CWDS Curriculum
A SAFETY ORGANIZED APPROACH TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: PERPETRATOR ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Level: Core/Advanced Practice – (Lineworker, Supervisor, Manager)
Credits: Two days/12 hours
Pre-requisite workshop: A Safety Organized Approach to Domestic Violence: Partnering with the Survivor
Intended Audience: This is a two-day training intended for social workers, supervisors, managers, community partners and law enforcement
Description of Course: Domestic violence can have an impact on the physical and emotional safety of the children and the functioning of the entire family. This hands-on training will engage participants in critical thinking about their practice when there is a perpetrator pattern of coercive control and violence. It can be a challenge to hold the perpetrator accountable and engage them in safety planning while keeping the children safe in the care of the survivor
Intended Objectives:
- Increase understanding of SOP core principles for engaging perpetrators during times of domestic violence to build better outcomes for families and the child welfare system
- Learn how to identify perpetrator patterns to inform Structured Decision Making (SDM) assessments
- Understand how to apply an unbiased lens and strength-based solution focused strategies when engaging perpetrators of domestic violence
- Be introduced to the phases of interviewing perpetrators for danger and safety
- Using all these practice tools together for perpetrator accountability and child centered safety and case plans
Topics Include:
- Participants will be introduced to safety-organized concepts to increase their proficiency in engaging domestic violence perpetrators using solution focused strategies
- Participants will explore implicit bias, gender stereotypes and parenting standards which impact perpetrator engagement
- Trainer will show trauma impact to children exposed to domestic violence and lead a discussion on the possibilities of perpetrator recovery
- Trainer will share and model strength-based methods and the phases for interviewing and collaborating with perpetrators to jointly make a balanced assessment of safety and danger
- Participants will practice social worker safety and each phase of the interviewing process on a case scenario
- Examples of solution focused questions designed to increase rigor in safety and case planning with the perpetrator will be shared
Engagement & Interviewing
Family Violence
Safety Organized Practice (SOP)