New initiative launched to combat domestic abuse

A new initiative has launched in our region to target and challenge hundreds of perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Northumbria Community Rehabilitation will be working with people they have identified as harmful to others after being arrested for a separate crime.

The programme, called Positive Pathways plus, can be used within a range of relationships, including hetrosexual relationships, including women who offend against men, same sex relationships and also for intra familial abuse.

This means it can help a wider range of people than many existing programmes, which often focus on men who offend against women.

The programme can also be used with perpetrators whose conviction is for an offence other than domestic abuse, but where the risk assessment completed by probation staff from Northumbria CRC indicates they need to undertake work to address their harmful behaviour.

It can also include offenders who are convicted of domestic abuse offences, but who are not suitable for other forms of domestic abuse interventions, such as groupwork programmes, or where a specific domestic abuse treatment programme is not included at point of sentence.

This means that more domestic abuse perpetrators will be challenged on their attitudes and behaviour, and receive support to address their issues.

Positive Pathways plus is delivered as part of a community order or suspended sentence.

It consists of nine individual sessions, which focus on positive relationships as key strengths.

Probation staff help offenders to identify and develop routes away from their offending, increase their self-reliance and develop their resilience to overcome barriers to change.

Jane Mackintosh, Northumbria CRC director of offender management with responsibility for the programme’s development, said: “Our focus is to deliver Positive Pathways plus in a way that is likely to have the most impact on individual participants, so that they develop non abusive, positive behaviour with partners.

“To achieve this, they are required to engage in considering aspects of their behaviour within relationships that they need to change for the better, and then carry out work to alter the patterns of negative attitudes and thinking which underpins their behaviour.”

Positive Pathways plus has been developed by a group of Northumbria CRC staff with support from David Morran from Stirling University.

He has a long standing association in the criminal justice system of working and advising within the domestic abuse arena.

His research background into desistance and domestic abuse has offered valuable input.

David said: “Men whose behaviour is violent and abusive face a wide range of problems and challenges in their lives, which need to be attended to before addressing their abusive behaviour is effective. Positive Pathways plus is a refreshing new programme.

"It’s been developed by probation staff who know the demands of working with someone who may be resistant and defensive at times, but also know how to motivate that person to begin the difficult terrain of behaviour change. We recognise that for each individual that terrain will be different.”