Safety Planning For Survivors Of Domestic Violence

Why do battered women stay?

a) In talking with a friend she says to you, “I don’t get it. A battered woman could leave if she wants to. Why does she stay and put up with that?” How would you respond? 

While answering the question “why a battered woman does not leave the relation” can addressed in the following way: Firstly, a batterer often uses controlling behavior apart from physical violence which can harm the women or their children and a loss of housing, healthcare, employment or standard of living and secondly, leaving the relation often does not cause an elimination of the risks, but instead create new ones for them and their children (Bishop & Bettinson, 2018; Wolf, 2015). Thus a woman, who is a victim of domestic violence are often faced with a tough decision on whether to stay and risk more violence or leave and risk worsening of the hardship and put the wellbeing of themselves and their children in jeopardy or even losing children in a custody battle (vawnet.org, 2018).

b) What might be difficult about trying to safety plan with a survivor in crisis? 

In order to be effective, safety plans for battered women should be comprehensive and also meet the basic needs of a human and provide them a plan for life not just outlining the strategies to address the issues of domestic violence (Jahanfar et al., 2014). This can be a challenging task as it involves developing an understanding of the risks towards the safety of the women due to an abusive partner, understanding how the different risks faced in life and culture affects the decision making ability of the woman, outlining the safety strategies that can be used to reduce the risks of violence and the role of the advocates trying to help the women. Moreover for a safety plan to be effective it is necessary to ensure to support the independence of the women from their abusive partners (vawnet.org, 2018; training.cfsrportal.acf.hhs.gov, 2018).

c) How might it be different to safety plan with a survivor who has children versus a survivor who does not? 

Developing a safety plan for survivors of domestic violence who has children needs to consider the following risks faced by the women, which includes: physical injury or psychological harm to the children, loss of children or becoming a single parent, being alone. Also, developing care plan also needs to consider the additional financial need for supporting their children and their needs. An effective care plan should have the provision to support both the survivor and her children (bwjp.org, 2018).

For women without children, the care plan needs to consider the risks posed to them because of domestic violence, which can include physical risks (such as injuries, sexually transmitted diseases and even death), psychological injuries (such as mental abuse, addiction, depression and risk of suicides) as well as a financial risk for leaving their partners (bwjp.org, 2018).

d) Locate a safety plan for either children or teenagers and attach this safety plan to your post. 

The need for safety for children and teenagers who are exposed to domestic violence can be ensured through various child protection services are outlined under the United Nations Convention of Rights of Child (UN CRC 1989), article 19.1.  The Texas Advocacy Project provides a safety plan for teenagers, which includes questionnaires as well as tips for safety and confidence to empower the children or teens facing abuse or domestic violence (see Appendix 1) (bwjp.org) (texasadvocacyproject.org, 2018).

Section 1: Fill in the Blank. Each answer in this section is worth 1 points. (Total 34 points)

1. Some researchers believe that higher domestic violence rates among immigrant women result from what 2 main factors: 1) ___ and 2) ___.

Challenges in safety planning with survivors in crisis

Answer: Economic status and social isolation

1. The 4 major roles of child protective services (CPS) include: 1) ___; 2) ___; 3) ___; and 4) ___.

Answer: 1. Protection of the child, 2. Psychological Treatment of the Child, 3. Child and family support, 4. Perpetrator accountability

1. What 4 factors contribute to an increased risk of sibling abuse?: 1) ___; 2) ___; 3) ___ and 4) ___.

Answer: 1. Dysfunctional relations, 2. Abusive parents and exposure to domestic violence, 3. Mental health problems, 4. Neglect

1. What are the 4 categories of child maltreatment? 1) ___; 2) ___; 3) ___ and 4) ___.

Answer: 1. Physical abuse, 2. Psychological Abuse, 3. Sexual Abuse, 4. Neglect

1. Identify the 3 immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect that can translate into lifelong psychological consequences: 1) ___; 2) ___ and 3) ___.

Answer: 1. Depression, 2. Guilt, 3. Learning Difficulties

1. When confronting child sexual abuse, CPS’s first priority is to ensure that the sexual abuse ceases and that the child is protected from immediate recurrence. Three basic ways to achieve this goal include: 1) ___; 2) ___; and/or 3) ___.

Answer: 1. Individual support, 2. Community support, 3. Institution/Governmental support

1. Walker identified what 5 factors that tend to result in more negative effects of child sexual abuse (there are more than 5 but I’m just asking for 5): 1) ___; 2) ___; 3) ___; 4) ___ and 5) ___.

Answer: 1. Chronic maltreatment and abuse, 2. Severity of the maltreatment and abuse, 3. Age and developmental stage, 4. Perception of the child towards the abuse or maltreatment, 5. Relationship between the child and the abuser or perpetrator.

1. According to the national Strengthening Families framework, what 5 protective factors strengthen families? 1) ___; 2) ___; 3) ___; 4) ___ and 5) ___.

Answer: 1. Parental Resilience, 2. Social Connectivity, 3. Parenting skills and knowledge of child development, 4. Strong support in difficult times, 5. Social and emotional competence among children.

1. Factor and Wolke identified what 3 vulnerabilities in parenting situations that contribute to child maltreatment. Identify these vulnerabilities: 1) ___; 2) ___; and 3) ___.

Answer: 1. History of maltreatment, 2. Substance abuse issues and addiction, 3. Mental and psychological health.

Section 2: Multiple choice. Type an “x” next to the correct answer. Each question in this section is worth 3 points (Total 24 points)

1. Parents who abuse and/or neglect their children tend to be

___ a. Mentally ill

___ b. Drug abusers

___ c. Isolated from formal and informal social systems

___ d. None of the above

Answer: a, b and c

1. The 4 factors that need to be addressed in intervention efforts with abused/neglected children include 1) protection for the child; 2) psychological treatment for the child; 3) child and family support. What is the 4th factor?

