Rethinking Domestic Abuse and Child Protection: Translating evidence to advance practice - Cohort 1

Overview

Join a two-day workshop designed to expand the skills of experienced practitioners to ‘think and do differently’ when working with child protection and domestic abuse. 

The Rethinking Domestic Abuse in Child Protection (RDAC) project sought to better understand and improve the national response to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and child protection. This evidence-based, research-led workshop will translate the project findings into practice, building on learning from the Domestic abuse and child protection Change Project.

Led by Professor Brid Featherstone, Professor Kate Morris and Dr Jessica Wild, the workshop is intended for practitioners and practice supervisors with previous experience of working with DVA and child protection.  

This workshop aims to support practitioners to:

• Enhance their existing knowledge by ‘thinking differently’ regarding domestic violence and abuse (DVA) within child protection and children in need contexts.
• ‘Do differently’ regarding practice responses DVA within child protection and children in need contexts.
• Promote a learning culture that encourages continuous self-assessment and growth in professional practice concerning DVA in child protection and children in need contexts.
• Apply the principles developed during the RDAC study in their practice.

Learning outcomes

Following day one of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Situate DVA within a broader social and structural context, recognising the benefits of preventative and systemic approaches.
• Critically reflect on the framing of DVA as a child protection issue, and how this framing can act as both an enabler and barrier to more progressive support.
• Develop a nuanced understanding of the forms, causes, systemic drivers, and consequences of DVA when shaping practice responses that support change in the lives of children and families.
• Demonstrate how preventative and systemic approaches can be integrated into practice through the use of case study examples.

Following day two of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the importance of good data frameworks and the ways they can enable critical insights into DVA and support more effective practice.  
• Understand the importance of creating opportunities for engaging families and communities regarding risk, safety and support.
• Examine how to balance family engagement and insights with effective multiagency collaboration, ensuring both are given equal priority in practice.
• Understand how to apply a preventative, systemic lens to children’s services casework, consolidating learning across both days to strengthen responses to DVA.