Pioneering domestic abuse support scheme for children re-launches

A highly successful Plymouth scheme to support children witnessing domestic abuse at home is re-launching on Friday (4 October) with a new way of working that reaches even more youngsters in need.

The pioneering work, called ‘Encompass’, is a partnership between the police and Plymouth City Council, involving schools and early years settings across the city.

Approved education staff are informed of any reported domestic abuse incidents happening out of school hours that could affect a child’s performance or behaviour during the school day.

Encompass now operates in 16 secondary schools, 68 primary schools and 7 special schools and 104 early years settings in Plymouth. On average approximately five calls are made every day to education staff to let them know about incidents the previous night. That’s approximately 1,000 calls every year.

The scheme began life as Operation Encompass in 2011 - the brain-child of Devonport neighbourhood officer Sgt David Carney-Haworth – and was considered such a success by police and schools that it quickly gained support from the Council, local MPs and the Plymouth Children and Young Person's Trust, who supported the roll out to every city school from February 2012 by funding training sessions.

After some teething problems due to the rapid expansion of the service, a steering group was formed to ensure valuable learning could happen and the scheme could continue to be refined. After some fine-tuning, in May this year (2013) Encompass was rolled out to include early years settings in the city as well.

Now police attending domestic abuse incidents in the evenings and on weekends make a log of any children in the house along with information about their education arrangements. This information is then passed to the Council’s Education Welfare Team, who in-turn make calls to the relevant people in schools and nurseries across the city.

Encompass asks schools and early years settings to nominate a ‘key adult’ who is trained to liaise with the police to use information that has been shared, in confidence, whilst ensuring that staff are able to understand and support children in the best way possible.
This may be something as simple as letting a child bring a favourite toy into the early years setting on that day, or making arrangements if a child is tired because they have been kept awake due to an incident.

The new way of working means incidents can continue to be logged during school holidays and calls made to the education staff on the first day of term to let them know how a child might be feeling after the break. Likewise, incidents can be reported over the weekend and calls made to schools and nurseries first thing on Monday mornings. Repeat calls can also be made to ensure the relevant people in education settings are reached if they cannot be contacted on the first attempt.

Sergeant Simon Hardwick, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “There’s now a real feeling of growth and achievement around Encompass and we’re delighted to have the Council, schools and nurseries as partners in this incredibly valuable work. It’s simply about sharing police information so that children in Plymouth can get the appropriate support from the right people at a time when they may be feeling particularly vulnerable.

“As with any pioneering work, we’ve certainly been on a steep learning curve. After exploring different ways of working, the Encompass steering group agreed the Council’s Education Welfare Officers were best placed to receive and then pass on information to approved staff in schools and early years. We’ve now rolled the scheme out to the whole of the city.

“I’d like to pay tribute to all those involved in establishing Encompass in 2011, and to those who have assisted in bringing about these exciting changes. We’re looking forward to working closely with Council colleagues to share valuable information with carers within our city schools and early years settings. Most of all, we hope Encompass becomes fully embedded as part of the day to day business of safeguarding children within Plymouth.”

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Nicky Williams, said: “Encompass is as powerful as it is simple, and can make a real difference to a child’s day. It has the wellbeing and safety of children at its very core. It helps staff to build up a picture of a child’s life so that staff better understand their circumstances and state-of-mind, and are able to respond in the best way possible.

“We are extremely proud to be at the forefront of protecting and supporting children who are subject to domestic abuse. No matter where a child lives in the city or what domestic abuse they’ve experienced, they can be safe in the knowledge that their school or nursery will be ready the very next day to provide whatever support they want or need – silent or overt.

“Encompass lives and breathes our co-operative ethos – we are all working together for the benefit of children in the city. We are using intelligence from the police to shape how we work with children on a daily basis. Schools have told us this early reporting is having a meaningful impact on the lives of their pupils. In particular, those children who do not talk about their experiences are discreetly offered support so they experience kindness and understanding during a very scary and stressful time for them.”

Headteacher for Stoke Damerel, Richard Marsh, said: “Education staff know children better than most other agencies in the city, after all we see them almost every day, so it makes absolute sense that we are involved in their wider safeguarding. We are very clear in Plymouth that a child’s safety and wellbeing is our priority and that means we are finding ways to ensure that structures and systems do not inhibit our efforts. Clear communication between the police, schools and the council is crucial to ensure we look after our children as best we can. So Encompass is brilliant! It ensures education staff are kept in the loop and we can act appropriately and with better understanding to a child’s needs. I am an absolute fan – Encompass is making a difference every day to our city’s children.”

Carole Burgoyne, Director for People at Plymouth City Council, said: “A kind word, a quiet place for comfort or just someone to listen – we all know how valuable that can be when we are going through tough times.

"To a child experiencing domestic abuse at home, the world must seem like a really scary place, so it’s incredibly important to help them deal with their emotions and give them a safe place to go. Encompass is the tool to enable us to provide crucial insight to education staff.

"Good information flow is priceless for those working with children and young people – it is essential for our early intervention and prevention work, which is crucial in giving children the best start and avoiding problems later in life.”

Facts and figures

Approximately 1,000 calls made to schools last year
104 early years settings including nurseries, pre-schools and children centres involved
120 early years staff trained
92 schools involved in Encompass
Over 100 schools staff trained
5 early years training sessions held, and another 2 planned
7 schools training sessions held
Over 1,000 children helped through Encompass
14 schools in the initial pilot