Slide 1 Partnering on Safety: Addressing the Safety Needs of Domestic Violence Survivors who have Disabilities Barrier Free Living, Inc. Myra Ricard, LMSW Director of Social Services, Freedom House Emergency Shelter Katie Webb, LMSW Assistant Director, Secret Garden Non-Residential Domestic Violence Program Secret Garden Revised & Updated 11/2011 Slide 2 Who We Are & What We Do "Helping People with Disabilities Help Themselves" * Barrier Free Living, Inc., was founded in 1980, with a dedication to help New Yorkers with disabilities live independently within the community. * Since 1986, BFL has been working with disabled victims of domestic violence. * BFL operates the largest DV intervention program for victims with disabilities in the country. Slide 3 What Is Domestic Violence? * a pattern of coercive tactics that can include: - physical, - psychological, - sexual, - economic, - emotional abuse * with the goal of establishing and maintaining power and control. Slide 4 Where does it occur? * in all kinds of intimate relationships: * married couples, * people who are dating, * couples who live together, * people with children in common, * same-sex partners, * Parents and other relatives * Care attendants Slide 5 People with Disabilities have a Higher Rate of Abuse * Women with disabilities have a 40% greater risk of experiencing violence than women without disabilities. * Women with developmental disabilities have among the highest rates of physical, sexual and emotional violence perpetrated by intimate partners and family members. * Studies estimate that 80% of women of have disabilities have been sexually assaulted. * Studies estimate that between 70% and 85% of cases of abuse against adults with disabilities go unreported. * Children with disabilities are more than twice as likely as children without disabilities to be physically abused, and almost twice as likely to be sexually abused. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Barranti & Yuen, 2008, Young et all 1997 Slide 6 DIAGRAM Barrier Free Living Model POWER AND CONTROL (Transcriber note: The following is a graph with the words “POWER AND CONTROL” in the center and the following words around it): CONTROL OF WHEELCHAIR MEDICATIONS CONTROL OF MONEY SEXUAL ABUSE INACCESSIBLE HOUSING COLLUSION BETWEEN FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS PHYSICAL ABUSE THREATS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE THREATS OF LOSING CHILDREN PHYSICAL SOCIAL ISOLATION Slide 7 SHORT-TERM PHYSIOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF TRAUMA * Restlessness * Hypervigilence * Generalized anxiety * Headaches * Weight loss/gain * Fatigue * Sleep disturbance * Shallow breathing * Backaches Slide 8 Long Term Effects of Trauma related to Domestic Violence * Cardiac problems * Gastrointestinal distress * Low back pain * Pelvic pain * Autoimmune disorders * Chronic fatigue * Irritable Bowel Syndrome Substance use/Abuse * Dermatologic issues * Musculoskeletal difficulties * Depression * Aggression * Unhealthy Interpersonal Relationships * Constricted/avoidance of Intimacy/Sexuality * Fybromyalgia * Impulsivity * Hypersexuality Slide 9 Domestic Violence, Suicide & Disability * Domestic partner violence has been associated with increased rates of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. * The risk for suicide attempts in individuals who have experienced recent domestic partner violence has been estimated to be 4-8 times greater than the risk for individuals without such experiences. Meyers, M (2011). Suicide and domestic violence. Presented at the Brooklyn Family Justice Center April 26, 2011 Slide 10 Victims with Disabilities face obstacles in Achieving Safety * Obstacles within the Criminal Justice * Obstacles within the DV system Slide 11 Other Obstacles in Leaving * Often the abuser is also the victim’s caregiver * Risk of being institutionalized * Risk for losing child custody * Fear of losing/securing affordable housing. * May not recognize the abuse as a problem. *** National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Slide 12 Effective Intervention for Assisting Survivors in the community Case Example Slide 13 Effective Intervention for Domestic Violence Shelter Providers Case Example Slide 14 Importance of the Continuum of Care * Victims with Disabilities often engage first with our community based program * Once basic needs are addressed and safety planning has begun, the issue of leaving the abuser is assessed. * Referrals will be made for those ready for shelter * Community and Shelter staff collaborate during the shelter stay * Community based program continues the work after the person/family leaves shelter. Slide 15 Safety Planning National Resource Center on Domestic Violence stated that