Empowering Polish Families
in England and Wales
Domestic violence support
Give your clients the opportunity to learn about the nature of domestic abuse, its impact on them and their children
Domestic abuse remains to be a hidden problem in the Polish community. Through our previous work in the Polish Domestic Violence Helpline, we know that the majority of families affected by abuse are not known to their local agencies and clients face a lot of barriers in reporting it and seeking help. We also know that domestic violence in Polish families can be dangerous, almost half of the women who contacted us were at a high risk of serious harm or even death.
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Polish perpetrators of domestic violence often don't receive enough attention and support to help them address their behaviours that led to the breakdown of their families. They may pose a risk to victims even after separation. They also struggle to come to terms with failed relationships and are very reluctant to ask for help. Suicide rates among Polish men are one of the highest in the EU and men tend to end their lives five times more often than women.
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We help Polish victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse to reduce their fear of speaking up about their experiences and guide them to the most appropriate support. We help them understand the nature of abuse, its impact on their children and empower them to move forward with their lives.
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VICTIM ASSESSMENT
We will speak and liaise with your client in Polish which will help to break the language and cultural barriers for them and put them at ease when they tell us their story.
We will complete a comprehensive assessment of their situation and needs as well as risk assessment using nationally recognised tools. You will be provided with a report outlining findings from our assessment.
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We can explain the role of the British criminal justice system. We also give clients a better understanding of the support available from community care organisations.
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We complete the assessments over the phone so we can offer this service to agencies based anywhere in England and Wales.
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THE GATEWAY PROGRAMME
Domestic violence recovery and awareness programme for victims
The Accredited Gateway Programme was designed and developed by Tools4Change CIC who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of those who are/have experienced controlling abusive relationships.
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We worked closely with them to adapt the programme for delivery in the Polish language to our clients.
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The group courses and one-to-one sessions are facilitated by our accredited Gateway facilitators.
We offer the course remotely to clients across the country. The face-to-face delivery is available in Cheshire, Wrexham and Flintshire.
Find out when we are delivering this course and book a place for your client!
Our services for victims of domestic violence are delivered by experienced Polish-speaking practitioners specialising in assisting Polish victims of domestic abuse at all risk levels in crisis situations and in long-term recovery. They are qualified Independent Domestic Violence Advisors. They have supported Polish people who experience abuse in the UK for the past ten years.
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PERPETRATOR ASSESSMENT
The assessment will be carried out in Polish so the client can feel comfortable speaking about his/her situation and there is no risk that vital information might be missed in the translation process.
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We will assess the participant's motivation, level of denial, and readiness for intervention by discussing the client's past behaviour and current situation. We will also talk about their goals for the future and will determine where they place themselves in the cycle of change.
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Referrers will be provided with a written report outlining the outcomes of the assessment and recommendations for further work with the client.
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We offer telephone assessments to agencies based anywhere in England and Wales.
TOWARDS CHANGE
Six week one-to-one support programme for perpetrators
The programme has been designed by an experienced probation officer specifically for Polish perpetrators. It aims to improve clients' understanding of abusive behaviour and its impact on their families and themselves, to increase clients' knowledge about safe methods of managing their behaviour by gaining more insight into their thoughts, feelings and emotions and to increase the safety of victims of domestic violence.
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Individual sessions are delivered in Polish which helps clients to break barriers from speaking openly about their experiences and feelings.
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Referrers will receive regular updates on the progress in our work with clients and will be provided with a written report summarising outcomes achieved during the programme and outlining recommendations for future support.
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We offer this service remotely to clients living in all areas of England and Wales.
Find out when we are delivering this course and book a place for your client!
Our services for perpetrators are designed and delivered by an experienced Polish-speaking probation officer. She has worked for the National Probation Service since 2006 and supported different types of offenders from low to high risk on a one-to-one basis and in group work. She delivered a variety of accredited programmes, including the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP) and Building Better Relationships (BBR). She is also a qualified social worker registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and a qualified and practising counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
We sit on Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) panels in cases involving Polish nationals.
DHR means a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by (a) a person to whom she/he was related or with whom she/he was or had been in an intimate personal relationship, or (b) a member of the same household held with a view to identifying the lessons to be learnt from the death.
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We share our expertise on domestic violence within Polish families and help the panel recognise cultural aspects of the situation. We can assist the panel with contacting relatives in Poland to ensure that their views are heard and considered in the DHR report.
We have over 12 years of experience working with Polish families in the UK. We supported hundreds of Polish people who experienced domestic abuse through different projects, such as support groups, a national helpline, recovery programmes, information websites and direct support work with clients. We raise awareness of issues affecting Polish families in the UK through conferences and publications.
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We offer competitive prices for our work.
If you would like to find out more about the above services, please contact us.