PIONEERING DKIT COURSE HIGHLIGHT NEEDS FOR MULTI AGENCY APPROACH TO TACKLING THE ISSUE
A pioneering course at DkIT, which is the first and only accredited Domestic Abuse programme in Ireland, is helping to make a real change in how front-line services respond to incidences of abuse in Ireland, according to findings reported at a conference held today in Dundalk Institute of Technology.
THE one-day conference entitled, ‘ The Changing Landscape of Domestic Abuse – a Multi-agency Perspective’ was organised by the School of Health and Science which first established the 13-week ‘Certificate in the Fundamentals of Understanding and Responding to Domestic Abuse’ in September 2016.
Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, TD, who attended the event, praised the course and the way it focuses on multi-agency approaches in addressing domestic violence.
‘If we are to be effective in our responses to complex problems, we need collaborative approaches. This is particularly true of domestic violence and abuse. We all play different roles, but we will only succeed in reducing, preventing and addressing domestic violence and abuse with cooperation – between Government, Gardaí, professionals and the NGO sector. And indeed, with the valuable contribution of victims themselves.”
Dr. Edel Healy said, Head of School of Health and Science at DkIT, pointed out that ‘Research indicates that domestic abuse is still prevalent in Irish society today and while services and protections around this issue have improved in recent years, it is vital that we continue to learn from experience and use shared insights to improve the complex practice of care for victims of domestic abuse across all related sectors.
She said that the conference ‘clearly demonstrates the important changes in the area of domestic abuse and cements the importance of a multi-agency approach in understanding and responding to this important issue. This is why we established the Certificate programme and three years on, I am delighted to share our knowledge and key learnings with stakeholders. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank our partners who supported us making this event happen and in particular the Department of Justice and Equality and Tusla”.
Lecturer and Programme Director for the Domestic Abuse Certificate programme at DkIT, Dr Kathleen Nallen, stated: ‘More than 70 people have successfully completed the programme to date, representing sectors such as social care, policing, midwifery, nursing, domestic abuse services, homeless services and victims organisations. Having graduates from this programme speaking at the conference today provides first hand evidence of how such a programme can translate theory into practice in order to better support victims of Domestic Abuse.
She added that they were looking forward to their next intake on the programme in January.
Deirdre West, a midwife in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, who recently completed the course revealed that the programme had really changed her perception of Domestic Abuse. ‘It is only after completing the programme that I now understand that there are a multiplicity of complex reasons why a victim stays in an abusive relationship. The programme has provided me with many insights which I can now use in my role as a midwife to better support victims of domestic abuse.’
Other presentations at the conference included those from Detective Superintendent Gerry Murph who presented the role of An Garda Síochána in implementing the law in the area of Domestic Abuse, and Dr. Bethany Waterhouse Bradley and Dr. Susan Lagdon from the University of Ulster who co-presented findings on the policing response to intimate partner violence in Northern Ireland.
Other presentations were delivered by Dr Kevin McKenna, a lecturer in DkIT, Deirdre Fahy, Public Health Nurse and Dr Anita Byrne and Dr Geraldine O’Connor.