Domestic Violence Risk Assessment and Case Documentation

Risk assessment is a cornerstone of domestic violence prevention and intervention. From the front-line responders' perspective, risk assessment constitutes a process that starts from identifying the factors increasing the likelihood of violence and then continues to plan safety measures to manage the sources of risks and prevent the recurrence of violence. To address some of the shortcomings related to the risk assessment of domestic violence, the IMPRODOVA project developed a Risk Assessment Integration Module, RAIMO. The overall purpose of RAIMO is to bridge the gaps between different risk assessment tools and professional perspectives and thereby to generate a shared understanding of risk assessment in multiprofessional and cooperative contexts. While RAIMO can be utilised in learning, teaching and as a databank, in this chapter, we focus on the key aspects and findings in risk assessment research. The chapter also aims to equip front-line responders with applicable information to revise or remodel the existing risk assessment procedures, networks, and tools.

Roadmap Towards an Integrated European Response to Domestic Violence

The main goal of the IMPRODOVA project was to find ways to optimise domestic violence intervention and prevention. We found that effective cooperation of front-line responders comes from a common understanding of the problem. When trying to understand the phenomenon thoroughly, we realised that cross-national comparison of domestic violence definitions is a complex undertaking, as different countries use varied definitions. Intimate partner violence, domestic violence and family violence are used across all countries to describe the phenomenon. However, we can observe primarily gender-based definitions in all three front-line responders sectors. One of the promising findings of our analyses is that international standards are relatively well implemented in all the partner countries. For better cooperation of all stakeholders, we developed a training platform on domestic violence and supported it by analysing the possibilities of using the digital communication platform for inter-agency collaboration to address domestic violence adequately. Multidisciplinary cooperation across the sectors in risk assessment and case documentation was mentioned by many countries as a favourable objective, resulting in more dynamic and comprehensive risk assessment processes. That leads to developing a risk assessment tool – the Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Integration Module to achieve a more integrated European response to domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Risk Assessment

Many cases referred for threat assessment involve intimate partner violence (IPV). As a form of targeted violence, IPV fits the preventative focus of the threat assessment model. However, heterogeneity of IPV offender profiles, the personal nature of the relationship between aggressor and target, and concern for a diverse range of undesirable but relatively probable outcomes present distinct challenges to effective threat management. In this chapter, the authors offer a theoretically grounded and empirically informed framework for evaluating and managing threats to intimate partners. They describe empirically validated IPV risk assessment tools, and outline an approach to IPV threat assessment using the guiding principles of risk, need, and responsivity; such guidelines emphasize communication and collaboration with the threat management team and third parties, including the victim, and include perpetrator controls that attend to the perpetrator’s criminogenic needs. The authors also discuss victim safety issues and potential situational risk factors applying to IPV cases.

Domestic violence

Over the last decade, the issue of domestic violence has been transformed from a position of ‘selective inattention’ to becoming a high-priority social and public health issue. Although it is now recognized that experiences of domestic violence are associated with adverse mental as well as physical health outcomes for the victim, this has not always been the case. After a brief historical overview, this chapter looks at the definition, epidemiology, and aetiological factors surrounding domestic violence, before discussing the mental health effects of domestic violence, risk assessment, confidentiality and domestic violence, and the perpetrators of domestic violence.