Newham review

A domestic abuse awareness campaign aimed at increasing the numbers accessing help should be undertaken in the Borough in a format which is accessible to the local community. In consultation with local voluntary sector partners a particular focus should be given to creative ways of accessing BME groups and those known to experience particular barriers to accessing support. The campaign should aim to complete the design stage by April 2015 to begin implementation by June 2015.

Agencies to ensure the implementation and publicising of existing guidance and best practice in the use of interpreters, and to ensure that service users/patients are seen for assessments, and sensitive interviews with an interpreter when necessary, and not with a family member as interpreter. Completion of this recommendation to be reported to the Community Safety Partnership by May 2015. The following link may also prove useful: Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership Good Practice Guidance - Interpreting for women who have experienced gender based violence: http://www.ccrm.org.uk/images/docs/2.2bgood%20practice%20interpreting%20for%20women%202011.pdf

That strategic leaders should ensure that domestic abuse training with reference to NICE Guidance8 Recommendation 6 should be delivered to all sectors of Health which is tailored to their practice needs and which is of sufficient depth to develop the skills needed for assessment, and consultations. The training should enable practitioners to: • understand relevant research evidence relating to domestic abuse and aspects of physical and mental ill-health • identify signs of domestic abuse • recognise high risk groups • develop ways of asking sensitively about domestic abuse • how to handle a disclosure of domestic abuse • how to risk assess and refer to MARAC when appropriate • know when and where to refer to a specialist agency both statutory and voluntary • understand barriers to disclosure and/or reporting domestic abuse, including additional barriers experienced by those in the BME and LGBT communities and those with insecure immigration status Organisations to respond to this recommendation training course should aim to be developed by April 2015, and dates for a programme of courses set and publicised by the end of May 2015.

In line with NICE Guidance Recommendation 69 a) Routine questioning for domestic abuse to take place by A&E as part of their history taking for all self- harm attendances. b) All staff involved in routine questioning of patients about domestic abuse to have undergone training as outlined in Recommendation 3 and in line with NICE Guidance Recommendation 6, before embarking on this role. c) To ensure that all recording sites (file, Rio, Datix) have prompts for asking service user about their experience of domestic abuse or violence The enactment of this recommendation should aim to commence by May 2015 and progress reported to the Community Safety Partnership.

To review the allocation of cases process to prompt the consideration as to whether circumstances in the service user’s background require a particular gender of practitioner and whether an interpreter needs to be arranged. This process to be reviewed and amended as necessary by March 2015 and outcome reported to the Community Safety Partnership by June 2015.

General Practitioners should have a clear care pathway for supporting patients who are identified as victims of domestic abuse. The pathway should be agreed with local partners to ensure safe and clear lines of communication and information sharing to enable victims to access support as soon as possible. The pathway should be developed and agreed by May 2015. The following link may be helpful in developing a pathway: http://www.caada.org.uk/dvservices/resources-for-general-practice-managers.html