Perpetrator Choices and Pathways to Child Harm

This AI podcast, from the Safe & Together Institute’s YouTube channel, presents a framework for understanding how domestic violence perpetrators harm children.

The central idea is that these individuals make deliberate choices that create multiple pathways of harm, extending beyond directly witnessing or hearing violence. Beyond the focus on trauma and physical harm, the model highlights how perpetrators disrupt the family environment and negatively impact the non-offending parent’s ability to parent, for example by creating financial instability or isolating the family. The speaker emphasizes the need for assessments and documentation to capture these broader impacts and clearly link the perpetrator’s actions to the harm experienced by the children and the family.

Listen to the AI Podcast:

Briefing Document

Based on the provided excerpts from a training session on the Safe and Together Model, here is a detailed briefing document summarizing the main themes and most important ideas/facts:

Subject: Briefing on the Safe and Together Model for addressing Domestic Violence in Child Welfare and Allied Systems

Date: [Insert Date]

Prepared For: [Intended Audience – e.g., Child Welfare Professionals, Social Services Agencies, Community Partners]

Prepared By: [Your Name/Organization]

Executive Summary:

This briefing provides an overview of the Safe and Together Model, a framework designed to improve the assessment of and response to domestic violence within child welfare and the systems it works alongside. Developed in response to Ohio’s identified need for better domestic violence assessment in child welfare cases, the model focuses on a “perpetrator pattern framework,” keeping the actions and behaviors of the perpetrator at the forefront of practice. It emphasizes partnering with the non-offending parent (survivor) and holding the perpetrator accountable, recognizing that domestic violence is a child protection issue with multiple pathways to harm for children. The model offers practical tools and training to enhance existing good practice and aims to move systems from “domestic violence destructive” or “neglectful” practices towards “proficient” practice.

Key Themes and Important Ideas/Facts:

1. Origin and Adoption:

• The Safe and Together Model was adopted by the state of Ohio around 2010-2011 because they recognized a need for better assessment of domestic violence in child welfare cases.
• Ohio was one of the first states to pilot the model, and research indicated improved assessment and better outcomes for families and children.
• Ohio was the first state to mandate training in the model for all 88 counties, indicating its effectiveness and broad applicability.
• The model has since expanded nationally and internationally, demonstrating its relevance across different cultures and contexts.

1. Perpetrator Pattern Framework:

• A core concept of the model is the “perpetrator pattern framework.”
• This framework dictates that practitioners should “keep the perpetrator at the forefront of our practice at all times.”
• The model, for training purposes, often uses a heterosexual example with a male perpetrator, acknowledging that domestic violence occurs in all relationship types and genders, but reflecting statistical prevalence.

1. Target Audience and Global Network:

• The model is primarily targeted at child welfare professionals but is also crucial for allied systems such as schools, mental health, substance use services, and other social services.
• The mission of the Safe and Together Institute is to “create nurture and sustain a global network of domestic violence informed child welfare professionals communities and systems.”

1. Goal: Better Outcomes and System Improvement:

• The overarching goal is to achieve “better outcomes for families and for systems.” This includes improved safety and well-being for families, better partnerships, enhanced case plans, and holding perpetrators accountable.

1. Model Components and Principles:

• The model is built on a foundation of characteristics, principles, and critical components.
• It offers “practice tools” to assist professionals, such as:
• Mapping: A structured way to discuss and analyze cases involving domestic violence, shifting from lengthy narratives to deliberate, condensed analysis.
• Pivoting: A technique used during interviews, especially with perpetrators, to redirect the conversation back to their behaviors and their impact on the family.
• Case Planning Guides, Supervisor Matrix, and Pathways/Planning Tools.
• The speaker emphasizes the practicality of these tools, stating they provide tangible resources that can be used “out in the field at my home visit tomorrow.”

1. Continuum of Practice:

• The model introduces a continuum of practice ranging from “domestic violence destructive” and “neglectful” to “competent/pre-competent” and “proficient.”
• The aim is to move individual practice, units, agencies, and partners towards more proficient practice.
• Examples of contrasting practices:
• Weak Nexus (Destructive/Neglectful): Believing domestic violence is “all about the adults” and “not an issue around about children.”
• Strong Nexus (Proficient): Recognizing that domestic violence “is a child protection it is a child protection issue if domestic violence is occurring.”
• Failure to Protect (Destructive/Neglectful): Blaming the non-offending parent for not leaving the perpetrator.
• Perpetrator Pattern Framework (Proficient): Understanding that the non-offending parent’s inability to leave is often due to the perpetrator’s patterns of control, threats, and previous reactions to attempted departures.
• Fathers are Invisible (Destructive/Neglectful): Focusing solely on the mother’s actions and responsibilities.
• Holding High Standards for Fathers (Proficient): Expecting the same level of responsibility and positive behavior from fathers, emphasizing that “Violence is not acceptable period.”
• Child versus the Adult Survivor (Destructive/Neglectful): Pitting the child’s needs against the survivor’s.
• Well-being of Child Tied to Survivor’s Safety (Proficient): Understanding that “the well-being of that child or children is directly tied to the adult survivor’s safety she cannot protect those kids right if she is not safe and well herself.”