___a. Perpetrator accountability

___b. Involvement of APS

___c. Psychological treatment for the family

___d. None of the above

Answer: a

1. Resilience results from a balance of what 2 factors?

___ a. Emotional and intellectual development

___ b. Protective and risk factors

___ c. Developmental and physical development

___ d. None of the above

Answer: a

1. With the exception of serious crimes, most child maltreatment cases come under the auspices of

___ a. Criminal justice system

___ b. Child Protective Services (CPS)

___ c. Child Abuse National Network

___ d. None of the above

Answer: b

1. Some common activities of child abuse prevention programs include

___ a. Public awareness campaigns

___ b. Parent education programs

___ c. Parent support groups

___ d. None of the above

___ e. All of the above

Answer: e

1. Data indicates that boys are just as likely to be victims of sibling abuse as are girls. There does, however, seem to be gender differences in terms of who is perpetrating sibling abuse. Research, albeit limited, seems to indicate that

___ a. Researchers can’t identify who is more likely to perpetrate sibling abuse

___ b. Girls are more likely than boys to perpetrate sibling abuse

___ c. Boys are more likely than girls to perpetrate sibling abuse

___ d. None of the above

Answer: c

1. Some physical indicators of physical child abuse include the following:

___ a. Bruises and welts

___ b. Unexplained burns and fractures

___ c. Withdrawal and aggressiveness

___ d. A and B

___ e. All of the above

Answer: e

1. Trauma-informed practice refers to

___ a. The use of violence in the family

___ b. Services and programs designed to address the impact of traumatic

stress

___ c. Children’s repetition of violence learned in the family

___ d. None of the above

Answer: b

Section 3: True/False. Type an “x” next to the correct answer. Each question in this section is worth 2 points. (Total 42 points)

1. Research indicates that exposure to childhood stress can impact adult health in a number of ways. Some of these adult health problems include: depression, liver disease and suicide attempts.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. Research indicates that exposure to violence can literally alter a child’s DNA.

___ a. True

___ b. False X

1. The misinterpretation and misuses of religious texts and traditions can have a detrimental effect on the individuals and fami****** deal******with domestic violence.

___ a. True

___ b. False X

1. Many police departments, social service agencies and domestic violence shelters are ill prepared to address the needs of survivors with disabilities.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. In same sex abusive relationships the perpetrator is usually more

masculine, stronger and larger while the victim is usually more feminine, weaker and smaller.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. Latino victims of intimate partner violence are given lots of family encouragement and support to leave the abusive relationship.

___ a. True

___ b. False

1. Children exposed to sexual abuse may exhibit sophisticated or unusual sexual behavior or knowledge.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender website is one of 5 governmental websites linking public, state, territorial and tribal sex offender registries into one national site.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. Same sex partner violence is both similar to, and different from, heterosexual partner violence.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. There is no connection between the exposure to physical abuse, sexual abuse and intimate partner violence in childhood and the future exposure to intimate partner violence in adulthood.

___ a. True

___ b. False X

1. Resilience in children can be defined as how children overcome adversity and achieve a positive developmental outcome.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Religious beliefs or fear of rejection from the church may keep women in abusive relationships.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Stereotypes of the &ldq******deal******uo; man as strong and stoic may contribute to male survivors of partner violence not expressing their feelings of victimization

___a. True X

___b. False

1. When a child discloses abuse to an adult it’s crucial that the adult ask a lot of questions in order to really understand what is happening.

___a. True

___b. False X

1. Short term effects of child sexual abuse may include 1) depression, 2) guilt, 3) learning difficulties, 4) sexual promiscuity, 5) somatic complaints and 6) behavior changes.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Sibling abuse is a reflection of a child’s mental illness and is not a reflection of behavior that has been witnessed or experienced within the family.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Homophobic responses from service providers, first responders and the criminal justice system are not a problem for survivors of same sex partner violence.

___ a. True

___ b. False X

1. All states have laws requiring individuals to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Some Muslim survivors of domestic violence report that the violence did not occur until they came to the U.S.

___a. True X

___b. False

1. Preventing child abuse and neglect requires a continuum of strategies at the 1) individual, 2) relationship, 3) community and 4) institutional levels.

___ a. True X

___ b. False

1. Neglect is neglect. It is not important to distinguish between neglect and failure to provide the necessities of life because of poverty and/or cultural norms.

___ a. True

___ b. False X

References:

Bishop, C., & Bettinson, V. (2018). Evidencing domestic violence*, including behaviour that falls under the new offence of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’. The International Journal of Evidence & Proof, 22(1), 3-29.

bwjp.org (2018), Battered Women’s Risks, retrieved on July 31, 2018. From: https://www.bwjp.org/assets/documents/pdfs/battered_women’s_risks_chart.pdf

Jahanfar, S., Howard, L. M., & Medley, N. (2014). Interventions for preventing or reducing domestic violence against pregnant women.

texasadvocacyproject.org (2018), A Teen’s Safety Plan, retrieved on July 31, 2018. From: https://www.texasadvocacyproject.org/sites/default/files/Safety%20Plan%20for%20Teens.pdf

training.cfsrportal.acf.hhs.gov (2018),  Safety Plan, retrieved on July 31, 2018. From: https://training.cfsrportal.acf.hhs.gov/section-2-understanding-child-welfare-system/3016

vawnet.org (2018), Safety Planning, retrieved on July 31, 2018, from: https://vawnet.org/sites/default/files/assets/files/2016-09/DaviesSafetyPlanning.pdf

Wolf, M. (2015). Barriers To Adequate Services For Rural Victims Of Domestic Violence.