Working with Service Users who are Perpetrators of Abuse

Working with perpetrators of crime and abuse in usual circumstances is a very complex personal and professional challenge. The task increases in difficulty when the service user is a Vulnerable Adult. Particular awareness, expertise and sensitivity is required.

This one day course, designed for support workers, senior support workers and Managers is designed to increase the understanding of the issues involved and provide them with ideas of how to support the service user in a positive way.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the course learners should have understood:

• Their professional responsibility:
        -Am I in the appropriate role?
        -Do I have the appropriate skills?
        -Is there any conflict of interest?
        -Do I have the knowledge and skills required?
        -Do I have the right support available?

• The personal issues:
        -Doing a psychological health check on ourselves
        -Prejudice and Judgement health-check
        -Consulting in Supervision

• How to prepare for the task:
        -Establishing a professional contract
        -Who else is involved?
        -Multidisciplinary input
        -Multi-agency input
        -Who will be doing what, when, where and how?
        -Securing appropriate Consultancy/Supervision
        -Constructing the umbrella support plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities

• The process of drafting the support plan
        -Team consultation
        -Consultation and negotiation with the service user
        -Advocacy
        -Specialist input: Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Social Worker, Nurse-Therapist etc.
        -Assessment, Goal setting, Planning e.g. models to be adopted

• The need for Risk Assessment:
        -Risk to the service user
        -Risk to others
        -Issues regarding the ‘victim’
        -Balancing different interests
        -Is the current setting appropriate?
        -Is a more specialised environment more appropriate?

• How to implement the plan:
        -Recording
        -Liaison
        -Monitoring
        -Protection
        -Crisis management
        -Ongoing evaluation etc.

• How to evaluate the plan:
        -Who will be involved?
        -What information would be required?
        -Methods
        -How often?
        -Purpose

Training methods:

• Icebreakers
• Tutor presentations
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Chalk and talk
• Word shower
• Group work
• Small group work
• Pairs/triads work
• Handouts

CP137/5.9