110 likes | 129 Views
A comprehensive review and advocacy initiative addressing the low status of domestic violence victims and empowering families affected by homicide. AAFDA provides support, guidance, and influence to improve domestic homicide reviews worldwide.
E N D
The problem of status and domestic homicide Frank Mullane, (AAFDA – Centre of Excellence for Reviews after Homicide and for Specialist Peer Support ) Contact - info@aafda.org.uk AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
AAFDA • Info centre - Reviews. Work with families direct. • Help with statutory reviews • International study / influence • Helped write guidance & criteria to assess DHRs • Quality assure reviews for Government • Home Office appointed ‘reader’ • Train Chair DHRs • Key reason DHRs brought in AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Low status of victims • Victims experiencing abuse • Deceased’s story • Family afterwards • Other victims AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Raising status of next month’s victims “Unless we move from identifying lessons to investing in learning lessons, which surely requires activity repeated over time and then checked for progress, we are tacitly supporting the unconscious march to complicity which accepts an unsatisfactory status quo.” (Mullane in Domestic Homicides and Death Reviews. An International Perspective, 2017). AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
AAFDA model • 7 steps - Family integral in review • Help of specialist & expert advocate (children to be given specialist help to contribute). • Assist with scope • Contribute using preferred medium • Meet review panel • Be updated regularly • Review draft report (privacy, time) • Be a part of change www.aafda.org.uk AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Why have DHRs? • Illuminate the past to make the future safer • Find the trail of abuse • Different perceptions • Beyond process AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Not Look to Blame Websdale – ‘those reviews which have led to the most profound changes in agency behaviours are those shrouded in no blame cultures’ AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Humility AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Raising status of deceased “You are the voice of the dead person and you have a huge responsibility to ensure their story is recorded correctly….After having read certain reports, I imagined my sister shouting ‘No, no, that’s not how it was. You need to get this right.’ Accuracy and truth are incredibly important.” (Mullane in Domestic Abuse, Homicide and Gender: Strategies for Policy and Practice, 2014). AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk
Raising status of family ‘All I want is for the truth to come out and I will direct my efforts to ensuring that the authorities have all the relevant information to make that happen. Whatever the truth, I can handle it. Once it is out, I can rest, but if I don’t try now then the alternative is a lifetime of speculation.’ (Mullane in Domestic Homicides and Death Reviews. An International Perspective, 2017). AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) www.aafda.org.uk