Financial abuse

Psychological abuse

Living in his property - no job or social contact outside of the house

Controlling behaviours from William

Financial control

Verbal abuse

Depression and anxiety caused as a result

Unemployment

For Jack;

Doesn't like William, must be from a hidden reason he is scared to express

Speaking to Jacks school to see if there are any concerns which have been raised

Speak to GPs

Look into housing alternatives

Refer to woman’s aid

Speak to police about records on William

By Karis, Eunice, and Damilola L

1 - Professionalism, asking important questions

5 Knowledge Applying

6- Critical reflection, taking feedback on board adequately

• A child is present in the house

• Financial abuse suspected

• Unemployment

• Potential substance use + known alcohol abuse

• Kerry reports verbal and emotional abuse. Kerry reported William to be a 'narcissist'

• Low mood - depression and anxiety

• By Tesley, Sienna, and Jamia

• By Tesley, Sienna and Jamia

-          Context and organisation (8)

-          Skills and intervention (7)

-          Professionalism (1)

• By Tesley, Sienna and Jamia

• By Tesley, Sienna and Jamia

Coercive control

Housing situation - living in perpetrator’s property

Gradual isolation from family and friends

Child has witnessed + ?experienced? emotional abuse

Lack of confidence + fear of escalation

Explore housing options

Safety action plan in case of escalation/emergency

Refer to services that will help empower her / recognise patterns of behaviour (e.g. Freedom Programme).

Conversation re getting help for Jack / s/w Jack independently?

Housing officers

Jack’s school

Therapist (for parent +/or child)

Women’s Aid

GP practice safeguarding lead

Police

PCF 4 - Rights, Justice and economic wellbeing - housing discussions, right to family life and safety, expressed that it is not her fault

PCF 5 - Knowledge - explored options for group work, therapy, housing help, safety (in conjunction with Women’s Aid), reassurance that it’s not her fault/patterns of abuse + coercive control.\

PCF 6 - Taken on board feedback re upfront discussion of confidentiality + contact details.

Safety and well-being concern for the grandson. Significant emotional harm for him.

safety of the daughter, Potential coercive control. Feeling isolated, behavioural concerns.

Mental health concern for Mrs. Smith, as she mentioned being anxious and losing sleep

Financial concern as Mrs. Smith is currently unable to work due to her mental health difficulties.

 The daughter might feel fearful of seeking help.

Would escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately through supervision.

Mental health support (GP, counselling, community mental health team) for Mrs. Smith

Mediation for daughter, home visit for daughter and partner, and school visit to understand the grandson's situation better.

Providing information to Mrs. Smith on what further services she can get.

GP for Mrs. Smith, local authority for mediation, school teachers for Jack, If things get escalated after 2 3 visits and he wouldn’t let us in, we might need to involve the police.

Coercive control and isolation: Family not being able to get involved due to William’s controlling behaviour,

Emotional and Psychological abuse,

Financial Abuse,

Social Isolation.

Contact the police if there’s immediate danger

Child safeguarding action

Safety planning with Kerry

Having an emergency contact or code word with a trusted person.

Referral to specialist domestic abuse services.

Local domestic abuse support services.

Women’s refuges or safe accommodation.

Exploring legal protection options.

Police protection measures if needed.

Occupation Order to remove William from the home.

Emotional and mental health support.

Referral to counselling.

Parenting support.

Child therapeutic services for Jack.

Ongoing support and monitoring

Maintaining regular and safe contact with Kerry.

Respecting her choices.

Prioritising the safety of both Kerry and Jack.

Monitor Jack’s wellbeing and development.

Health professionals- Kerry may have physical injuries or mental health concerns.

Jack’s wellbeing and development must be monitored

Jack’s school- Schools have a duty to protect children.

Legal professionals- Kerry may need legal protection from William. Ie family court

Mental health professionals- Kerry may experience trauma, anxiety, or depression.

Jack may show emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Acting in a calm, respectful, and non-judgemental manner.

Values and Ethics-

Respecting Kerry’s dignity, rights, and choices.

Critical reflection-

Assessing the level of risk

Safety concerns for Kerry, her son and also support for Mrs Smith.

• Psychological/domestic/verbal abuse (Kerry and son)- Isolation from family and friends (no contact since September), cutting off contact via telephone, abusive language.

• Physical abuse (Kerry)- Mrs Smith disclosed that after William has had a drink he tends to hit Kerry, Mrs Smith said she has seen bruises and marks.

• Control of money (Kerry)- William has access to Kerrys' bank as they have a shared account, he closely monitors her banking activity. The flat is shared and both own half, Kerry does not have a job so may worry about how to leave William if she has little funds to move out.

• Behaviour changes (Kerry and son)- Kerrys' behaviour has changed and her sons academic ability is declining, he is struggling in school and is reported to be 'scared' when talking about home life.

• Low mood (Mrs Smith)- Mrs Smith reports low mood and has made contact with her GP but hasn't had any support.

• Speak to police to arrange a welfare check with police to visit the flat/ check if William is known to the police.

• Refer to Womens aid, or other organisations relevant to this case.

