading (Albadvi et al., 2007) Deciding best locations for emergency vehicles (Araz et
al., 2007) Understanding “medical tourism”—when people will
decide to have surgery abroad (Bies & Zacharia, 2007) …and dozens of other applications in environmental
sciences, engineering, agriculture, and finance (Hajkowicz, 2008) 16
What Do These Problems Have in Common with Battering?
Multiple facets to the problem “Success” can be evaluated on multiple criteria Not all criteria easily evaluated with dollars or
some other uniform metric—involve value judgements (originally developed as an alternative to cost-benefit analysis).
Multiple options to choose from, and these options vary in how well they meet different criteria.
17
Using MCDM Principles to Create the VIGOR: Victim Inventory of Goals,
Options, & Risks 6 other experienced advocates reviewed the
VIGOR and provided extensive feedback, paid $100 honorarium.
Pilot study with over 100 individuals who have been victims of battering
Students in an undergraduate research seminar helped further streamline and simplify the wording.
18
Pilot Study: Risks, Strengths, Options as Perceived by Victims of Battering
102 people (98% female) with histories of intimate partner victimization were recruited from 2 domestic violence programs (1 shelter, 1 support group) in 2 Southern states.
Wide age range: 28% 18-25, 25% 26-30, 27% 31-40, 20% 41+
Ethnically and racially diverse: African-American (54%), White/Caucasian (26%), Hispanic (11%), Native American (9%), and other (1%).
58% reported income < $12,000 per year. Most had children (91%), mean 2.14 children per
participant. They provided their perceptions of their risks and
resources in a semi-structured format. Responses were coded using a boot-strapping method and analyzed. Participants were given a $25 gift card to thank them for their participation. DV agencies were paid $25 per interview to compensate them for staff time.
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Step 1: Identify Risks
Fear o
f phy
sical
harm
to se
lf
Fear p
artne
r will
murder
them
Financ
ially
insec
ure
Conce
rn for
child
ren*
Lack S
ocial
Suppo
rt
Lose cu
stody
Family
rejec
tion
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
47.6
16.5
53.446.6 44.7
27.2 27.2
20*Concern for children includes concern for their physical, emotional, and social well-being
Step 2: Identify Strengths
Family
supp
ort
Church
Com
munity
Religio
us fai
th
Have f
riend
s
Shelte
r
Person
al Stre
ngth
Have a
job
0
10
20
30
40
50
60 54.448.5 45.6
41.7 41.7 40.8 39.8
*Personal strength refers to a sense of being capable and having the ability to persevere. 21
Step 3: Identify Options
Seek c
ounse
ling
Get a n
ew jo
b
Get Orde
r of P
rotec
tion
Talk to
family
Join a
supp
ort gr
oup
Get ne
w plac
e
Church
/pasto
r help
Go to a
shelt
er
Apply
TANF
Save $
$
Get cu
stody
of ch
ildren
Seek d
ivorce
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
49 47.1
37.3 35.331.4 31.4 30.4 29.4
25.5 23.519.6 18.6
22
Novel OptionsReported by single or few respondents
Increase internet security (myspace, facebook, email)
Get a dog Apply for a gun permit Sleep with a knife under
pillow Find new friends/confidants Exercise Change locks (5%)
Step 4: Make Choices Based on Risk Priorities & Options
In MCDM, an option has “strict dominance” if it is better than others on some criteria, and at least as good on all others.
The result: NOT a generic checklist of safety precautions, BUT a personalized plan that links coping responses to specific risks.
Fleeing on an emergency basis with few belongings and possibly not even with your children, will not minimize many risks faced by typical battered women. 24
Conclusion Can improve our response to the most disadvantaged
women as help them address multiple needs. Victims who are seen as poor copers or in “denial” may
be prioritizing other risks. Holistic advocacy, using MCDM, has the potential to
considerably broaden the population that seeks help from domestic violence advocates, as many perceive advocacy is primarily about free shelter.
Next steps: Further testing of revised version (Beta 11.0!) with traditional dv agency clients and also hope to evaluate with less disadvantaged women.
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