Specialist Domestic Violence Court Programme Resource Manual March 2006
This resource
manual is for use in those areas that are developing a specialist
domestic violence (DV) court system as part of the Specialist Domestic
Violence Court (SDVC) Programme. It is referred to as a system because,
although it has the court processes at its heart, it also refers
to early identification of DV incidents particularly policing, health
and social care interventions, through to specialised and generic
victim support.
In essence,
the specialist court programme is a co-ordinated community response
to DV which combines both criminal justice and non-criminal justice
interventions and forms a multi-agency response that creates greater
victim safety and brings perpetrators to account.
The SDVC
Programme was developed following several independent evaluations.
These included the two evaluations of seven specialist DV court
systems, which demonstrated that by adopting particular working
practices, significant improvements could be made to the outcomes
of domestic violence cases. It also used the evaluation of the role
of the IDVA and the MARAC process in improving outcomes for victims.
For example, these approaches:
- enhanced the effectiveness
of court and support services for victims
- made support for
victims and information-sharing easier
- improved risk management
of victims and children
- led to greater
accountability of the perpetrator
- improved victim
participation and satisfaction
- increased public
confidence in the Criminal Justice Service (CJS).
Some of
the specific measures utilised by the court system included:
- frontline police
officers trained on the ACPO guidance1 for investigating DV
- accredited independent
domestic violence advisors who offer victims one point of contact
during and after their case
- dedicated prosecutors,
specially trained magistrates, legal advisors
- either a fast-tracking
of domestic violence cases, or a clustering-together of cases
on a designated day each week or each month, to enhance the
effectiveness of the court and the support services
- where possible,
separate entrances, exits and waiting areas so that victims
do not face the risk of being confronted by their attackers
while attending court.
This approach
requires partnership working outside of the CJS including Primary
Care Trusts, mental health services, drugs and alcohol services,
housing and related services etc, to ensure that there are comprehensive
wrap-around services for the management of victims and perpetrators.
To refine this approach, the Government’s interdepartmental
officials group, along with key Stakeholders in the domestic violence
sector, have identified 11 core components that each area setting
up a court system should consider. For the system to work effectively,
close co-ordination of all these components is required and key
individuals need to be identified and held to account for the delivery
of their section of the service system.
specialist
dv court programme resource manual March 2006 pdf
This Good
Practice Report is based on the findings from the evaluation of
the existing five specialist DV courts and the two pilots, in Caerphilly,
Gwent and Croydon, London, which provided evidence of good practice
to deliver improved work on domestic violence cases.
eval
dv pilots April 2005 pdf
