Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Contents
Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Chapter One ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Background ............................................................................................................................................. 4
The consultation process .................................................................................................................... 5
The model of delivery ......................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter Two ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks ................................................................................... 9
Language ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Lack of knowledge and understanding of Scottish police and child protection services and
procedures. ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Benefits ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Isolation ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Alcohol .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Differences in the law ....................................................................................................................... 15
Cultural differences/issues ............................................................................................................... 16
Chapter three ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Reducing risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks; some strategies, solutions and tips ........ 18
Partnership working.......................................................................................................................... 18
Language issues, interpretation and translation .............................................................................. 18
Increasing knowledge and understanding of Scottish police and child protection services and
procedures. ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Reducing isolation ............................................................................................................................. 20
Benefits ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Alcohol services................................................................................................................................. 20
Culture .............................................................................................................................................. 20
Children and Families social work ..................................................................................................... 21
International communication ........................................................................................................... 21
Women’s group work ....................................................................................................................... 22
Tips for talking to men ...................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 24
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Introduction
This toolkit is based on the learning we have taken from the first eighteen months of the Respekt
project. We will briefly describe the process of establishing the project in order to give some context
to the learning. We then explain our model of service delivery which is based on responding to
three clusters of factors: men’s risks; women and children’s vulnerabilities; and service generated
risks. We will explore in more detail some of the issues we encountered – eg differences in culture,
expectations of services, language barriers, alcohol use, history - and some of the barriers for
families seeking help and for agencies seeking to offer help. We offer some suggestions around
harnessing available strengths and resources, as well as solutions which can reduce risk, vulnerability
and service generated risk.
Throughout this document we refer to the families we worked with in all of which the primary
abuser was the man and the victim/survivor a woman. This is not meant to imply that there are no
families where the woman may be the primary abuser but that has not been the experience of this
project.
Any conclusions or observations we make are, we believe, legitimate on the basis of our experience
but we acknowledge that they are observations from practice rather than research based
conclusions.
We include as an appendix the executive summary of the evaluation of the project.
We hope that the toolkit will be useful for any agency or professional working with Polish families
experiencing domestic abuse. We also hope that it will be useful for anyone seeking to establish a
specialist project. If you would like an electronic version of this toolkit, please contact:
[email protected]
We would like to thank the following people who have helped with, or read and commented on, the
toolkit: Marzena Farana, Kelly Johnson, Carrie Laing, Stephen Madill, Terry Rattigan and Kasia
Winiarczyk.
Asia Bartsch, Rory Macrae and Kasia Zalewska
Respekt – Safer Families Edinburgh
April 2015
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Chapter One
Background
Edinburgh has a history of men’s domestic abuse programmes dating back to 1990 when the court
mandated Domestic Violence Probation Project began. Safer Families Edinburgh (SaFE - formerly
Working with Men) was started in 2003. The model of intervention with men and support for
partners in both court mandated and non court mandated services is based on the Caledonian
System which delivers services for men who have been convicted of domestic abuse offences and
their women partners and which has been accredited by the Scottish Government Justice
Department.
SaFE provides a voluntary service for domestically abusive men who wish to change their behaviour
and a parallel support, advocacy and safety-planning service for their partners and/or ex-partners
within the city of Edinburgh. Our service provision is informed and underpinned by a gender-based
analysis of domestic abuse.
Over the period of a couple of years we had become increasingly aware that the numbers of Polish
families experiencing domestic abuse, which were coming to light through criminal justice services
and through child welfare concern forms and other referrals to Social Care Direct, was increasing.
There was, and is, a difficulty in being exact about numbers because ethnic origin/nationality data
was either not routinely gathered or based on categories that were not specific enough. However
on the basis of the strong anecdotal evidence we applied for and received funding from the Scottish
Government’s Violence Against Women Fund to deliver a specific additional service for men and
women from the Polish community - Respekt. We employed two Polish social workers - a men’s
worker and a women’s worker - in August 2013. We started taking referrals from September 2013.
By the end of March 2015 we had worked with 28 men and had initial contact with a further 9, and
worked with 34 women.
Prior to employing the workers we started a period of consultation with various professionals and
Polish community and family support agencies to identify issues and barriers they had experienced
in attempting to meet the needs of Polish families affected by domestic abuse, and to help us shape
and scope the project. This continued after the service started. We decided to use broadly the same
model of delivery as the mainstream service; that is a men’s service delivering a behaviour change
programme and a women’s service providing support, advocacy and safety planning. Respekt works
in partnership with the Caledonian team and the men’s worker delivers the Caledonian programme
to men who attend as a condition of a Community Payback order as well as to those who attend
voluntarily. The Respekt women’s worker has also - because of the lack of similar services available
elsewhere - offered the service to some women whose partners do not attend the programme,
although this has placed some stress on the project and is not sustainable.
In addition to the core services the project aims to increase knowledge and understanding among
agencies about domestic abuse in the Polish community.
The project outcome targets as agreed with our funders are:
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
1) Practitioners in frontline agencies will have an increased understanding of the needs of
Polish families experiencing domestic abuse.
2) Polish families and agencies will have an increased understanding of the child protection
system, and the role of the statutory agencies e.g. courts, police, criminal justice etc
3) Women who engage with the service will feel safer and have an increased understanding of
their choices
4) Men who engage with the service will increase their accountability for their behaviour and
their risk will reduce
5) The wellbeing of children of the men and women who engage with the service will be
increased
6) Agencies concerned with meeting the needs of Polish families experiencing domestic abuse
will benefit from the learning of the project
A caveat: it is worth noting that the term “the Polish community” is in itself slightly problematic in
that it implies a coherent whole. In fact Polish people in Scotland may feel very isolated and not part
of any community, they may choose to isolate themselves from other Polish people, they may be
divided according to whether they are migrants who have arrived since the expansion of the EU or
are from earlier generations, or indeed, whether they are unskilled or professional with prospects.
The consultation process
In planning the project we did not want to make assumptions about its scope and shape and we
wanted the development to be a collaborative process. The project was to be sited in the Children
and Families department of the City of Edinburgh Council and we were conscious that there may
have been barriers or suspicions to overcome particularly among agencies or community
representatives who might have fears and concerns about the intervention of public authorities. We
undertook a series of consultation meetings with Polish workers/agencies working with Polish
families experiencing domestic abuse to help us understand their needs more fully. These included:
alcohol workers, police officers, a local Polish priest, Polish family organisations, father’s workers, a
psychologist in a mental health organisation, a streetwork project, a child protection social worker, a
women’s aid project. We also met with the Polish Consul. From these contacts we established a
Polish professionals group which meets bi-monthly.
We conducted a survey among a range of professionals working with Polish families. In total thirty
four professionals – mostly social work and health - responded. The purpose of the survey was to
discover the scale and nature of issues around Polish families and also accessibility of services. We
wanted to establish: what are the barriers facing Polish families seeking help and what are the
barriers facing agencies seeking to respond to these families’ needs? The majority of the
professionals who responded reported that the reasons for their involvement with Polish families
were domestic abuse (79%) and problems with alcohol (62%). Nearly 70% of the professionals said
that Polish families they worked with had been subject to Child Protection Procedures. These
families were also dealing with a complex range of other issues such as housing, family breakdown
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
and mental health problems. 50% stated that appropriate services were not very accessible or
difficult to establish. Nearly 10% could not identify any services for Polish families. It was also
mentioned that Scottish professionals often miss the importance of the Catholic Church while
planning supports. The Church remains a very important part of life for many Polish migrants and
