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As a minimum practice requirement, screening prompts or the common screening tool for family and domestic violence will be used by all service providers.

The way in which an individual practitioner uses the screening tool will differ depending on a number of variables including each service provider’s unique operating context, the setting, the victim’s circumstances and the cultural context. The approach will also reflect each practitioner’s own experience and their skill in creating a safe, supportive and validating environment in which the victim feels comfortable to answer the screening questions honestly.

The screening tool should be used to guide the conversation with a woman who may be experiencing family and domestic violence. The questions on the screening tool should not be asked one by one in a survey style; rather, they should be woven into the conversation to explore the possibility of family and domestic violence being present for the woman and her children.

The information gathered during the screening process will inform the response to the woman and her children, and the information gathered will be reflective of the way in which the screening process is approached. Having a clear understanding of the forms of family and domestic violence will assist in the screening process.

It is important to remember that disclosing family and domestic always carries an element of risk for the women and children experiencing the violence. This risk may be from the perpetrator of the violence, or it may be from within the service system itself, in terms of a service provider’s or individual practitioner’s response to the woman’s experience.

How women are asked about the violence, and how they are supported if and when they disclose the violence, can have a profound impact on any future decisions or actions that a woman may take in terms of safety for herself and her children. It may be the first time that a woman has disclosed the violence, and the impact of such disclosure on safety and wellbeing must be acknowledged and understood for each individual woman.

There may be several outcomes from the screening process. These include:

• Family and domestic violence is not occur-ring.
• Family and domestic violence is occurring and the woman is willing to accept assistance.
• Family and domestic violence is occurring and the woman is unwilling or unable to accept assistance at that time.

What Needs to Happen:

Family and Domestic Violence is Not Occurring

If the woman’s response to the screening questions indicates that family and domestic violence is not occurring, this must be respected.

Even though a woman may be experiencing family and domestic violence, she may not yet be ready to speak about the violence, or may not feel comfortable disclosing it.

It is also possible that the woman is not experiencing family and domestic violence.

Acknowledge the woman’s responses, and in-form the woman of the support services that are available should she ever experience family and domestic violence.

What Needs to Happen:

Family and Domestic Violence is Occurring

If a woman’s response to the screening questions indicates that she is experiencing family and domestic violence, a number of response options need to be considered by the service provider.

When family and domestic violence has been identified, it should never be left up to the woman to make safety arrangements for herself and her children, even if she offers or agrees to do so. Service providers must accept responsibility for assisting and supporting women and children experiencing family and domestic violence to be safe.

If family and domestic violence is part of the service provider’s core business, the service provider should conduct a risk assessment and depending on the outcome, make arrangements for safety planning, referral and multi-agency case management as necessary.

If family and domestic violence is not part of the service provider’s core business, an active or ‘warm’ referral for a risk assessment should be made to a specialist family and domestic violence service provider.

The referral, when made, should include the option to accompany the woman or if necessary provide the woman with transport to get her to the referral service provider safely.

Referral alone will generally not be a sufficient response to secure the immediate safety of a victim who self-identifies that she is at high risk of serious harm, and may not be a sufficient response to meet a service provider’s duty of care obligations. In most cases, it will be necessary for the service provider to work with the victim to develop an interim personal safety plan to address her immediate safety.

Service providers will consider making a referral to police or child protection where there are critical or imminent safety concerns for the adult and/or child victim. This referral may be initiated with or without consent from the victim.

What Needs to Happen

Family and Domestic Violence is Occurring, But the Victim Declines Assistance

A woman may disclose that family and domestic violence is occurring, but may be unable or unwilling to accept assistance at the time. Support and assistance may be declined for a number of reasons, including fear of escalating the violence, prior negative experiences with support services, embarrassment/shame, fear of having children removed from the family, or concern about the consequences for the perpetrator.

Where it is found through screening that a woman is experiencing family and domestic violence, but at the time is unwilling or unable to accept a referral to support services, the service provider must provide appropriate information about family and domestic violence support services and how to access them.

Safety for the woman and her children should be the first consideration when providing written information. The woman should also be encouraged to re-contact the service provider at any time if needed.

Service providers will consider making a referral to police or child protection where there are critical or imminent safety concerns for the adult and/or child victim. This referral may be initiated with or without consent from the victim.

Risk assessment combines three elements to determine the level of risk to a woman and her children:

• the victim’s assessment of the risk;
• consideration of key risk factors; and
• professional judgement.

The Victim’s Assessment of The Risk

In many cases victims themselves are the best judges of the level of risk, because they are most familiar with the perpetrators’ patterns of behaviour. Most victims have undertaken informal steps to manage the perpetrators’ behaviour over a considerable period of time. It is therefore important to consider the victim’s own perception of their safety before taking any action to manage the risk.

While the victim’s own level of fear is a good indicator of risk, there are times when the woman may not be able to accurately assess her level of risk, for example, a women may be misusing drugs and/or alcohol or be experiencing mental ill-health. Women may also minimise the level of risk as a coping mechanism.

Consideration of Key Risk Factors

These evidence-based risk factors relate to known markers of serious risk or escalating risk, such as strangulation, pregnancy and recent separation. The presence of some risk factors may reflect a greater risk to the woman and children than others; for example, a history of extreme physical violence or sexual assault should be given significant weight in the assessment of risk. Insidious covert behaviours, which often take the form of psychological/ emotional or spiritual abuse, are as relevant to risk assessment as are the more overt behaviours, such as physical and sexual assaults and verbal abuse.

