Mind the Gap! – Improving Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence against Older Women

The work, the seven partners (University of Bialystok, Hungarian Academy of Science, Institute for Conflict Research in Vienna, German Police University, Cesis in Lisbon University of Sheffield / Norwich, Zoom e.V. in Germany) started in the IPVOW-project was continued in the frames of a new DAPHNE III project (duration 1.2.1011 – 31.1.2013). Coordinator of this project was Zoom – society for prospective developments.

The project was aiming to:

1. gain more insights into possible efficient/effective and adequate interventions and support by law enforcement agencies
2. raise awareness within law enforcement and social support agencies about older women as victims of IPV
3. encourage agencies to tackle the problem and to improve outreach to this subgroup of victims d) build the capacity of law enforcement and social support agencies so that they can respond to and intervene successfully in these cases

Analysis of police and/or public prosecutor’s files

In order to better understand what happens, when police intervenes in situations of IPV against older women, to gain insight into possible good practice and to prepare capacity building for professionals, an analysis of selected police or public prosecutor’s files had been carried out. We did analyse cases of intimate partner violence against older women in order to get more information about how interventions could be improved and further developed. Research questions were related to intervention by the police, ways of obtaining case knowledge, professionals involved in the case, ways in which professionals were involved, cooperation with other professionals and organisations and how all of this affects the futher development of cases.
Numbers of analysed files were varied according to the size of the countries and to the availability of files. For Hungary, Austria and Poland the analysis of 70 files have been foreseen, for Germany, UK and Portugal (where the access to these files were already given) the analysis of 150 files have been foreseen.

Capacity building of law enforcement (A): Development of a manual

On the basis of findings from IPVoW, the file analysis and discussions with experts, a manual for capacity building of police and other law enforcement agents working in the field of domestic violence have been developed. These manuals contain information on:

• Characteristics of cases of intimate partner violence against older women
• typical problems in handling these cases
• possible measures to improve handling of such cases
• possible partners for cooperation and information sources

Capacity building of law enforcement (B): Development of police training

On the basis of findings from IPVow and the file analysis curricular elements, educational concepts and material regarding police/law enforcement work in this field have been developed. This include the development of new curricular concepts but it also include the modification of existing curricula, where training on domestic violence issues was already carried out in the countries.
Education and training should communicate information on:

• Characteristics of cases of intimate partner violence against older women
• typical problems in handling these cases
• possible measures to improve identification and handling of such cases
• partners for cooperation and information sources

Support for public relation of social support agencies for improving the outreach to older female victims of intimate partner violence

Within the scope of the project, material for public relations (poster, postcards, flyers, material for press campaign, like templates for press releases and visual material) for the general public and particularily for older female victims of intimate partner violence have been developed and made available to agencies. The main messages delivered by this material are

1. older women are also affected by IPV, that
2. help is also available for these women
3. what help this might be
4. that they are not responsible for what happens to them and
5. that older women deserve respect and lives free from violence and exploitation.

Capacity building of social support agencies: Development of a manual

On the basis of findings from IPVow and the file analysis information material have been developed for social support agencies who might get in contact with women affected by intimate partner violence (e.g. for women’s shelters, intervention centres, crisis intervention units, care services etc.). The manuals contain valuable information with regard to:

1. older women affected by intimate partner violence (what is special about this group?)
2. special needs of older women to be responded to by case work
3. directions for working with affected older women (low-threshhold approaches of support, methods of counselling, time structure of case work) and
4. relevant age-related information for case management (e.g. institutions to be involved, financial systems and structure of care – depending on the kind of institution addressed by the manual)
5. inter agency cooperation (to gain access to the target group, relevant knowledge from other professions, information how and in which cases other institutions should be involved, to convey special knowledge on IPV to other professions, to arrange procedures of referral)
6. requirements concerning the legal and institutional framework

Project Homepage www.ipvow.org

Contact: Barbara Nägele, Sandra Kotlenga and Nils Pagels