Church teaching in matters such as family and community is influential.
We established a steering group consisting of the NHS Lothian lead on domestic abuse, a police
representative, Shakti Women’s Aid, a senior manager in Children and Families, a manager from the
Edinburgh Caledonian team, a Polish psychologist, a researcher and the project staff and manager.
Although this group has met less frequently as the project has become established it was essential to
ensure that the project remained embedded in the existing multi-agency partnership structure.
In addition to agencies and professionals we have continually sought the opinions and experiences
of all of the families we have worked with. Our understanding of the experiences of Polish women
experiencing domestic abuse has also been increased by feedback from a group of our women
clients who met to respond to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the VAW strategy.
We established contact with Kelly Johnson, from the department of Anthropology at Durham
University. As part of her PhD research she has undertaken for us an evaluation of the project, the
executive summary of which we include as appendix 1
The model of delivery
The model of delivery of which we have adopted is based on the Caledonian system: an integrated
approach to address men’s domestic abuse and to improve the lives of women, children and men.
Catriona Grant and Anna Mitchell for the Caledonian conceptualised the relevant clusters of factors
which need to be considered in responding to domestic abuse as three interlocking circles.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Mens's risks
Service
generated
risks
Women's
vulnerabilities
Men’s risks are the factors relating to the man which can increase the likelihood of him abusing his
ex/partner. This includes static factors, like him witnessing domestic abuse as a child or variable
factors which can change like mental health issues. They can also include factors which increase the
imminence of domestic abuse taking place, like recent separation, and factors which will increase the
degree of harm to the woman, like use of weapons. However it should be remembered that these
factors are not limited to physical abuse; the notion of coercive control, which refers to a whole range
of actions taken by a perpetrator to control and limit the freedom of the victim is key to
understanding this model.
Vulnerabilities are those factors which relate to the woman. These can also include static and
variable risk factors, like witnessing domestic abuse as a child or mental health issues. One example is
social isolation. If the woman is isolated she may be more vulnerable to entering into a relationship
where she is abused. The man may try and isolate her from friends and family or she may become
more distant from them because they do not respond in a supportive way to her relationship with a
man who abuses her. In this way, isolation may also be caused or exacerbated by domestic abuse.
The notion of service generated risks is also key to this model and is perhaps particularly relevant to
this project. Service generated risks are the ways in which wider societal structures, organisations
and the individuals within them can increase risk to the woman. They can include cultural
assumptions that are common in society or in public agencies which may reinforce attitudes which
allow coercive control to continue. They may also include practices within agencies or between
agencies – eg relating to recording, confidentiality and communication - which inadvertently increase
risks to women and children or which make them less likely to seek help or to report abuse.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Strengths and supports represent the absence of risk or those factors which mitigate risk. They can
be found in men’s and women’s strengths, protective factors and resilience. Specifically they include
the many steps which women experiencing abuse habitually take to protect their children. When
services are working well together they can provide ‘service generated supports’.
The integrated service – which Respekt has adopted is designed to respond to each of these clusters
of factors. It consists of: a men’s service which works with men to assess their risks and where
possible reduce them; a women’s service which provides a support , safety planning and advocacy
service; and a model for multi agency working which works to recognise and minimise the service
generated risks.
Although the majority of the work with men, women and children will happen within their separate
‘circle’ it is in the centre where all parts of the service interact that makes the system what it is.
Where the system works best is where there is a focus on, and shared understanding and
documenting of, the perpetrator’s pattern of controlling behaviour and of the actions taken to by
the mother which protect the children from the effects of that abuse.
All parts of the service influence each other and integrate together. The information each service
holds is essential for the work being done within the project’s services and with other agencies. The
information can be used by workers to flavour the work with their respective clients, particularly
where it can't be shared directly with the men, due to the danger of increasing risk. Communication
between all workers can allow better assessment, risk management and allow joint decision making
and planning. Whatever work is being done individually with one member of the family, the work
which others are doing – and the potential impact of that on all of the others - should be borne in
mind at all times.
Men’s programme
(Responding to risks/strengths)
Multi agency working
(Recognising and minimising
service generated
risks/supports)
Women’s
Service
(Responding to women's
vulnerabilities/strengths)
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Chapter Two
Risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks
In the mainstream SaFE and Caledonian services we have gained a lot of knowledge about all three
of these clusters of factors. It is an assumption of the Caledonian model that combinations of these
factors affect all families experiencing domestic abuse but we are going to highlight below some
particular factors affecting Polish families which we have identified from the various consultations
and from our experience in the first eighteen months of the project. Some refer to particular risks or
types of controlling behaviour relating to the men we have worked with. Some are particular
vulnerabilities faced by Polish migrant women. Most importantly they may be service generated risks
arising from the way that Polish families engage with public agencies and vice versa.
Language
It is unsurprising that, for both families and the agencies they engage with, language is identified as
a significant issue, representing both vulnerability and service generated risk. While the council has a
well established translation and interpretation service many professional respondents report that it
is difficult to build relationships and make an assessment while using interpreting services.
There were particular problems with language in relation to legal matters. For example it is very
difficult for Polish families to access interpreting services while meeting with solicitors for the initial
consultations (although if legal aid is granted they are entitled to interpretation services). One
worker cited a man who completely failed to understand that his partner had applied for a
residency order. While interpreters are available in court hearings the exactness required in
interpreting in this setting can lead to difficulties. One example was given to us of a woman, giving
evidence in Court who was asked by the interpreter while in the Witness room to ‘tell her the story’
in advance. In this case the interpreter also made a number of small but significant mistakes (eg
using ‘fighting’ instead of ‘arguing’) while the person was giving evidence which resulted in the
Sheriff and Procurator Fiscal asking more questions and the woman becoming more distressed and
traumatised. We also came across an example of a translator who chose to omit what a woman said
about her partner kicking her in the stomach when she was pregnant and when challenged he said "I
didn't want to embarrass her”.
The job of interpretation in such complex legal and procedural interviews, around issues that are
extremely emotive and sensitive, is a very difficult one. In our experience some interpreters have
been working with families for a long time and sometimes almost inevitably they add their own
understanding of the situation rather than pure translation. On the other hand it is very hard for
families to understand the complexities of procedures and interventions when the translation is
pure.
There is a significant issue around phone calls where calls are made by English speaking
professionals and clients do not understand what is said. For example when one woman was - very
appropriately - allocated emergency housing she was informed that she had to move next day and
that someone would arrive to take her old key from her. In this very stressful situation, and with her
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
limited English, she did not understand the instruction. Generally it is worth noting that phone
conversations are harder to understand for non-native English speakers, even if their English is good.
We found that it is a common practice that teenage children are used as interpreters. While in some
everyday situations this might simply be a pragmatic solution to an immediate problem, in the
context of domestic abuse between the child’s parents, with fear and divided loyalty playing a part,
it could have a significant impact on their emotional well-being. There may also be issues around
the accuracy of the translation.
Men and women have identified as a problem the number of letters about significant matters being
sent without translation.
We have also noted a significant issue where Polish professionals have been expected to translate
during official meetings in a way which compromises their ability to fulfil their professional role or,
on occasion, being asked to attend meetings specifically to translate for clients. This is problematic
for a number of reasons: a Polish worker who is not an approved or trained translator can’t take
responsibility for accurate translation; in many cases it might jeopardize the working relationship
with the client if the outcomes are not positive for the person; in some situations the task of
translation may take over from their role in supporting a client or providing an explanation of a
difficult situation. It also diminishes the worker's professional status, to both professional and client
and it also may be perceived as discriminatory by the professional or the client.
Most of the men and women we have worked with in situations where they feel disempowered – as
has often happened - will not be aware of equal opportunities and their right to independent
translating services. If they are not assertive, they may be inclined to agree with the professional
who says that the interpreting service is too expensive and people need to organize a “friend” or
“family” to come and translate, again raising the issue of the accuracy of translation. This highlights
a real area of potential service generated risk; where organizations are faced with difficulties of
providing translating services as the cost is too high. It is worth pointing out that many of these
issues have only come to light during the life of this project because we had Polish speaking workers.
We have noted some cases where women’s limited English has increased their dependence on
their partners and made it more difficult for them to leave even if they wanted to. If – as is often
the case – the man works and has better language skills and the woman is the main child carer and
