The document discusses evaluating advocacy services for children and young people experiencing domestic violence. It examines methods used including focus groups, interviews, case record analysis, and feedback questionnaires. Key themes from interviews included relationships, trust, activities, feeling respected. Case records showed most clients were female and involved with multiple agencies. The advocacy service distinguished itself by giving choice, safety planning, and helping clients understand their situations and feelings. Standards for advocacy promoted client engagement and representation. Advocacy was found to give clients voice, agency, and control over resources with support from persistent advocates.

1. Advocating for children and young
people experiencing domestic
violence
Joanne Westwood, Cath Larkins and
Nicky Stanley
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions in Child Protection and Wellbeing:
Making a Real Difference to Children’s Lives

2. KIDVA project
HARV is a non-profit, independent charitable
organisation that responds to the issues and
needs of victims and survivors of domestic
violence and abuse by providing quality and
empowering services.
Provision of Advocacy for young people exposed
to or experiencing domestic violence (KIDVA)
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

3. Evaluating advocacy
Methods
– Participatory
– Mixed methods
• Focus groups with children and young people
• Stakeholder questionnaire
• Semi structured interviews with staff
• Semi structured interviews with children and young people
• Non participant observation of children and young people
• Case record analysis
• Agency data collected during the 3 year period
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

4. Focus groups
Participatory focus groups with 12 children and young people
o Relationships with staff
o Ongoing support
o Opportunities for social activities
o Social media as a communication strategy
o Trust and respect
o Getting involved
‘made home life more peaceful’
Makes you feel as though ‘you’re not fighting the world with
two hands’
‘if [named worker] weren’t here I wouldn’t be alive now’
‘[feel a] sense of direction in life’
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

5. Interviews with children and young
people
9 individual semi- structured interviews with
children and young people who have accessed
the KIDVA service:
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives
Participant Gender Ethnicity Age Other information
P001 Female White British 13
P002 Male White British 14 Autism
P003 Female Pakistani British 12
P004 Female Pakistani British 12
Turned 13 few days after
interview
P005 Male White British 12 ADHD
P006 Male White British 15
P007 Male White British 21
P008 Male White British 11
P009 Female White British 14

6. Interview responses
• "We will talk about whatever is on my mind, then go
off the subject a bit and just like talk about general
stuff and …erm have a bit of a laugh or whatever, and
then go back." (Male WB 21)
• “I don't want to talk about what happened with my
dad to my mum as I don't want to upset my mum”
(Female WB 14)
• “I've been able to get stuff out of my head” (Male WB
11)
• “Because they don’t tell your mum or your dad
anything that you say, and that they make you feel
comfortable”(Female PB 12)
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

7. Interviews: Key themes
• Relationships and friendships
• Trust and confidentiality
• Engaging in and enjoying a range of activities
• Feeling listened to and respected
• Frequency, length and methods of contact
between KIDVA and child/young person
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

8. Case record analysis 1
Gender
F F F F F F F F M M M M
Number of other
agencies involved
11 6 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 1
Length of time open
(months)
8 4 9 3 10 6 5 5 3 8 8 7
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

9. Case record analysis 2
• Access to advocacy and other services
• Supporting voice and confidence
• Reaching the hard to reach
• Facilitating information exchange
• Coming to terms with the experience of
domestic violence
• Working with boys and young men
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

10. Laura (17)
“She was frightened , he threatens to take Heather (her
daughter) away from her …he says she is a bad mother
and she is only allowed out for 1 hour and he wants to
know where she is at all times… In the most recent
assault she was a little late back and had got wet so she
went to run a bath. He said she wasn't allowed a bath
…chased her into bedroom where he punched her and
head butted her. Laura has never reported to police. I
discussed other options and offered refuge, at first Laura
was reluctant but I think she knew this was the best place
for both her and her child in terms of safety. …. Laura was
very upset as I think the realisation of her moving and
leaving Matthew hit home....” (Extract from case records)
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

11. Kevin (13)
• “We completed the 'this is me' exercise and
the timeline. It was a 'penny dropping'
moment for Kevin as he identified from the
timeline all the issues which have happened in
his life all revolve around Philip (his mum’s
partner) and when he was released out of
prison on bail, this was when Kevin was 12
years old. Before Philip being in his life he has
good memories...".
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

12. Distinguishing advocacy from other
services
• Having a choice about what to talk about
• Not feeling pressured
• They are there for you
• Someone who can present the options
• Being able to say you don’t feel safe
• Having a safety plan that you can use
• Understanding how you feel about your family
and what's happening
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

13. Advocacy standards
• Developed in consultation with children and young people, the organisation
engaged with service users (Standard 1)
• The service promoted the rights and interest of children and young people and
represented their views and interests in formal meetings (Standard 2).
• The organisation had policies in place to ensure that children and young people
were not discriminated against and monitored demographics (Standard 3)
• Advocacy was developed through social media strategies (Standard 5).
• The service was exclusively for children and young people meeting (Standard 6)
• Confidentiality was assured (Standard 7)
• The organisation was committed to service user contribution to the development
of the advocacy service (Standard 8) and sought feedback (Standard 9)
• The service was managed well and provided good value for money (Standard 10)
although this was not specifically evaluated.
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

14. Discussion
• Negotiate access to other resources
• Gave voice to views and wishes
• Enabled young people to exercise agency
• Advocate pushed for decisions and actions which had not been
prioritised by other agencies
• Young people’s agendas pursued within spaces of child protection
• Children and young people were able to control the use of
resources
• Professional model of advocacy :sufficient time to be persistent
• Advocacy enabled young people to take a lead in enacting decisions
• Advocacy supported young people’s capacity to have trust in and
build relationships with others as well as bringing about change in
their own lives.
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

15. Implications for practice
• Advocacy is not a quick fix : it should build
relationships and complement statutory interventions.
• Advocacy relationships are about more than voice.
They enable children and young people to deal with
conflicted emotions, gain control and access support
on their terms.
• The National Advocacy Standards provide relevant
measures for evaluating the development and
outcomes of advocacy services and interventions for
children and young people who have experienced
domestic violence.
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives

16. Questions?
BASPCAN CONGRESS 2015 New Directions
in Child Protection and Wellbeing: Making a
Real Difference to Children’s Lives