7.16.14 dv bips webinar
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July 16, 2014
Batterers Intervention Programs and
Shelters Collaborating
Quick History of Batterers Intervention
Programs
• First wave of batterer intervention programs established in the late 1970’s
• Not many batterers were being court ordered into batterer intervention programs at this time
• Early programs, such as Emerge, RAVEN, Men Stopping Violence, and AMEND, were established in conjunction with the women working in the battered women’s movement
Second Generation of Batterer
Intervention Programs (mid to late
1980’s)
• Stricter domestic violence laws more arrests
more batterers brought to the attention of courts
demand for court mandated services for batterers
• Proliferation of new programs, many of which were
offered by agencies with little experience serving
perpetrators of abuse
Adams, David (2003). Certified Batterer Intervention Programs: History,
Philosophies, Techniques, Collaborations, Innovations and Challenges. Clinics in
Family Practice. Retrieved from www.futureswithoutviolence.org
Development of State Standards for
Batterers Intervention Programs
• Programs using an intervention model based on anger,
stress and pathology began to spread in mid 1980’s.
• Advocates grew concerned that programs were:
– disconnected from a philosophy that defined domestic
violence as a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviors
aimed at establishing power control.
– prioritized the “rehabilitation” of the batterer over the
safety of victims and survivors.
Austin & Dankwort. (1998). A Review of Standards for Batterer Intervention
Programs. National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women. Retrieved
from http://new.vawnet.org
Development of State Standards for
Batterers Intervention Programs • In response to these concerns, states began to
develop standards for batterers intervention programs.
• 1,500-2,500 batterer intervention programs are in operation across the country.
• As of 2008, 45 states have developed certification standards for batterers intervention programs.
Carter, Lucy. (2009). Doing the Work and Measuring the Progress: A Report on the
2009 Experts Roundtable. Retrieved from http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/
Why are domestic violence programs
sometimes reluctant to work with BIPS?
History
• Not organized to prioritize victim safety
• Showed little interest in partnership
• Resisted transparency
• Lacked an understanding of dynamics of domestic violence and experiences of victim
Tennessee State Certified BIPS: What
Victim Advocates Need to Know
• Focus is on violence as the problem, not a “symptom”
• Program may determine that they can not provide appropriate service to the batterer based on screening
• No victims or current partners allowed
• Maximum class size is 16
• Aim to promote victim safety and batterer accountability
Intervention
As defined by the Rules, Section 0490-1-.02(2)(b):
The term “intervention” means the use of a time-
limited, structured, educational group activity that
requires batterers to face the consequences of their
behavior, accept responsibility for their abuse
actions, confront their rationalizations and excuses,
and learn and practice, alternative, non-violent
behaviors.
• Certified Programs are not allowed to use approaches
that require or invite participation by the victim, including
couples therapy and family therapy.
• Teaching materials or techniques that promote victim
blaming, belief in the appropriateness of dominance
over others, or that in any way deny the batterer’s
personal responsibility.
• Certified programs may include anger management
components but program can not be based solely on
anger management models.
Inappropriate approaches
Victim Safety
Certified Programs are required to:
• Establish a collaborative working relationship with a domestic violence agency for purposes of victim safety, problem solving, information sharing, etc.
• Establish procedures for reporting threats of violence to the victim or anyone associated with the victim.
• Communicate to the victim and current partner when the batterer has completed or has been terminated from the program.
• Coordinate any contact with batterer’s victims and current partners with a battered women’s program or Victim Advocate.
Program Accountability
Certified Programs are required to:
• Provide the criminal justice system with information related to a batterers noncompliance.
• Include in their programming community efforts to reinforce the community’s understanding of the need for batterer accountability.
• Establish a procedure for sharing relevant information with providers involved with victims or batterers.
Batterer Accountability
• Batterers are required to sign a contractual agreement
– Conditions of contract include the limitations of batterer’s confidentiality, agreement not to interfere with victim/staff communication, active participation of batterer in program, non-violence policy.
• Twenty four classes is the minimum number of classes for batterer to meet discharge criteria. If a batterer is ordered for less than 24 weeks, he is not eligible to complete a certified batterer intervention program.
• Batterers are required to complete a written responsibility plan designed to facilitate the safety of the batterer’s victim or current partner.
Personnel: Qualifications and Credentials
• Instructors and supervisors must have, at minimum, a baccalaureate degree
• Instructors who do not have a degree: – must be paired in a class with an instructor who does; and
– Have at least 2 years experience working with batterers, victims or working within the criminal justice system with other types of violent offenders
• Supervisor must have at least 2 years of experience working with batterers or victims and training in group facilitation
• All direct service providers must demonstrate awareness of power and control issues
Training
• All Certified Program instructors and supervisors must receive a minimum of 40 hours of initial training
• Training must include: – (1) Training in the rules for certification
– (2) Group process and intervention techniques,
– (3) Safety training
– (4) Current knowledge about the dynamics of domestic abuse
• After receiving the initial 40 hours of training, staff must receive 8 hours of annual training
What does a BIP get from collaborating
with a domestic violence program? • Victim Safety! (reporting, safety planning, information sharing)
• Partner contacts
• A deeper understanding of the experiences of the women and children who live with the batterer
• Community accountability
• Opportunity to be part of the movement and the CCR
• Feedback on facilitation, class content, etc.