has less English, the potential for the man to exploit this power imbalance in dealings with
professionals is clear.
Other issues we have encountered in relation to language are to do with differences in how the
respective languages work. For example the Polish language tends to be more direct than English
which might result in Polish people being perceived as arrogant. In Poland, people formally approach
professionals and strangers by using Mr and Mrs and it is not seen as appropriate to call the
professional person by their first name as it might be seen as rude, disrespectful and too informal.
These issues require understanding and sensitivity.
Lack of knowledge and understanding of Scottish police and child protection services and
procedures.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Many vulnerabilities and service generated risks arise from the lack of knowledge among women and
men about public services. Men (and women) have expressed surprise to us about the reaction from
Police and other services and the fact that domestic abuse is treated as seriously as it is. In Poland it
appears that the term domestic abuse tends to be seen as applying only to serious, physical assault.
While in Scotland there is not yet a specific offence of coercive control, there are a number of
criminal charges which can be brought relating to non physical domestic abuse.
There are particular risks and vulnerabilities arising from attitudes towards, and involvement with,
the police. A number of clients and professionals have told us that Police in Poland are perceived as
being much less approachable than they are in the UK. Polish women reported to us that they were
surprised by the amount of support they received from police (such as helping with moving house
and seeking appropriate accommodation in crisis situations). It has been suggested to us that this is
understandable given the historic role of the police in Poland during wartime occupation,
communism and martial law and a reluctance to see domestic abuse as a police issue. This fear of
what the police response might be, combined with language barriers often inhibits women from
reporting abuse. There is a fear among many women about consequences should they call the
police; on one hand they fear that if they inform the Police about domestic abuse their children will
be taken away from them, and on the other they worry that there will be little protection offered
and the man will come back to the house the same night or the following day - with no constraints
and an increased sense of grievance against her.
There have been several recent articles in Polish newspapers which have explicitly discouraged
women from reporting abuse because it might result in their children being taken away. This
inaccurate reporting and the reluctance and fear it engenders could clearly be seen to increase risk
to women and children.
Further risks arise from families’ limited understanding of child protection procedures, Children’s
Hearings and the role of the social worker in Scotland. We have found that families have often not
been clear about how important it is to engage with social services, especially statutory social work
services.
This is partly as a result of clients believing that some issues shouldn’t be discussed outside of the
household; you shouldn’t “wash dirty laundry in public”. People may also be afraid of being judged
by neighbours, family or friends. Lack of knowledge, and listening to other people’s stories about
bad experiences with services can raise anxiety levels and hold people back from engagement or
from reporting abuse. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the systems also brings a lack of
trust. We have encountered the situation where some individuals are more likely to believe a family
friend then a professional who acts according to policies and procedures. Some individuals have also
said to us that they don’t understand why more then one agency is involved when it comes to child
protection issues.
Polish families we encountered often thought that a social worker’s role is to provide more practical
and financial support rather than, for example, behaviour change work or motivational interviewing.
In Poland such work would be more likely to undertaken by a psychologist. It is possible that the
relatively lower status of social workers in Poland may lead some clients to underestimate social
workers’ power and hence the importance of co-operation and engagement.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
There were some specific differences in child care expectations in Scotland and Poland highlighted
by Respekt clients. Leaving children unattended for short periods (especially in small villages) is
considered quite acceptable. There have been misunderstandings between clients and agencies,
which have arisen about the significance of particular religious holidays, such Christmas Eve, Good
Friday and Easter Monday for example when organising child contact.
We have also noted Polish clients with an inaccurate understanding about how medical services
work, specifically in terms of general practitioners, where people very often expect to be examined
or have tests immediately. One issue we have identified is that men will often attend GP
appointments or meetings with Health Visitors together with the women. While this may be an
appropriately supportive thing to do, in the context of domestic violence and coercive control it can
increase women’s vulnerabilities.
There are differences between Poland and Scotland in how schools behave in relation to child
welfare. Several men have said to us that they were very surprised when the school contacted
them to discuss how they could support their child with particular difficulties. In Poland the teacher
would tend only to ask for a meeting because a child is causing trouble. As a result their reaction to
receiving a letter from school was to become angry with their child.
It has also been noted that Polish women tend to come to Women’s Aid for practical support in
relation to housing, financial, benefits matters but tended not to take up offers of emotional
support. This could be because of language barriers but may also be due to different expectations.
In Poland women do not receive ongoing, intensive, outreach support in Poland so it might be that
they also do not expect it in Scotland (even if they were informed about existing help).
Benefits
The laws in relation to benefits entitlement have changed frequently in the last two years and this
has lead to vulnerability and service generated risk for many women experiencing domestic abuse.
Those receiving Jobseekers Allowance are not necessarily entitled to Housing Benefit, and also
Jobseekers Allowance is now payable for 6 months only. We have worked with some women who
are separated from their partners as a result of domestic abuse who are not entitled to Housing
Benefit and need to be in work to qualify, yet struggle to meet very high child care costs. This
impacts on the mother’s well-being, stress levels and the child’s well-being, and increases
vulnerability and potential dependence on ex partners. Restrictions and confusion over entitlement
also complicate and hinder women accessing refuge services and temporary accommodation, which
makes leaving more stressful and difficult.
There are other changes which specifically affect migrants. Even those with a right to reside in the
UK as EU citizens may find restrictions on their entitlement to means tested benefits. Some
categories of “right to reside” are also time limited. For details contact the Child Poverty Action
group CPAG.org.uk/Scotland/early-warning-system.
Some examples of the complex interrelationship of right to reside and benefits entitlement are that
Jobseekers lose their right to reside after 91 days unless they can provide ‘compelling evidence’ they
are seeking and have a genuine prospect of getting work. From 1 April 2014 EEA nationals whose
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
only right to reside is as a jobseeker were excluded from housing benefit, even if they are entitled to
income based job seekers allowance. From 1 January 2014, claimants must have been living in the
UK for 3 months before they may be entitled to income based JSA.
In addition to their entitlement being affected by welfare reforms, it is apparent that EU nationals
are greatly disadvantaged by confusion about entitlement and delays in processing their claims. Just
under a third of the cases collected by the EWS in relation to benefits for people who have come
from abroad relate to people being incorrectly refused benefit.
These changes and the confusion can add to pressure on women to stay in relationships and add a
greater economic dependency between men and women which can be exploited or used as part of
the man’s pattern of coercive control.
In dealing with the confusion that can arise from this complexity, some service users have
approached some existing Polish advice organisations and found they have been charged for
services which are readily accessible to any person in Citizen Advice Bureaux or other advice
services. For example one organisation/business made a charge of £40 for filling an application for
Housing Benefit. It was also reported by one respondent that a woman was advised by one
organisation that she really should not leave her partner as it would result in her having to go back
to Poland.
We have gained the impression that some Polish service users will not approach Citizen Advice
independently as they ‘do not want to make problems’; they do not know how to ask for an
interpreter; or they just feel more comfortable approaching a Polish organization in spite of having
to pay for the service. This is perhaps more likely to be the case when a woman has been controlled
by her partner for a long time and feels isolated, and has low in mood or is depressed.
Isolation
Isolation in the home and from family, friends and wider society is a significant issue for many of the
women we have worked with. It can be seen as increasing women’s vulnerability to domestic abuse
and can also be exploited or exacerbated by abusive men. Isolation can also be seen to increase the
level of risk which some men present to their families. While isolation can increase risk and
vulnerability in all families experiencing domestic abuse the effects can be even greater in migrant
communities, including the Polish community.
We have found that lots of the families we have worked with do not receive direct practical and
emotional help from any family in UK and many do not have any contact with their families in
Poland. This lack of support can increase stress and means that some of the monitoring effect which
can often help to keep families safe does not happen. As a result, some of the families who have
come to Britain not just in hope of a better life generally but in the hope that pre-existing problems
with violence, alcohol etc would be improved, find the opposite to be true. The reality of living
abroad, facing loneliness, is not easy. In our professionals survey 30% of the families dealt with had
developed emotional and mental health issues.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
A further observation from our experience is that Polish migrants are often educated to a high level,
but upon arriving in Scotland have to take work which does not recognise or use their qualifications.
This can be seen to contribute to emotional difficulties, lowered self esteem for both men and
women and an increase in substance misuse.
We found that Polish children living with domestic abuse may also be isolated in a number of ways.
They might feel that they cannot speak openly for example, because they may be scared that they
will be taken away from their parents or sent back to Poland. Depending on their age and
understanding of the English language, they might feel scared of the consequences of sharing