• Speak to team lead and discuss, as this is a domestic abuse case. Need to determine the risk of behaviour escalating.

• Speak to Jacks school, provide support for Jack at school.

• Offer counselling/support groups to all parties.

• Financial support/benefits for Kerry.

• Police

• Jacks school

• GP

• Mental health practitioners

• Councillor

• PCF 1- Showed professionalism, introduced ourselves and conducted ourselves in a professional way, no jargon used in conversation.

• PCF 2- Promoted human rights, used our own ethics and values to collect information and suggest intervention and support available. Listened without judgement.

• PCF 5- Used knowledge to suggest intervention methods and how to address/ approach this case.

PCF 1:

Introducing ourselves clearly as a student social worker.

Explaining confidentiality and its limits.

Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

Remained calm and focused on asking questions and getting information.

PCF 2:

Being understanding and not judging Kerry.

Respecting her daughter’s dignity and choices.

Clearly explaining the possibilities to ensure the safety of her daughter and her grandchild.

Not blaming her for staying in the relationship and recognizing that controlling behaviors can be very complicated.

PCF 3:

Recognizing the impact of coercive control and violence.

Understanding how financial dependence and mental health increase vulnerability.

Avoiding assumptions about her choices. Avoiding discrimination due to their financial situation.

Creating a safe space for her to share her lived experience.

PCF 4:

Identifying concerns relating to domestic abuse and emotional harm to the child.

Recognizing Kerry’s right to safety and protection.

By giving assurance that she is going to get the help she requires.

PCF 5:

Applying legal frameworks to explain how to took a certain action.

PCF 6:

Reflected on risk indicators and potential harm.

Differentiated between factual information and assumptions.

Recognized areas requiring further assessment and supervision.

questioning initial assumptions during the case discussion. Suggested getting the local authority involved before escalation, and the need for police to be involved.

PCF 7:

Using open-ended questions. Allowing her to talk more

Actively listening and summarizing Kerry’s concerns.

Maintaining appropriate pacing and structure in the meeting.

Beginning to explore safety planning and support options.

PCF 9:

We did promote that she did the right thing coming to us and we took responsibility.

After speaking with Kerry, we identified some key concerns

1.Verbal and emotional abuse from her partner, including controlling behavior

around finances.

2.Her mental health was also affected, as she reported low mood and anxiety

3.There were also concerns about her 10-year-old son, who appeared nervous around the partner and sometimes skipped meals, suggesting the home environment may

be impacting his wellbeing.

In addition, Kerry reported financial difficulties and lack of food at times.

1.Speak to our line manager about Kerry’s case.

2. Refer or signpost to a support group/counselling.

3. Explore housing options and safety planning.

4. Support access to food banks and benefits.

5.Consider support for her son which may include emotional support and exploring activities for socialization.

1.GP/Mental health services – to review her mental health and offer support or

referrals.

2.Domestic abuse services/Women’s support services – for specialist safety planning

and emotional support.

3.Police – if there is immediate risk or if she needs protection when leaving the

relationship.

4.School staff (teacher/safeguarding lead) – to support the child and monitor his

wellbeing.

5.Housing officer/local authority housing team – to assist with safe accommodation.

1.Professionalism: We introduced ourselves, explained our role and behaved respectfully. We also did not dress casually but as professionals.

2.Values and ethics: We explained confidentiality and its limits and treated Kerry without judgement.

3.Diversity and equality: We remained open-minded and did not blame her for staying in the relationship.

4.Rights, justice and economic wellbeing: We explored financial support, food vouchers, housing options and a police referral to improve her situation and promote independence.

5.Knowledge and skills/interventions: We used active listening, open-ended questions when we needed to know more and signposting to appropriate services that were relevant to the situation.

6.Contexts and organisations: We recognised the need to liaise with other agencies such as housing, police, GP and support services.

7.Critical reflection: Before the session, we had all read the recommended readings for the session and met to discuss before the roleplay. We also shared how we were feeling (excitement, anxiety, etc) and supported one another as a team. Then the session we received feedback from the roleplay and reflected on our practice.

• GP or mental health service for any stress or anxiety Kerry is experiencing 

• Housing services/council to help Kerry with looking into a home seperate to her partner 

• Children's services/school so that Jack’s wellbeing is priority and his behaviour may be monitored more closely and he is given support such as someone to talk to like a school counsellor. 

PCF 7 – SKILLS AND INTERVENTIONS = During the meeting we used our social and personal skills to know when we needed to give Mrs Smith time to reflect on what she was saying or when we needed to have more information which we would get by asking an open question. We also ran our possible forms of interventions by her to ensure she was comfortable at each stage for example if she was okay with us contacting Kerry over the phone and if she was okay for us to plan an in-person meeting.  

2 Remove her son from this situation as it could further affect his mental health

3 Speak to the GP to find out if any signs of abuse were reported .

4 Mediation between daughter and her partner .

5 Speak to Jacks school to find out if he has displayed any concerning behaviour.

2 Womens aid

3 Support system such as her Dad and family members.

4 Jacks school

5 Legal Professionals