FUNCTIONING OF THE SYSTEM OF SUPPORT

FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

AND THE THERAPEUTIC SYSTEM FOR THE

PERPETRATORS

Chorzów, 2010

The Act on prevention of domestic

violence of 29 July 2005 obliged

the Council of Ministers to adopt the

National Programme for Prevention

of Domestic Violence

The Programme is addressed to:a) victims of domestic violence, including:

- children- spouses or partners in informal relationships- elderly people- persons with disabilities

b) perpetrators of domestic violencec) witnesses of domestic violence

The Programme is addressed to:

men7%

women59%

childrenaged 0-1323%

minor

person

between13-1811%

In 2009 as many as 139 747 people were affected by family violence, of

which:

government administrative bodies

territorial self-government units

non-governmental organisations

churches and other religious associations

The domestic violence prevention programme is implemented by:

men94,98%

women4%

minor persons0,02%

In 2009, the number of the perpetratorsof family violence amounted to 86 568

of which:

men95,9%

women3%

minor persons0,001%

In 2009, the number of perpetrators of violence acting under the influence of alcohol amounted to the total number of 61 991 people, of which:

decrease the scale of the phenomenon of domestic violence

increase the effectiveness of protection of victims of family violence and enhance availability of support

increase the effectiveness of intervention and corrective actions towards abusers

The programme is aimed to:

other cases

due to family

violence12%

In 2009, the Police intervented 658 651 times, of which:

diagnosing systematically the phenomenon of family violence

increasing social sensitivity to domestic violence

improving competences of the services dealing withthe problem of domestic violence

providing victims of family violence with professional support

interacting with and exerting impact on family abusers

General aims are implemented by means of:

preventive: diagnosing, informing, educational, addressed to the whole society and people working with victims and abusers

interventional: protective and therapeutic, addressed to victims of domestic violence as well as educative and isolating, addressed to abusers

supportive: psychological, pedagogical, therapeutic and other, addressed to victims of violence within family

corrective and educational addressed to abusers

A comprehensive perspective of preventing domestic violence determines four basic types of actions addressed to various types of recipients:

Our Centre is mainly implementing the interventional,

supportive and corrective/educational goals.

The preventive goals are addressed to people being

in contact with victims of domestic violence

or abusers who have previously received our

support (probation officers, social workers, police

officers, school educators).

The need for systemic counteraction

of domestic violence inspired

the development of principles for the framework

corrective and educational programme

for domestic violence abusers within

the Silesian region.

Act on prevention of domestic violence

National Programme for Prevention of Domestic Violence

Development Strategy of the Śląskie Voivodeship 2000-2020

Social Policy Strategy of the Śląskie Voivodeship 2006-2020

Voivodeship Programme for Prevention and Solving of Alcohol Problems 2006-2010

The framework corrective and educational programme is in line with the actions provided for in the legal acts ands strategic documents

implemented at the national and regional levels, such as:

The elaborated Strategy for Solving Social

Problems in Chorzów by 2020 indicated

the necessity to develop and implement

programmes addressed to domestic violence

perpetrators.

The Ordinance of the Minister of Labour

and Social Policy of 6 July 2006 specifies

the detailed directions for corrective

and educational impacts towards the

abusers.

prevent the abuser from future abusive behaviours

developing self-control skills and ability to coexist within family

shaping educational skills in parents without resorting to family violence

gaining knowledge and raising awareness in the scope of the mechanisms generating domestic violence

Such actions are undertaken in order to:

convicts sentenced for misdeeds connected

with domestic abuse, serving sentence

of imprisonment or those for whom the court

suspended execution of the penalty, obliging

such abusers to participate in the

programme

The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to:

domestic violence perpetrators taking part

in alcohol or drug addiction treatment

(therapy); in such case – participation

in the programme may be supplementary to

the main therapy.

The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to:

individuals who voluntarily enroll

for the programme, due to other

circumstances.

The corrective and educational impacts are mainly addressed to:

Addiction therapy is addressed

to domestic violence abusers identified

as alcohol or drugs addicts or persons

addicted to other intoxicants,

psychotropic or substitute substances.

Corrective and educational activities

are not conducted in locations

where the victims of domestic

violence receive support.

Method of implementation for the corrective

and educational programme under the example

of Chorzów

The corrective and educational

programme for Chorzów has been

implemented since September 2007.

It is a proprietary programme

developed by a psychologist.

The programme sessions are

conducted in the Social Welfare

Centre.

taking responsibility by perpetrators for their behaviours

teaching abusers to refrain from using violence

teaching perpetrators to control aggressive behaviours

changing the way of thinking and system of beliefs

to favour the development of partnership attitudes

changing violent behaviours into partnership-based

behaviours

The aims of the therapy include:

In 2007 - 11 participants of the programme,of which 10 men and 1 woman.

