Stopping violence against women and children through an Integral and Fast Trajectory

Duration: 01.05.2017 – 01.05.2019

Project No: JUST/2015/RDAP/AG/MULT/9763

Coordinator: Provincie Limburg, Hasselt, Belgium

Partners

  • Stad Genk (City of Genk) (COG) – Belgium
  • Stad Hasselt (City of Hasselt) (COH) – Belgium
  • State Police of Latvia (SPL) – Latvia
  • European Anti-Violence Network (EAVN) – Greece
  • Nadya Centre Foundation (NCF) – Bulgaria
  • Stichting European Network of Policewomen (ENP) – Netherlands
  • Mutsaersstichting (MUT) – Netherlands
  • Research group [ed+ict] of the University Colleges Leuven- Limburg (EDI) – Belgium
  • Research group APART/empowering people of the University Colleges Leuven-Limburg (APA) – Belgium
  • Lokale Politie Limburg Regio Hoofstad (Local police District Limburg Capital Region) (LRH) – Belgium
  • Lokale PolitieMidlim (Local police District Midlim) (MID) – Belgium
  • Parket Limburg (Office of the Public Prosecutor of Limburg) – Belgium
  • Justitiehuis Hasselt (House of Justice Hasselt) (HJH) – Belgium
  • Justitiehuis Tongeren (House of Justice Tongeren) (HJT) – Belgium
  • Centrum voor Algemeen’Welzijn Limburg (Centre for General Welfare Limburg) (CGW) – Belgium
  • Jongerenwelzeiijn Limburg (Youth Welfare Limburg) (YV/L) – Belgium
  • Provinciaal Centrum voor Hulpverlening inzake Kindermishandeling VZW (Confidential Centre for Child Abuse & Neglect) (CCC) – Belgium
  • Openbaar Centrum voor Maatschappelijk Welzijn van Genk (Public Social Welfare Center Genk) (WCG) – Belgium
  • Openbaar Centrum voor Maatschappelijk Welzijn van Hasselt (Public Social’Welfare Center Hasselt) (V/CH) – Belgium
  • Provincie Antwerpen – Belgium

Short description

EAVN participated as expert in the project “Project Stopping violence against Women and children through an Integral and Fast Trajectory (SWIFT)” that was implemented with financial support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union.  

The aim of the project was:

  • to develop an integral and integrated approach to violence against women and children in the Belgian Province of Limburg: SWIFT wants the Limburg partners of police, justice, social services and government to work more effectively together, under one roof.
  • to strive for uniformity and quality of intervention in all 15 Limburg police districts, starting with a pilot project in the 2 biggest police districts: SWIFT focuses primarily on a chain approach on a back-office level, starting from the domestic violence reports in all Limburg police districts.
  • to intervene more rapidly: SWIFT keeps the time that passes between a police report and the subsequent commencement of a suitable course of action as short as possible.
  • to aim for a maximum alignment and efficiency of the interventions in families (3 different tracks): SWIFT offers victims the most appropriate range of services possible to empower and enable them to escape the violence and wants to hold the perpetrators responsible for the violence.

Activities

A test group of police inspectors of Limburg intervention services was trained to intervene appropriately in cases of domestic violence, especially on the topics of understanding the dynamics of domestic violence and displaying empathy:

  • A short and practical police training was developed, among others by using a virtual reality module (experiencing violence through the eyes of a seven-year-old child). The training has been tested and implemented, and the knowledge of the police investigators was assessed after going through the module.

The police reports from the 2 biggest Limburg police districts were centrally monitored and quickly classified by ‘a triage team’ to different tracks:

  • A triage instrument has been developed, tested and implemented, and the validity of the instrument was assessed.

A specific intervention module was coupled to each track, whereby:

  • Less serious cases lead to rapid police action and provision of help (track 1);
  • ln more serious and complex cases, a chain approach is being used (track 2);
  • In serious and complex dossiers in which a temporary restraining order is imposed, there has been experimented with intensive case management; combining crisis intervention with system-based assistance (track 3).

A blended learning module was used to train the Limburg intensive case managers. Intensive case management was tested and implemented in a region in Limburg, and the intervention module was assessed.

Results

The figures do not lie: 8 months after the creation of the Limburg Family Justice Center (FJC) – in the context of the SWIFT project – the police regions Carma and Limburg Capital Region (a region of about 330.000 inhabitants) have registered 1,855 files of domestic violence. All these files have been classified by ‘a triage team’, using the SWIFT triage instrument. Of these files, the police and the public prosecutor’s office classify 20% as very serious (temporary restraining order and so called red files), 34% as serious and 46 % as less serious.

Thanks to the good cooperation with the assisting partners within the FJC, supported by the SWIFT project, a rapid and proactive range of assistance follows in the 2 police regions involved. In the words of the Limburg public prosecutor: “As a result, we are better at avoiding escalation and restoring safety.”

In the toughest cases, when a temporary restraining order is being imposed, we can set up our turbo. In the context of the SWIFT project, the Family Justice Center Limburg has been experimenting with a pilot project on fast and intensive support after a temporary restraining order, a first for Belgium. The police and the public prosecutor’s office give a clear signal via the restraining order, while specialized social workers – intensive case managers immediately start working with the family and follow them up for a year. The project completely meets the high expectations. The sooner we can intervene after a crisis, the more the affected family is open to change and help.

Impact

The Limburg police services and the public prosecutor’s office have made tackling domestic violence a priority. Together they have written new guidelines that strengthen the police and judicial approach to domestic violence. For example, with every report of domestic violence, no matter how small and regardless of whether or not a crime has been committed, an official police report must be drawn up. Since January 2018, all the police inspectors of the Limburg intervention services have received training to be able to comply to these guidelines. A group of about 25 police inspectors – from the police regions Carma and Limburg Capital Region – have also received more specialised training on the topics of understanding the dynamics of domestic violence and displaying empathy. In the following months and years all Limburg police inspectors will receive this training. All these efforts translate into a 17% increase in the recorded domestic violence facts in Limburg in the 20í6-2018 period, while the rest of Flanders records a decrease of 10%. When writing the SWIFT project we had hoped for these results. Although that does not mean that the problem is increasing, but that it is becoming more visible because we register faster and better. In the SWIFT region victims have been (and are still being) offered the most appropriate and accessible range of services possible:

  • 929 Limburg families have been offered help in a very proactive manner. More than half of these families have followed a trajectory in the FJC. The trajectory can consist of:
    • Intake
    • Question/clarification
    • Creating a safety plan & action plan
    • Involving regular assistance services
    • Connecting with current processes
  • In 34 Limburg families a chain approach is being used.
  • An intensive case manager is supervising currently 38 Limburg families, after a temporary restraining order.

The project’s results are available here: http://www.projectswift.eu