information with professionals. The children might not have access to wider family support, when
their grandparents and extended family are living in Poland. They might have also left their close
friends in Poland. Some children might find it harder to get involved in afterschool activities due to
language or cultural differences, or simply prefer to spend time with the Polish speaking community.
An issue linked to that of isolation, and in some ways developed as a response to the negative
effects of the isolation that that can result from migration, is the way in which the community draws
together. We have found that very often our clients will know each other and will have lots of
contact and offer help to one another. While in many respects this is clearly a strength of the
community, it can lead to real issues around confidentiality and safety. We have been aware of cases
where this has led to an increase in risk for women and for workers.
There is one further particular negative consequence to isolation we have noted. Often when bail
conditions are imposed to stop a man approaching the partner he has been charged with abusing, it
is very common for those men to become homeless. This potentially increases the risk to women
and children.
Alcohol
We know from a range of evidence, and from experience in the Caledonian and the mainstream
Safer Families programme, that alcohol and domestic abuse are linked. For example physical abuse
tends to be more likely and more violent when the perpetrator has been drinking. Also, drinking
increases the likelihood of faulty thinking especially in relation to insecurity and jealousy. These
effects are no different in the Polish community. In addition to the impact of alcohol consumption in
particular instances of abusive behaviour, a proportion of the men (and women) we work with have
had problems with alcohol abuse and dependence. We want to make some observations about this
from our experience in Respekt.
People who are lonely and isolated in some of the ways identified above may be more likely to start
abusing substances, including alcohol. Drinking can be a response to low self esteem, and low self
esteem can come from the experience of failing to live up to expectations which people make of
themselves or believe that others have of them. Some migrants come to Scotland with very high
expectations of the life they will achieve and find the reality is different. Some of these expectations
which men have may be linked to traditional ideas of masculinity. Heavy drinking may also be a part
of this perception of how men should behave. We know that these same gendered expectations are
also linked to domestic abuse.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Some of the younger men we have worked with have come here without family and have tended to
live in close groups with other young Polish men, often sharing flats and getting into a lifestyle of
partying and drinking. This insularity can be increased by language difficulties and by experiences of
hostility and prejudice from the wider community.
We have encountered that there are specific cultural attitudes to drink which are relevant to the
issue of domestic abuse among our Polish clients – many of which are also familiar in Scottish
society. Alcohol is very often associated with customs, tradition, history. It has been observed that in
Poland during the Communist era when many goods were in short supply, vodka was cheap and
very available. Traditionally beer is served with food (although this would generally be much weaker
than today). Alcohol is a regular feature of social gathering and celebrations (i.e. birthday
celebration, baptism, first communion, weddings). In Poland some occupations (e.g. miner,
metallurgist, farmer) are associated with drink and it is socially accepted that after a day of hard
work an individual deserves “a pint” or few. These are generalisations, and there may be differences
between village and city dwellers and other geographical differences.
In Poland the attitude to alcohol among younger generations is changing in part due to social
campaigns about risks posed by drinking (e.g. drink driving, domestic abuse etc.) but even younger
generations have been affected by this history in their own upbringing. An alcohol counsellor who
we have worked with closely in the project and who works with Polish men and women who have
identified themselves as having abused alcohol or as being alcohol dependent, has told us that the
impact of their parents’ drinking is in many cases linked to abuse and trauma her clients experienced
as children, which in turn is linked to their own alcohol abuse.
She has also identified some other issues which may be particularly marked in this - and presumably
other migrant - communities: heavy drinking makes it difficult to learn new languages, poor English
means that that discussing emotions is very difficult and makes accessing psychological and
emotional support difficult; and the shame which often results from domestic abuse and from
failing their families here and in Poland becomes toxic and can lead to more drinking.
She has also observed that for some women (and men) the huge stigma attached to divorce and
failed marriages both hold women in abusive relationships and can also lead to more shame and
drinking. Some women have identified that they sometimes drink with their partners because this is
better and safer than leaving them to drink alone or with friends.
Differences in the law
There are significant legal differences which act as barriers for women seeking help and which lead
to service generated risks. The law and regulations in relation to applying for and receiving a Polish
passport for a child are very different from the UK. The normal expectation is that both parents need
to be physically present at the Consulate to sign the application for the passport. This creates issues
when dealing with domestic abuse cases especially when bail conditions are in place. Men may
refuse to sign the application. Consulate workers may not have a full understanding of the dynamics
of domestic abuse. One woman service user was initially told that she needed to come to the
Consulate together with her ex-partner to apply for the passport. After some negotiation by the
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
project worker the Consulate agreed that she could come at a different time, as long as both parents
were present on the same day. All this builds additional stresses for the families and increases the
women and children’s vulnerabilities.
There are also risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks related to the poor exchange of
information between Scottish and Polish social institutions. The systems for automatic exchange of
information are limited. However the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh has been very helpful when we
have needed particular information searches to be carried out.
Three other legal differences are worth highlighting because they have been raised by men in the
Respekt men’s group and potentially have links to men’s self justifying anger and controlling
behaviour: the first is that abortion remains illegal in Poland and the notion of a woman’s right to
choose is alien; the second is that divorce laws are different in that fault needs to be established
before divorce can be granted. Men have also pointed out that racist, sexist and homophobic
language is more tolerated.
Cultural differences/issues
Clearly care needs to be taken when making any observations or generalisations about the culture of
a particular country, especially if in relation to how it might impact on an issue such as domestic
abuse. However, cultural assumptions or norms are always relevant when trying to understand
domestic abuse. We also recognise that Polish culture is no more homogenous that Scottish culture.
Differences in culture have been noted for example between migrants coming from cities and from
small towns or villages, or between areas with very active church involvement and those where the
influence of the church is reducing.
However despite this caveat, we can draw on some observations from our own engagement with
families. The first is that many of the men we have engaged with have cited cultural differences as
part of their justification or excuses for their abusive behaviour. “ this would be normal in Poland...
You don’t understand...” This form of justification is common in our experience from the
mainstream projects as well; most men from outwith Scottish white culture will cite cultural
differences and indeed, many Scottish men will cite class/underclass cultural differences.
The second is that it has been reported to us that there is still a tendency in Poland to see domestic
abuse only as those actions which result in significant, physical injury. Although there have been
some campaigns in Poland in relation to domestic violence - and indeed some changes in the law public understandings of domestic abuse seem to remain physical violence-centred.
The third is that there still exists a very powerful expectation on women to fit the stereotype of the
‘strong woman,’ or the ‘Polish mother,’ whose role is to look after her children and husband and
preferably also to work. While this image of the Polish mother – a woman who can ‘manage
everything’- is a positive one, it brings with it very high expectations that women will manage
issues ‘for the sake of her family,’ including domestic abuse. By the same token there appear to be
correspondingly fewer expectations of men as fathers, although there are high expectations of men
as providers. Pride and honour are important for social perception. It is seen as embarrassing for
men to admit a mistake or to not be able to provide and be strong.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
A fourth observation is that the Polish migrant community is affected by some issues familiar in all
migrant communities across the world; the first generation tend to want to hold onto their Polish
roots – through food, TV. social media, the Church, Polish “Saturday school” etc – and the Scottish
born children less so. This can cause tension and stress.
It is important to mention that there is still a social stigma around mental health issues. Breakdowns,
depressions or any kind of mental health issues are still seen by some, particularly from older
generations as being “stupid” and people are very reluctant to engage with appropriate support.
Again, this is changing amongst younger people who have received mental health awareness
education and who have been taught to speak up when they have got any concerns relating to
mental health.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Chapter three
Reducing risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks; some
strategies, solutions and tips
We have described how we established the Respekt service in the context of an established
integrated domestic abuse service including a perpetrator programme. Other areas of Scotland and
the rest of the UK are not necessarily in this position and most will not be in a position to set up a
similar specialist project. We hope that the suggestions below are useful whatever the context of
your engagement with Polish families experiencing domestic abuse.
Partnership working
As with all effective responses to domestic abuse generally, and around individual families,
partnership working is crucial. Partnership working on individual cases with other social workers,
health visitors etc provides very significant learning for these agencies. Public and child protection
will be improved by increased knowledge within the Polish community of policing, attitudes to
violence against women, parenting, the courts, child protection procedures etc; and also by
increased knowledge within agencies of the pressures and issues faced by the Polish community.