1. Challenging Common Misconceptions and Practices:

• The model challenges the interpretation of a survivor’s minimizing or “lying” as a lack of protection, reframing it as a survival strategy or an attempt to “protect her kids” from potential repercussions from the perpetrator or the system.
• It strongly advises against inappropriate services like anger management or family counseling for couples experiencing domestic violence.
• Anger management is seen as ineffective because domestic violence is about “power and control,” not just anger, and batterers are already in control.
• Couples counseling is inappropriate because its premise is mutual ownership of a problem, whereas domestic violence involves one person “making a choice to be violent against towards somebody else.” The speaker emphasizes, “I don’t care if she’s cheating on you with 50 people that doesn’t give you the right to put her hands on you.”

1. The Safe and Together Principles:

• Principle 1: Keeping the child safe and together… with the non-offending parent. The goal is to keep children with the survivor, recognizing that removing children is a trauma and that survivors often engage in protective behaviors. The model acknowledges that removal may be necessary in cases of co-occurring issues not directly caused by the domestic violence itself (e.g., substance abuse).
• Principle 2: Partnering with that survivor or the non-offending parent as our default position… Professionals should start from a place of partnership with the survivor, recognizing that “she is the key to all the information that we need.” This involves careful interviewing that avoids blaming the survivor and acknowledges the difficulties she faces.
• Principle 3: Intervening with the perpetrator to reduce risk and harm to kids. The model emphasizes engaging with the perpetrator, holding them accountable for their actions and their impact on the children. Interventions should aim for a “cease violence,” not just a reduction. Violence is considered a “parenting choice” with consequences for the children, whether or not they directly witness the incidents.

1. Multiple Pathways to Harm:

• This concept highlights that children can be harmed by domestic violence in numerous ways, not just through direct physical violence witnessed or experienced.
• Harm can stem from the “perpetrator’s pattern,” including their course of control over the adult survivor (e.g., controlling finances, transportation, social interactions, access to support).
• Harm also arises from the effects of the perpetrator’s pattern on the “partners’ parenting” (e.g., the survivor’s decreased ability to parent due to trauma, the perpetrator undermining the survivor’s authority) and “interfering with day-to-day basic routines” (e.g., disruption of sleep, mealtimes, homework).
• The cumulative “effects on the family ecology” can lead to indirect harm, such as frequent moves, school changes, and loss of support systems, which are a consequence of the perpetrator’s actions.
• These multiple pathways can result in behavioral, emotional, social, educational, developmental, and physical problems for children.

1. Training Structure:

• The full Core training is typically four days, focusing sequentially on:
• Day 1: Assessment and Model Understanding
• Day 2: Interviewing Skills
• Day 3: Documentation
• Day 4: Case Planning
• The presented session is a “one day overview” providing a high-level summary.

1. Resources:

• The Safe and Together Institute offers various resources, including organizational assessments, core and advanced trainings, evaluation services, online courses, podcasts, and webinars.
• Website: www.safeandtogetherinstitute.com

Conclusion:

The Safe and Together Model represents a significant shift in approaching domestic violence within child welfare and allied fields. By focusing on the perpetrator’s pattern, partnering with the survivor, and recognizing the multiple ways children are harmed, the model provides a framework and practical tools to improve assessment, intervention, and ultimately, outcomes for families experiencing domestic violence. Its widespread adoption and research-supported effectiveness highlight its importance as a best practice model.

Study Guide: The Safe and Together Model

Quiz: Short Answer Questions

Instructions: Answer each question in 2-3 sentences based on the provided source material.

1. According to the source, what is the primary focus of the Safe and Together Model?
2. Why did the state of Ohio initially adopt the Safe and Together Model for child welfare?
3. What does the term “perpetrator pattern framework” mean in the context of the Safe and Together Model?
4. The speaker mentions that domestic violence perpetrators are often good at getting interviewers “sidetracked.” What tool is used in the Safe and Together Model to address this?
5. Besides child welfare, name three other fields or systems that the Safe and Together Model is applicable to, as mentioned in the source.
6. What is considered “destructive practice” in assessing domestic violence according to the model’s continuum of practice?
7. The source challenges the concept of “failure to protect.” How does the Safe and Together Model encourage professionals to think differently about a survivor who hasn’t left an abusive relationship?
8. Why does the Safe and Together Model argue against using anger management or couples counseling for domestic violence cases?
9. According to the Safe and Together Model, what is the “default position” professionals should take when working with families experiencing domestic violence?
10. The speaker explains that “multiple pathways to harm” exist for children exposed to domestic violence. Besides direct physical abuse, name two other ways a perpetrator’s pattern can harm children, as described in the source.

