Specialist Endorsement – Family
Violence
Assessment Worksheet
Name of candidate
Candidate’s Provider
Date of professional conversation
Criteria
Assessment
Report writing (not required if done alongside accreditation application)
Application information
Training and experience working with family violence
Professional conversation
Can explain family violence theory
Professional conversation
Professional conversation
Can explain the impact and limitations of restorative justice in family
violence cases
Can identify suitable support for participants in family violence cases
Professional conversation
Can identify power and control issues in family violence cases
Professional conversation
Can complete family violence risk assessment
Professional conversation
Can develop safety plans
Professional conversation
Participates in professional supervision
Professional conversation
Competent
Yes
No
Overall assessment
Competent
Not yet competent
Assessor
Date
Strengths
Recommendations for further development
© Resolution Institute April 2017
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Report Writing Assessment
Does not need to be completed if also applying for facilitator accreditation and FV report assessed as part of that application
Standard – Report writing

Comments
The report includes:
 Identification details
 A report body
 A summary of outcomes
Information is clear and concise
Information is factual (what was said, what was observed)
and opinion is avoided
All information included is relevant to the conference
Events are reported in a logical order and the offence
events that took place are clear to the reader
The summary of outcomes section contains information to
be taken into account at sentencing including any of:
 Statement of apology
 The offence victim response to apology
 SMART agreements
Grammar and spelling are correct
Standard – Facilitation process
Information is complete – offender’s story, victim’s story,
impacts, outcomes
Agreement/s in the summary of outcomes are SMART
The process for monitoring agreement completion is
documented
© Resolution Institute April 2017
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Training and Experience Assessment
Training/Education
Experience
Restorative Justice
Guidelines for assessors:
 Need a mix of education/training and experience; related to both victims and offenders
 As a general guideline a minimum would be:
o 40 hours training; and
o 2 years or 160 hours of experience with victims or offenders in groups or individually and a minimum of 4 family
violence restorative justice conferences with an experienced and family violence accredited/endorsed mentor; or
o 16 family violence restorative justice conferences co-facilitating with an experienced and family violence
accredited/endorsed mentor
© Resolution Institute April 2017
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Professional Conversation Assessment
PROFESSIONAL CONVERSATION:
Assessor and candidate discuss evidence to enable a judgement on each of the criteria. Evidence may be experience,
training or obtained through questioning or with follow up referee information. Possible questions are given as a
guide only – assessors may not ask these questions and may also ask other questions.
Can explain family violence theory
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Understands links between stress
factors and family violence.
-
Understands the relationship
between gender and family
violence in NZ.
Can explain power and control
dynamics, indicators of these and
how they impact on RJ cases.
Can explain the effects of family
violence on victims, including
differentiate between intimate
partner violence and other familial
violence.
Can explain the effects of family
violence on children.
-
-

Comments
Tell me about what causes or
contributes to family violence
offences in NZ?
What is the relationship
between gender and family
violence in NZ?
Tell me about power and
control dynamics?
-
Tell me about the effects of
family violence on the
victims?
-
What does research say about
the impacts of family violence
on children?
Can explain the impact and limitations of restorative justice in family violence
cases
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Can explain the impacts and
limitations of restorative justice in
family violence.
Makes sound decisions on
proceeding to conferences,
especially, where there is an
ongoing relationship.
-
-

Comments
Tell me about a FV case where
restorative justice has had a
positive impact>
Tell me about a case where
the participants wanted to
reconcile and not commit to
any further intervention. How
did you handle that?
Can identify suitable support for participants in family violence cases
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Demonstrates commitment to
appropriate support people at
conferences for both the offender
and victim.
Is effective in briefing support
people at the pre-conference
stage.
Can identify and contact
appropriate support services in the
area.
-
Tell me about a FV case where
the offender wanted to come
to pre-conference alone?
-
Tell me about how you
prepare support people for
the conference?
Tell me about the working
relationships you have with
family violence services in
your area?
© Resolution Institute April 2017
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
Comments
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Can identify power and control issues in family violence cases
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Describes indicators of power and
control.
-
Demonstrates ability to identify
power and control.
-

Comments

Comments

Comments
Tell me about a family
violence case where you
identified power and control
issues?
Tell me about a family
violence case where power
and control was NOT the
issue?
Can complete family violence risk assessment
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Able to identify risk situations and
indicators.
Makes sound decisions on risk,
proceeding to conference and
reducing risk.
Gathers information on risk prior
to proceeding to pre-conference
meetings.
Demonstrates effective use of preconference/s to assess and reduce
risk.
Monitors and updates risk
assessment throughout.
-
Uses an effective risk assessment
tool in all FV referrals.
-
-
-
-
-
Tell me about a high risk FV
case you have facilitated?
What strategies did you
implement?
How do you get the
information to screen the
offender for risk?
Tell me about your preconferencing practice?
If a decision is make to go to
conference, what risks might
arise afterwards as a result of
the conference?
What risk assessment tools do
you use?
Can develop safety plans
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Prepares safety plans with the
victim and offender and ensures
that safety measures are in place.
Prepares thorough conference
safety plans, including plans for
assistance if required.
Identifies when a case is high risk
that further safety planning is
required.
-
When do you prepare a safety
plan?
-
Can describe the process for a
obtaining a protection order.
-
Puts a plan or process in place for
follow-up and completes followup.
-
Tell me about your safety
planning for a conference and
what that covers?
Tell me about a case where
you have identified some
serious risks - what did the
safety planning involve?
Tell me about a case where a
protection order was needed
and why it was needed?
What is your process for
following up on offender
agreements and reporting
back to the court?
© Resolution Institute April 2017
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Participates in professional supervision
Judgement criteria
Possible questions
Participates in regular appropriate
professional supervision.
-
Effectively uses professional
supervision to reflect on practice
and identify areas for learning.
-
© Resolution Institute April 2017

Comments
Tell me about your
professional supervision
arrangements?
How does your professional
supervision help your
practice?
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