• Compliance with the Rules, both during application and ongoing
What does a domestic violence program
gain from working with a BIP?
• Ability to provide victims with an accurate sense of BIP
• Accountability
• Coordinated Community Response
• In order to end violence against women, men MUST change
• Opportunity to observe groups
• An ally to help set discourse for understanding dv in the community
Strengthening the Collaboration:
Batterer Intervention Programs
• Ask victim advocates to provide training to your facilitators
• Consult with dv programs on procedures related to victim safety and
reporting
• Invite victim advocates to observe group and provide feedback
• Participate in any community events that your local domestic violence
programs hosts
• Consult with victim advocates on a regular basis (problem solving,
information sharing, victim safety issues, program suggestions,
collaboration)
• Have batterers bring items to donate to the local dv program
• Collaborate on community events
Strengthening the Collaboration:
Domestic Violence Programs
• Observe groups and provide feedback
• Provide services to the partners and victims of BIP participants
• Understand the Rules for Certified Batterer Intervention Programs
• Educate judges and prosecutors on the difference between certified and non-certified programs
• Ask BIP providers to give presentations to your staff
• Advocate with judges and prosecutors to recommend only state certified programs
• Collaborate on community events
Anger Management vs. Certified Batterer
Intervention Programs Anger
Management
Certified Batterer Intervention
Are
programs
state
certified?
No Yes. Certification is granted by the Tennessee Domestic Violence State
Coordinating Council which is administered by the Tennessee Coalition
to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Who is
served by
the
programs?
Perpetrators of
stranger or non-
intimate violence
Specifically designed to work with domestic violence offenders.
How long
are the
programs?
Usually 6-20
sessions, with an
average program
lasting 10
sessions
The Rules for certification require a minimum of 24 weeks.
Do
programs
contact
victims?
No Yes. If the offender makes threats toward the victim, the program will
work with the local domestic violence program and local authorities to
contact the victim. The program will inform the victim of the status of
the offender’s classes and provide her with referrals to a local domestic
violence program.
Anger Management vs. Certified Batterer
Intervention Programs Anger
Management
Certified Batterer Intervention
Are
programs
monitored by
a state
agency?
No Yes. All Certified programs are monitored by the Domestic Violence
State Coordinating Council.
Are
programs
linked with a
battered
women’s
agency?
No Yes. Each certified program must have a cooperative, working
relationship with a local domestic violence program. Batterer
intervention programs must provide a letter from the domestic violence
agency that speaks to the nature of their collaborative relationship.
Do program
assess
batterers for
lethality?
No Yes. While not a perfect prediction model, certified programs at the very
least ask questions which reveal how potentially lethal a batterer may be
– such as if he owns a gun or has been convicted of other violent offenses.
Anger Management vs. Certified Batterer
Intervention Programs Anger Management Certified Batterer Intervention
What is the
emphasis of the
intervention?
Violence is seen as a
momentary outburst
of anger. Perpetrators
are taught to use
techniques like “time
outs.”
Physical violence is seen as one of the many forms of abusive
behaviors chosen by batterers to control their intimate partners,
including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic
abuse. Batterer intervention models hold batterers accountable
for the violent and abusive choices they make. They teach
batterers to recognize how their abuse affects their partners and
children and to practice alternatives to abusive behaviors.
Are group
facilitators
trained about
domestic
violence?
No Yes. State standards specify that facilitators must receive an
initial 40 hours of training and then 8 hours of training each
year after.
How would I
address
grievances with
this type of
program?
Talk to the director of
the program.
1. Talk to the director of the program.
2. Grievances or complaints regarding a Batterer
Intervention Program’s compliance with the Rules of
Batterers’ Intervention Programs shall be submitted, in
writing, to the Council’s Designee. The Designee shall
submit the grievance or complaint to the Chair of the
Council for review and action.
Grievance Policy
Grievances or complaints regarding a Batterer Intervention Program’s compliance with the Rules for batterers’ intervention programs shall be submitted, in writing, to the Council’s Designee, the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. The Designee shall submit the grievance or complaint to the Chair of the Council for review and action. No such grievance or complaint shall be considered by the Council in making its recommendation regarding certification until the program has been notified of the grievance or complaint and been afforded an opportunity to respond.
Technical Assistance
• The Coalition is here
to provide technical
assistance.
• If you have questions
or need help
strengthening the
relationship with
your BIP or DV
program please call!