In 2008 - 44 participants of the programme,39 men and 5 women.

In 2009 - 50 people enrolledfor the programme, 44 men and 6 women.

In 1st half of 2010 - 25 people took partin the programme, 20 men and 5 women

The programme participants are

referred to the programme by

social workers, probation

officers, police officers, based on

a court decision,

or they enroll voluntarily.

motivating to take partin the therapy

diagnostic sessions

therapeutic sessions

individual consultations

mini-lectures

practical activities

Workshops

socializing / family integration meetings

educational and therapeutic trips

group sessions

Methods of work:

cinema outing and trip to Water Park

for the families participating in the

corrective and educational programme

therapeutic and educational trip to the

mountains

educational and recreational trip to the salt

mine, Santa Claus Day and Christmas Eve

In 2010, we organised:

“Wieliczka” Salt Mine 2010

Santa Claus Day 2010

In 2009 - 2010 we organised one-day trip

to Cracow and three-day trip to Bukowina

Tatrzańska.

The character of such trips was both

theurapeutic and educational.

In Christmas time we celebrated Sainta

Claus Day and Christmas Eve in the open-

air ethnographic museum in Chorzów.

BUKOWINA TATRZAŃSKA 2009

Santa Claus Day and Christmas Eve 2011

In some cases, these may be the first

family outings or trips. Frequently, the

family members learn from the start how

to spend time together and organise

their spare time.

Such outings are always accompanied and

supervised by our workers.

The corrective and educational programme

is financed from the state budget.

The amount of the government subsidy

depends on the number of program

participants.

With the forecasted participation of 50

persons, the amount of the annual subsidy

is PLN 60,000 – equivalent of EUR 15,000.

Functioning of the system

of support for the victims

of domestic violence of the

Specialist Support Centre for

Victims

of Domestic Violence in Chorzów

From the beginning

of the Centre’s activity,

since 29 October 2006,

we have been working

with the victims of domestic

violence.

aiming to use the solutions expectedby the victims of domestic violence

ensuring safety

broadening knowledge on the phenomenonof domestic violence

raising the victims’ awareness in the scopeof their rights and possibilities of receiving support

The objective of support provided to the victims of domestic violence consist

in:

information leaflets

internet

information provided by the Police

social workers

probation officers

previous recipients of our support

The persons receiving support from the

Centre learn about us from the following

sources:

43 % families were covered by support owingto cooperation with the Police

31 % families visited us voluntarily

14 % families were referred to our Centre by other support centres, such as Social Welfare Centre, Centre for Crisis Intervention, Family Support Centre

8 % received information about the centre froma probation officer

3 % account for other applications (anonymous, from an employer)

Last year:

In 2010, as many as 170 families

received support from our Centre,

23 adults and 27 children stayed

in the shelter hostel.

All the families received welfare support.

85 people consulted a psychologist

68 people received legal advice

29 families consulted a pedagogy specialist

41 children and 60 women took part in group sessions

diagnostics (covering, inter alia, diagnostics

of addictions, physical and mental disorders, diagnostics

of other problems, e.g. educational, financial)

working in the allocated environment, motivating

to externalize the problem of domestic violence, evaluation

and supervision of a family situation

developing of an individual support plan including

the necessary needs, goals, methods and period of support

Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse:

support in dealing with administrative and other

procedures, referring to particular people able to provide

support if such support is not granted by the Centre

individual social, legal, medical and therapeutic

consultations and counselling (psychologist, pedagogy

specialist, social worker, legal adviser, doctor, therapist)

educational consultations, teaching harm-free

educational methods

Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse:

group sessions for adults and children

interdisciplinary teams

socializing and integrational meetings

educational and therapeutic trips

isolation of victims from the abuser(e.g. a hostel, protected flats).

Forms of work with the victimsof domestic abuse:

Sheltering in a hostel and support from the Centre is provided

to the victims of domestic violence also from outside

the city of Chorzów.

The hostel provides shelter to people for a period of 3 months,

however in justified cases this period is extended.

Female inhabitants of Chorzów whose residence in the hostel

has been extended, either stay in the hostel or are referred

to protected flats.

The hostel provides free of charge shelter

and basic hygiene products, clothing

and food are ensured to its residents.

Hot meals are served in the bar area

outside the Centre.

The Centre cooperates with other institutions

and organisations providing support, such as:

Social Welfare Centre, Family Support Centre,

Police, Prosecutor’s Office, court, probation

officers and schools, nursery schools, counselling

services, Municipal Office, State Agency

for Solving Alcohol Problems, centres

for treatment of addictions, children’s homes.

Thank you

for your attention