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Establish contact with local Polish community and family organisations. Be sure that you
know their remit, referral criteria etc. Establish which services they charge for. Establish
whether workers are trained and specifically understanding of the dynamics of domestic
abuse.
Gather information about available services for Polish families and share it with other
agencies. Create a resources list.
Consider establishing a steering group or inviting a representative of any existing Polish
family organisations into local multi-agency partnership groups.
Give feedback to other services when you see the need for Polish speaking specialised
services (mental health, alcohol etc)
Establish links with emergency housing and advice services. In particular be aware of any
court appearances in relation to domestic abuse so that advice can be given in relation to
bail conditions. Many Polish men will not have the kinds of family support that will help
them with alternative addresses which may lead to homelessness but also to increased risk
to women and an increased likelihood that they will face pressure to allow the men back in.
Language issues, interpretation and translation

The single thing which would most improve matters would be where practicable, for
agencies to employ more Polish, or Polish speaking, professionals.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015

there is a need for more ESOL classes organised outside of the working. Encourage clients
to enrol and attend.
There are a number of issues to highlight in relation to interpretation and translation services.
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If regularly using the translation service, consider offering an input or a written briefing on
the dynamics of domestic abuse including risks, vulnerabilities and service generated risks
and general social work policies - both in relation to Children and Families and Criminal
Justice.
Make time for an informal conversation about the dynamics of domestic abuse before the
meeting, interview or home visit. Ensure her/his understanding of issues and that they are
aware about vulnerabilities and risks.
Be particularly clear about the sensitivities and potential service generated risks around
confidentiality. In many areas, because of the nature of Polish communities the clients will
have a fear that they may know or have come across the interpreter in a social setting.
Evaluate clients’ experience of the translation service and give feedback to the service.
Whether you are using an interpreter or not be aware of the different conventions of
spoken language, for example the directness referred to above. Be very careful about
jargon and specialised language. Bear in mind that it might be extremely hard for the
clients to express emotions in English.
Don’t use children as translators and if you have to use family or friends, explain very
clearly about confidentiality and the risk that can arise from casual or inadvertent breaches
of confidentiality.
Whether using an interpreter or not make sure that client understands you by checking out
with them their understanding of what you have said.
Increasing knowledge and understanding of Scottish police and child protection services and
procedures.
As suggested above, good partnership working with individual families will in itself increase those
families’ understanding. It is also important that professionals have an understanding of some of
the differences in law, cultural expectations of public agencies and fears that we outlined in chapter
two. It is important to adopt an approach which does not assume a high level of understanding of
rights and responsibilities and always take time to explain procedures.
Make available leaflets in Polish regarding Child Protection Procedures, the Children’s Hearings
system etc. It would be good to have a leaflet (information) about the role of children and family and
criminal justice social work in your local area.
The Caledonian Women’s Safety Booklet has been translated into Polish and is available alongside
the English version at: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/safetybookletwomen
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Reducing isolation


