Training of domestic violence prevention specialists

2022-12-14

50 participants from 14 local governments took part in a training of specialists for employees of municipalities and aid institutions within the framework of the research project titled. “Integrated System for Prevention of Domestic Violence,” which is being implemented by the Justice Institute. The trainings are part of the Polish-Norwegian cooperation project.

The specialized training was held on December 5-7, 2022 in Torun. It was attended by specialists from 14 different municipalities that passed the formal and legal evaluation related to the competition implemented by the Ministry of Justice under the Justice Program – Small Grants Fund 1 – “Pilot implementation of integrated domestic violence prevention programs.” The purpose of the project is to facilitate the process of starting the implementation of projects for municipalities that receive funding, as well as to prepare specialists (from various institutions) to carry out the program at the lowest level.

On the first day, the opening part of the conference was attended by representatives of the Program Operator – Tomasz Gajewski, M.A., Head of Department in the Department of Strategy and European Funds at the Ministry of Justice, and Justyna Chrapkowska, M.A., Chief Specialist of the Department for Norwegian Financial Mechanism and Technical Assistance, and representatives of the Justice Institute – Joanna Tomczuk, M.A., and Julia Starybrat, M.A., who deal with the implementation of the Project on a daily basis.

Dr. Jaroslaw Przeperski, head of the research team, presented a model of an integrated system for preventing domestic violence, which was developed by members of the research team (both from Poland and abroad). Dr. Przeperski also indicated the difference between the current legal regulations for programs implemented by municipalities. The new domestic violence prevention model differs from current regulations primarily in that it focuses on improving relationships at an early stage, before domestic violence even occurs.

The next presentation was a review of current legislation on domestic violence prevention. This review was conducted by Joanna Tomczuk, M.A., and Julia Starybrat of the Justice Institute. In their presentation, the authors drew the main attention to the variety of legal acts in which the relevant regulations are found – both those of national and international nature, whose acts have been implemented into the Polish legal order. The authors more extensively discussed the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence and the so-called “Blue Cards” procedure.

After the panel discussions, a workshop part was provided for all participants, during which participants faced two issues:

1. Policy-making and implementation and accountability issues of the Integrated Domestic Violence Prevention System project model – for decision-makers from municipalities and those dealing with technical aspects of the project.
2. Application and assessment of the relational risk scale – for staff of the aid institution working directly with clients.

The second day of the training focused on two issues. The first was a structured legal block with attorney Dr. Michael Poniatowski, who indicated mainly the practical aspect of working in the area of domestic violence prevention. He presented a number of legal templates that will help aid institutions in the fight against domestic violence, such as the model notice of possible crime. He also indicated other sample letters that can be useful at the pre-trial stage, as well as at the court stage.

The next stage of the training was led by Magdalena Maciejewska, M.A., who presented the results of her research published in a monograph entitled. “Does relational work pay off? A handbook on the basics of investing in romantic relationships.” During the presentation, she pointed out that relationships should be treated as an important, albeit undervalued, investment. Maciejewska provided guidance for municipalities, as organizations can become one of the most important places to initiate and support relational ventures.