Quiz Answer Key

1. The primary focus of the Safe and Together Model is targeting child welfare, but it also applies to other systems child welfare works with, such as schools, mental health, and substance use services.
2. The state of Ohio adopted the model because they recognized they weren’t doing a good job assessing domestic violence in child welfare cases and research showed the Safe and Together Model led to better assessment and outcomes.
3. The “perpetrator pattern framework” means keeping the perpetrator and their behaviors at the forefront of practice when assessing and intervening in domestic violence cases.
4. The tool used to address perpetrators getting interviewers sidetracked is called “pivoting,” which helps interviewers steer the conversation back to the perpetrator’s behaviors and their impact.
5. Besides child welfare, the model is applicable to schools, mental health, and substance use fields/systems. (Other valid answers from the text include early head start, community partners, law enforcement, courts, hospitals/clinics, developmental disabilities services).
6. Considering domestic violence as “just about the adults” and not an issue about children is considered “destructive practice” in assessing domestic violence.
7. The model encourages professionals to look beyond “failure to protect” and examine the perpetrator’s patterns and controlling behaviors that make it difficult or unsafe for the survivor to leave.
8. The model argues against these services because violence is a choice, anger management builds more control techniques (which perpetrators already possess), and couples counseling assumes shared responsibility, which is inappropriate when one person is choosing to be violent.
9. The default position should always be partnering with the survivor or non-offending parent in child welfare cases involving domestic violence.
10. Two other ways a perpetrator’s pattern can harm children include disrupting day-to-day routines (like sleep, dinner, homework) due to conflict or controlling behaviors, and causing developmental, emotional, social, or educational problems as effects on the family ecology. (Other valid answers from the text include interfering with the partner’s parenting, causing the survivor to lose authority with the children, requiring the survivor to prioritize the perpetrator’s needs over the children’s, physical injury, or exposure to trauma).

Essay Format Questions

Instructions: Consider the following questions in an essay format. Do not supply answers.

1. Discuss the historical context and development of the Safe and Together Model in Ohio, including the pilot program and subsequent statewide implementation. How did research influence the decision to expand the training?
2. Explain the significance of the “perpetrator pattern framework” in shifting the focus of domestic violence interventions within child welfare and other systems. How does this framework challenge traditional approaches that may place blame on the survivor?
3. Analyze the continuum of practice described in the Safe and Together Model, ranging from “domestic violence destructive” to “proficient practice.” Provide examples from the source to illustrate different points on this continuum and discuss the importance of moving towards more proficient practices.
4. Detail the three Safe and Together principles and explain how each principle guides the practice of child welfare professionals and their community partners. Provide specific examples of how these principles can be applied in real-world scenarios described in the source.
5. Explore the concept of “multiple pathways to harm” as presented in the Safe and Together Model. Beyond direct physical abuse, discuss the various indirect ways a perpetrator’s pattern of control and violence can negatively impact children and the family ecology.

Glossary of Key Terms

• Safe and Together Model: A domestic violence-informed child welfare practice model focused on assessing and intervening with perpetrators to keep children safe and together with the non-offending parent.
• Perpetrator Pattern Framework: An approach that keeps the domestic violence perpetrator and their behaviors at the forefront of assessment and intervention in child welfare and other systems.
• Pivoting: A practice tool used in the Safe and Together Model, particularly during interviews with perpetrators, to redirect the conversation back to their behaviors and impact when they try to get sidetracked.
• Mapping: A practice tool used in the Safe and Together Model for staffing cases involving domestic violence, offering a structured and concise way to assess the situation and plan next steps.
• Domestic Violence Informed Child Welfare Systems: Systems (including child welfare and its partners) that understand the dynamics of domestic violence and how to appropriately assess, document, and intervene while keeping children safe and supporting the non-offending parent.
• Domestic Violence Destructive Practice: Approaches to domestic violence within systems that are harmful and ineffective, often characterized by blaming the survivor or minimizing the impact on children.
• Proficient Practice: The highest level of practice described in the Safe and Together Model continuum, characterized by effective assessment, partnering with survivors, intervening with perpetrators, and promoting better outcomes for families.
• Weak Nexus: In the context of domestic violence assessment, the idea that domestic violence is solely about the adults and not a child protection issue.
• Strong Nexus: The understanding that domestic violence is a child protection issue because of the direct and indirect harm it causes to children.
• Failure to Protect (Critiqued Term): A historical term in child welfare often used to describe a non-offending parent who hasn’t left an abusive relationship, which the Safe and Together Model challenges by focusing on the perpetrator’s controlling behaviors that make leaving difficult.
• Multiple Pathways to Harm: The concept that a perpetrator’s pattern of control and violence can harm children in numerous ways, including direct actions, interference with parenting, and the broader effects on the family’s stability and functioning.
• Course of Control: The pattern of coercive and controlling behaviors used by a perpetrator against an intimate partner, which extends beyond physical violence and includes tactics like financial control, isolation, and intimidation.
• Non-Offending Parent / Survivor: The parent or adult who is the target of the perpetrator’s domestic violence and controlling behaviors.
• Intervening with the Perpetrator: Actions taken by professionals to hold the perpetrator accountable for their violence and controlling behaviors and to reduce the risk and harm they pose to children and the non-offending parent.

David Mandel

David Mandel, MA, LPC, is the CEO, Founder, and Owner of the Safe & Together Institute, a global leader in domestic abuse–informed training and systems change. With over 35 years of experience in the domestic violence and child welfare fields, Mandel developed the Safe & Together Model, a framework that… MORE