Be aware of local community projects and groups but do not assume that only Polish groups
are relevant.
Bear in mind that any children who do not speak English are more isolated and have less
chances to be ‘heard’.
Benefits

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Get hold of the CPAG booklet and establish links with local advice centres and CABs. Offer to
do an input on the dynamics of domestic abuse. Always encourage clients to seek advice
from specialist advice services.
Support families with obtaining childcare to enable them to work and so be entitled to
certain benefits.
Alcohol services
In providing services for those domestic abuse perpetrators and survivors who are abusing alcohol
there are a number of points to make.
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A therapeutic trauma informed response is required. This needs Polish speaking counsellors;
only people with very good English will be able to fully benefit from a therapeutic service
provided in English.
Stress relief skills and techniques need to be taught and counsellors need to understand
some of the additional sources of stress faced by migrant communities.
Counsellors need an understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse including the role
that gendered expectations play in this.
Clear policies on information sharing need to be agreed, particularly in relation to child
protection. There are particular issues around women’s safety and the risk of
inappropriately shared information.
Culture
How to deal with men's use of "culture" to rationalise their abuse? Be aware that there may be
differences in how domestic abuse is viewed in Poland and be clear about expectations in relation
to the law, child protection and also about supports that are available in the UK. However it is also
useful to be aware of some facts about the current response to domestic abuse in Poland which may
not be consistent with some of the things which men may say. These may be useful in conversations
with men who may be claiming that things are different in Poland. You may also receive formal
complaints about social work practice on the basis of these claims. For example:

In February 2015 the Polish Parliament voted 254-175 to sign up to the 2011 Council of
Europe's convention on combating violence against women and domestic violence. It obliges
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
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governments and organizations to penalize such violence, help victims and teach about
tolerance.
It is not unusual for children to be removed from homes where domestic abuse is taking
place. In 2013, 627 children were removed from the care of their parents or guardians care
under the provisions of the Law against domestic violence in Poland.
Emotional as well as physical acts of domestic abuse can be criminal in Poland. Article 207 of
the Criminal Code in Poland is clear that emotional and physical abuse is illegal and can
attract a sentence of imprisonment from 6 months to 5 years.
There are perpetrator programmes in Poland. From 2005 Polish law has required local
authorities to provide corrective and educational programmes for people using domestic
violence. According to the requirements of Regulation Minister of Labour and Social Policy
passed on 22 February 2011 every man convicted of a domestic abuse offence has to
undertake 50 hours of therapeutic programme in prison and he has to pay 1000 zloty for
this.
Children and Families social work
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Use GIRFEC tools; when using the well-being indicators and my world triangle, consider
some of the factors discussed in Chapter two.
Consider the notion of service generated risks and consider what are the best ways of
partnering with the non abusing parent.
When recording actions taken by the mother to protect the children, consider the extra
obstacles she has faced and the extra steps she has had to take as a result of her situation
including factors arising from her migrant status.
When recording actions taken by the man to harm the child or to use the child ensure that
you check whether immigration status or threats to take the child back to Poland have
been used as part of his pattern of control of the woman.
In core group, CPCCs, Hearings, child’s planning meetings consider having separate parts to
the meeting for the mother and the father. While this may seem time consuming, especially
if an interpreter is required, it can lead to much fuller assessments and safer plans.
Engagement and fuller assessments are more possible while working in partnership with
Polish professionals who on one hand have the knowledge of procedures and on the other
hand are able to understand the nuances of Polish language. Wherever possible involve
Polish family support workers.
International communication.
Obtaining information from Poland about police or social work records is not straightforward but the
Polish Consul has in our experience been very helpful. (Polish Consulate in Edinburgh tel no. 0131
552 0301)
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
To facilitate the information exchange process gather as much information about the individual as
possible: last address in Poland, the town where they were born , the ID number, the “Pesel”
(national insurance) number.
Women’s group work
While group work for women is important in our mainstream project we have discovered it is
particularly significant for Polish women who may be experiencing even greater isolation than is
common to many women experiencing domestic abuse. Although the group we ran was mainly for
women whose partner had been referred to the Polish perpetrator project, this could have been a
stand alone service. Several of the women who attended asked if there could a similar service for
their friends who are not involved with the project.
In the final evaluation of the group participants identified that the work impacted positively on their
understanding of domestic abuse; gave them new insights into barriers to leave domestically abusive
situations; enabled them to see more clearly signals of controlling behaviour; increased their
understanding of the impact of the situation on their children. There were lots of discussions about
parenting matters and how best support the children. The women were able to see that they are not
on their own and to learn from other women and see their own life situation from other
perspectives. Also, some of the women established friendships and are currently keeping in touch
and supporting each other. They reported that they were happy to have the opportunity to be part
of a safe environment where they could share their fears and feelings without feeling judged. They
also stated that they felt more positive and confident as women and also while dealing with daily
situations with the children; schools; social work.
Tips for talking to men
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Whatever he says, be aware that on some level, he is likely to be unhappy about his
behaviour. You may be able to help him think about this. Is he being the kind of man he
wants to be?
Try to help him see that he can choose how he behaves and that there are always other
ways of seeing situations – even ones which he sees in black and white terms.
Affirm any accountability he shows.
Be respectful, positive, non-judgmental and empathic. He may appear to be denying,
minimising or blaming but he may believe at least part of what he is telling you.
Be aware of the barriers to him acknowledging his abuse and seeking help
(such as shame, fear of child protection process, self-justifying anger).
Be encouraging; do not back him into a corner or expect an early full and honest disclosure
about the extent of the abuse.
Be aware of the likely costs to the man of continued abuse and assist him to see these.
If the man engages with you there are some important messages to convey...
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
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Be aware, and tell the man, that children are always affected by living with domestic abuse,
whether or not they witness it directly.
Be clear that domestic abuse in Polish culture is not acceptable and cannot be an excuse
Be aware, and convey to the man, that domestic abuse is about a range of behaviours, not
just physical violence.
Be clear that you might have to speak to other agencies and that there is no entitlement to
confidentiality if children are at physical or emotional risk.
If you are in contact with both partners, always see them separately if you are discussing
abuse.
Some questions to ask...
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What kind of man do you want to be?
How do you want your children to be with you?
If you feel unhappy about that thing you said or did, how do you think your partner feels
about it?
If she were here how do you think she would describe that same situation?
Try to avoid....
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Getting into conflict with him.
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Showing your impatience or annoyance.
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Interrogating rather than being curious.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Appendix 1
04/2015
Respekt Evaluation Report
Kelly Johnson
University of Durham
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
Executive Summary