Professional Judgement

A practitioner’s professional judgement is an assessment based on information gathered from the victim, and uses the knowledge, skills and experience of the service provider completing the risk assessment.

Professional judgement is informed by a sophisticated understanding of family and domestic violence that includes the women’s experience of the violence, her relationship with the perpetrator, other significant family members, the impact of the violence on her daily functioning, and the history and pattern of perpetrator behaviour. In some cases, a service provider may be aware of other factors that make the victim more vulnerable, increasing the risk to the victim’s safety, such as disability, an unwillingness to engage with support services or geographical isolation.

Professional judgement considers all relevant factors, and whether these factors increase the overall risk to the adult victim and children. A professional judgement of the level of risk to a victim may override the level of risk indicated by the victim’s own responses or judgement.

Risk is dynamic, and it is common for the level of risk for a woman experiencing family and domestic violence to fluctuate, including rapid escalation, as circumstances change. Service providers must complete a new risk assessment if they become aware of a change in the circumstances that may affect a victim’s safety. Circumstances in which it may be appropriate to complete a new risk assessment may include when:

• the victim has separated from the perpetrator;
• the perpetrator is about to be released from custody;
• family court matters have commenced;
• the victim is pregnant or gives birth;
• the perpetrator has become aware that the victim has engaged with support services; and
• the perpetrator has returned to the victim’s residence.

Regardless of where a victim of family and domestic violence enters the service system, she should experience the risk assessment process as respectful, collaborative, responsive to her needs and attentive to her individual circum-stances, inclusive of diversity, evidence based and strengths focused.

The common risk assessment tool can be used to guide the conversation with the woman who is experiencing family and domestic violence. The risk factors on the risk assessment tool should not be addressed with the victim in a one-by-one survey style; but rather, they should be woven into a conversation that explores her experience of the violence, and her level of fear for herself and her children.

When assessing risk to women and children experiencing family and domestic violence, it is important to recognise that the use of a risk assessment tool alone cannot guarantee their safety. However, the systematic examination of common, evidence-based factors promotes a consistent approach to risk assessment and strengthens the effectiveness of integrated responses across the service system.

The information gathered during the risk assessment process will inform the response for the woman and her children. The information gathered will be reflective of the way in which the risk assessment process is approached. A woman experiencing family and domestic violence is more likely to disclose the full extent of the violence if she feels safe and supported. Having a sound understanding of the key risk factors for family and domestic will assist service providers in the risk assessment process.

Before undertaking a risk assessment it is important for service providers to ensure that the victim is aware of:

• the limits of confidentiality (that is, when the service provider may need to share information);
• the service provider’s obligations in regards to mandatory reporting requirements of some child protection concerns or other reporting requirements to child protection services; and
• the service provider’s policies concerning the risk assessment and risk management process, including any requirements to contact police should imminent safety concerns arise for the victim, children, agency staff or others.

The risk assessment should be thorough and must collect as much relevant information as possible to inform an effective risk management response.

The risk assessment must:

• identify risk factors;
• include the victim’s own assessment of her level of risk and safety;
• gather details of the most recent family and domestic violence episode, and identify any pattern (that is, frequency, severity, times of escalation) to the violence;
• detail the history of the violence and abuse (when it started/how long it has been occurring);
• assess the risk to any children and document what children have experienced or been exposed to;
• establish a risk level and detail the rationale for the assessment – some level of professional judgement is required; and
• identify any protective factors, strengths or existing safety strategies that might mitigate current or future risk. However, while it is important to take protective factors into account, caution should be used in placing too much weight on them. Consider the victim’s own view of whether the factor is or can be protective for her and her children.

The risk assessment process can be confronting and distressing for a victim. This may be the first time that a victim has talked openly about her experience of family and domestic violence, or she may have already had to repeat her experiences a number of times. Risk assessment must be conducted through a skilled, empathetic conversation with her. It is important to remember that disclosing family and domestic violence always carries an element of risk for the women and children experiencing the violence.

Children can be affected by family and domestic violence even if they do not see or hear it. If the victim has children in their care, the risk assessment must consider the needs of the children. The risks for children should not be assumed to be the same as the risks for the adult victim. The experience for children must be understood in the context of their development, age, their daily life and their relationship with their parents, extended family, siblings and peers.

Service providers need to determine an appropriate course of action based on their services’ policies and procedures, as well as consider the rights and best interests of the children. If children are considered to be unsafe and at risk of physical, emotional or other types of harm, a referral to child protection services should be made.

It is also important to reassure the victim that she is not being held responsible for the children’s experiences – the violence and its consequences for the children are the responsibility of the perpetrator. However, it is important that the adult victim understands the impact of the family and domestic violence on any children in her care. Victims may need support to increase their understanding of the effects of the violence on their children.

Where age and developmentally appropriate, children need to be provided with the opportunity to express their own needs.

Determining the level of risk for a victim requires the analysis of the information that has been collected through a thorough risk assessment process.

Risk assessment is an ongoing process, and is the key determinant of an effective response to keep women and children safe, and hold perpetrators of family and domestic violence accountable. The level of risk to the woman and her children identified through the risk assessment process will determine the response required from the service provider.