Domestic violence risk assessment by professionals

The European Manual for Risk Assessment defines the principles of risk assessment: 1. Risk Assessment is a process that can only be made with the victims’/survivors’ collaboration. 2. Victims'/Survivors' own assessments of their safety and risk levels must be considered. Research shows that victims/survivors have the most accurate assessments of their own risk levels. 3. Victims/Survivors must be listened to without the presence of the perpetrator, family and/or their community members. 4. Children should have the opportunity to talk. 5. Professionals are responsible for assessing, managing and monitoring the perpetrator's risk. 6. Professionals, in case of significant harm to children, must consider and agree on the best procedure that safeguards and protects them. 7. It is important to clarify the limits of the risk assessment and management process. 8. No improbable or unrealistic promises should be made.

Police officers, social workers, nurses, doctors, teachers, and NGO workers must have proper training and knowledge to recognise risk factors.

Key professionals must share an understanding of risk, but their specific roles and responsibilities may lead them to focus on different factors. For example, police officers and social workers have different perspectives due to the nature of their work.

They should also understand the dynamics of domestic violence, how it affects the victims, why they might stay in an abusive relationship, the tactics abusers use, and the things that make the situation more dangerous.

When it comes to domestic violence, there are specific signs that can show the professional if the situation is getting worse.

• Previous physical violence
• Violence is occurring more frequently, or violence is more intensive (harmful, injurious)
• Coercive control
• Extreme jealousy and obsessive thinking
• The victim has left for another partner
• The perpetrator’s stepchild lives in the same home
• Strangulation
• Victim-survivor is trying to divorce/separate or has divorced/separated
• Mental health issues of the perpetrator
• Substance abuse issues of perpetrator/victim
• Perpetrator’s access to a firearm
• Social isolation
• Negative life changes of the perpetrator and economic stress
• Other forms of domestic abuse
• Victim-survivor is pregnant or has a baby
• Violence towards pets
• Threats to kill (Source:IMPRODOVA)

Standardised risk assessment tools are available to assist frontline responders in documenting the case. Prioritising the victim's safety is essential throughout the risk assessment process. When intervening in domestic violence and abuse cases, key issues to consider include data protection, confidentiality boundaries, and obtaining the victim's consent to share information.

Clear protocols and safety measures should be established to guide the documentation of risk assessment, risk management, and specific risk factors. For instance, certain information, such as victim-survivor risk assessment documentation, should not be included in the judicial process's pre-trial investigation records. This is to prevent the perpetrator from accessing such sensitive information. However, if the information is directly related to the description of the criminal event or the characteristic features of the crime, it must be in the crime report.

(Source:IMPRODOVA)

When the victim interacts with the front line professionals, there are basic guidelines for case documentation for the police, social workers and health care. If you are a victim, you can request the professionals to ensure your case is documented accordingly. Read more on[the Risk assessment checklist -page](https://ainoaid.fi/fi_en/article/risk-assessment-checklist).

The risk assessment process in cases of domestic violence should be dynamic and restarted whenever the risk situation changes. Therefore, professionals must document the case and its associated risk factors.

Thorough case documentation ensures that professionals can refer to previously recorded information to revise the risk assessment.

(Source:IMPRODOVA)