The Respekt project tackles issues surrounding domestic abuse and its service
provision for members of the Polish community in Edinburgh. This report evaluates
the efficacy of the Respekt project so far.

The evaluation was conducted using qualitative methods: interviews with staff, clients
and referring professionals, questionnaires, analyses of client case records, and
attending regular catch up meetings with Respekt staff.

Due to practical constraints and low participant response rates, this evaluation is
limited in its ability to comprehensively discuss pilot outcomes. However, reported
client and professional experiences and feedback are considered, to evaluate
whether Respekt has achieved its outlined project aims.

Professional and client feedback alike have been resoundingly positive. All
professionals reported that engaging with Respekt improved their knowledge in
relation to the risk and/or need of cases involving Polish families.

All of the male clients reported being satisfied with the service overall, and with their
individual service outcomes.

Female respondents felt more in control of their lives, and overall both men and
women reported that their children feel safer.

Clients and professionals were keen to stress the need for a Polish-speaking and
context-aware service such as Respekt, and the variety of benefits and supports that
the programme offers - for both client outcomes and professional understanding.

Feedback did suggest scope for service development, namely: linking more with
third-sector organisations and, if possible, developing the scope of Respekt to offer
more formalised support for children.

Ultimately, this evaluation finds that client and professional accounts support Respekt
having met its all of its outlined project aims.
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Responding to domestic abuse in the Polish community: a toolkit, April 2015
26