OUTCOME EVALUATION assesses what occurred as a direct result of the program. Outcomes must be measurable, realistic, and philosophically tied to program activities. Slide 16 Outcomes An OUTCOME is a change in knowledge, attitude, skill, behavior, expectation, emotional status, or life circumstance due to the service being provided. Slide 17 Measuring Safety Project * Staff at Freedom House have partnered with a team of researchers from New York University to further explore this topic. * Barrier Free Living have conducted a series of focus groups with shelter residents and staff to identify attitudes, skills and behaviors related to these five facets of safety. Slide 18 Measuring Safety * Safety has been broken down into five facets: - Travel Safety - Electronic Safety - Financial Safety - Safety of Location - Safety in Relationships Slide 19 Beyond Freedom Initiative * A “Beyond Freedom” Support Group was established to discuss safety. - Participants included residents nearing their departure date as well as former residents who were recently discharged from Freedom House. A researcher from NYU observed each group to collect qualitative data. Slide 20 Preliminary Results from Qualitative Data: Emotional Safety * Participants were largely unaware of the effects that domestic violence can have on mental health, especially those with no prior history of mental illness. * If many survivors are unaware of the emotional effects of domestic violence, it is not surprising that society largely views abuse as “only physical.” Slide 21 Relationship Safety * Participants were able to easily identify numerous warning signs of abuse in relationships * Participants found it more difficult to identify “green flags,” or signs of healthy relationships * Participants had little understanding of healthy boundaries in relationships & why they are needed Slide 22 Safety of Location * Participants seemed to possess strong safety planning skills in this area. However…. * Former residents who are no longer living in shelter exhibited less safe behaviors. Slide 23 Location Safety * Due to state and federal mandates as well as the safety of all persons in shelter, domestic violence shelters have very stringent rules and regulations driven by safety concerns * These stringent regulations could lead people to feel as if they are “out of prison” or “have been freed” and more likely to exhibit less safe practices. Slide 24 Travel Safety * Participants discussed the importance of maintaining discretion in new locations and exercising caution in what information is revealed to new acquaintances. * Discussions revealed there is still a need for stressing the importance for lifelong safety planning. Some abusers will never stop seeking their victims. Slide 25 Technology/Communication Safety * Participants explored the vast array of technology/communication to monitor. - Smart Phones/Phones with GPS - Social Networking Sites - Online banking/credit card accounts - Computer /E-Mail passwords - Pin numbers - Digital Cameras - Credit Reports - Online phone books - Phone books - Utility Bills - Joint Bank Accounts - Revoking HIPPAA consents for medical information - Communicating with children’s schools/child care providers/doctors Slide 26 Technology/Communication cont… * Technological Safety requires constant and life-long vigilance. * It is challenging to maintain Technological Safety because of it’s rapid evolution and the volume of information communicated online. Slide 27 Project Methodology * Researchers are now distributing the survey to survivors at four points in their shelter experience. - The first week of residence - The eighth week of residence - Immediately prior to departure - Several weeks after shelter discharge Slide 28 Questionairre Results An analysis of the results suggested survivors utilized more safety planning skills while still living in shelter than after their discharge. We speculate this is due to the loss of social service support and the end of the strict rules and regulations that accompany shelter living. Slide 29 Future Focus * Our future focus is the integration of the agreed upon safety measures in all of our work with every aspect of the program * As we engaged residents in focus groups, residents came to the realization of the need for continued safety practices as they moved out of shelter * These measures are now being introduced in our community based program Slide 30 Questions? Comments? Slide 31 Information * Barrier Free Living Hotline: 212-533-4358 g * National DV Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) * Family Justice centers: familyjusticecenter.com * Barrier Free Living www.bflnyc.org * Myra Ricard: myrar@bflnyc.org 212-400-6470 x * Katie Webb: katiew@bflnyc.org 212-400-6470 x382