March's From the Experts: Jennifer Varela

For this month's "From the Experts" section, Jennifer Varela, LCSW and Director of Family Violence Services at the Harris County District Attorney's Office was generous to provide an excellent article on domestic violence assessment. I won't keep you waiting. Enjoy!

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For domestic violence assessment and safety planning, it is important to not only obtain the correct information, but also understand what it means and how to best assist your client. Note: In this article, I will refer to the victim as "she" and the abuser as "he." This is the case in most intimate partner relationships in which domestic violence exists. However, you may encounter cases of intimate partner violence in people who are in a same-sex relationship or relationships in which the perpetrator is a woman and the victim is a man.

Getting the Information

In assessing domestic violence risk, we, as social workers, want to get at the important information: the nature of the relationship; history of violence; and substance abuse/mental health history.


Relationship

Find out how long the couple has been together, whether they have children, and the nature of the relationship. Even if they have not been together long, her danger is increased if he exerts a great deal of ownership or control over her. Find out whether he is jealous or accusing her of having affairs. Examples of this type of behavior include his checking the mileage on the car, making her call him when she gets to work, limiting her access to friends and family, questioning her extensively if she is even a few minutes late, controlling access to money, or telling her what to wear. The most dangerous time for the victim occurs when she is leaving the relationship, so determine whether she is planning to leave, or whether she had recently left. Find out about other barriers, like financial, immigration, or religious constraints.


Incidents of Violence

Sara Buel, a University of Texas Law School Professor, has a very effective domestic violence assessment question: "Can you tell me the first time, last time, and worst time he hurt you?"

The first time answers how long the abuse has been happening. The last time provides you with details of the most recent incident. And, the worst time tells you about the most serious incident. You may also ask her about the worst physical injury. The victim's definition of the "worst time" may not be the worst injury, but the most humiliating.

It is also important to ask about the use of weapons, threats to kill, and forced sex. The best way I have found to ask about forced or coerced sex is this: "If he wants to have sex and you don't, what happens?" Other good information gathering questions are "Can you tell me about the time you were most afraid?" and "What are you most afraid of happening?"

We also want to ask the similar questions about abuse of children in the home. Remember that children never have to be physically touched to be traumatized. Children are also in danger because they can be used as pawns to force the victim to stay or come back.


Substance Abuse / Mental Illness

Substance abuse and mental illness do not cause domestic violence, but they can amplify the problem. Some types of substance abuse (like methamphetamines or marijuana dipped in embalming fluid [frequently referred to as "fry" or "wet"]) can increase the level and severity of violence. The victim's ability to protect herself is impacted if she has substance abuse or mental health issues.


Know What it Means

Once you have gathered information, you have to know what it means. Some of the most significant risk factors include previous use of a weapon, threats to kill, and stalking behaviors. The victim is most at risk of lethality when she leaves the relationship or if he suspects she is about to leave the relationship. At the Harris County DA's Office, we rely on a study from the National Institute of Justice for risk assessment information. Please review this information in this short article:

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000250e.pdf


Documentation

If your client has injuries, photograph them and make notes about the injuries and what she told you about them. For instance, if she has a bruise on her arm, you can note the following: "3-inch bruise on upper right arm. Client reports she received this injury 01/01/01 when her husband hit her with a board." You should keep this information to be available and safe when the client needs it.

If your client is a child, a disabled adult, or an elderly person who is being abused by a family member or caretaker, you need to report to your State's child or adult protection agency. It's important to know the rules for your area.

For more information on the impact of violence on children, I highly recommend visiting the Child Trauma Academy website: http://www.childtrauma.org/

You can encourage your client to report the incident to the police. Depending on the policies of your local policy agency, once a report is made, they may file charges without participation of the client. You can find out what the rules of your local police agencies are regarding filing domestic violence charges.


Plan for Safety

Whether she stays in the relationship or decides to leave is her choice. Sometimes staying is a safer option for her. Whatever her choices, help her make a safety plan. Here is a link for more information about safety planning:

http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/AGP.Net/Components/documentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=41373

The best option is to get her linked with an agency that works with abuse issues. She can call there and talk with an advocate who can help her. She can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline and they can assist her:

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE

http://www.ndvh.org/


Provide Support

Getting safe is a process. We may feel like the victim's best option is leaving. However, she won't do it until she is ready. In my experience, domestic violence victims already feel stupid and powerless. Part of the perpetrator's abuse is making her feel this way. It's counterproductive and unhelpful for social workers to contribute to or exacerbate these feelings. Threatening her doesn't help her. For example, saying, "If you don't leave, he'll kill you" is detrimental to the process of leaving an abusive relationship. She already knows that her options are bad and she is in danger. The best approach I have found is offering compassion and support. It helps to convey that she doesn't deserve to be abused, that there is help when she is ready, and that we are worried about her. It also helps to support her in the things she has done well. For instance, if a client has called the police but now wants to drop charges, I would tell her she did the right thing by calling the police. She doesn't deserve to be hurt and she demonstrated that she is willing to stand up for herself. I would encourage her to contact me if she needs help in the future and I also give her other options. She will use the information when she is ready.

Keeping these concepts in mind will help any social worker conduct the most effective and sensitive assessment of domestic violence cases.