Annex 2. Overview of risk assessment and risk management for intimate partner violence in the EU Member States

• Author: European Institute for Gender Equality (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 48-66

Annexes

European Institute for Gender Equality48

Annex 2. Overview of risk assessment and risk management for

intimate partner violence in the EU Member States

(130) De Deken, L., Pas, L., Hillemans, K., Cornelis, E. and Van Royen, P. (2010), Detectie van partnergeweld: een aanbeveling voor de huisarts [Detection of

partner violence: a recommendation for the general practitioner] Huisarts Nu, Vol. 39, pp. S57-S63.

(131) Blavier, A. and Nederlandt, P., (2016), Conception dun code de signalement à lusage des professionnels liés au secret professionnel (voir art. 458Bis du

Code Pénal) et confrontés à des situations de violences entre partenaires (research report), IGVM, Brussels.

(132) Groenen, A., Van Vossole, A. and Matkoski, S. (2015), Risicoscreening en risicotaxatie inzake partnergeweld in België [Risk screening and risk assessment

concerning partner violence in Belgium] In Handboek Familiaal Geweld, pp. 1-18, Politeia, Brussels.

(133) Matkoski, S., Groenen, A., Van Vossole, A. and Coteur, K. (2016), Risicotaxatie Instrument Partnergeweld & Risicomanagement, UC Leuven-Limburg,

Diepenbeek. Available at: www.risicotaxatie.be or www.évaluation-des-risques.be

In Belgium, risk assessment for intimate partner

violence is one of the key points in the nation-

al action plan to combat gender-based violence;

implementation is fragmented and procedures

have not been regulated on a national level.

Risk assessment processes are implemented by

a wide range of actors, including medical practi-

tioners, social workers and the police.

The federal government for public health pub-

lished guidelines for medical practitioners in

2010. The same assessment procedure must be

carried out for each medical consultation, namely

the subjective objective evaluation planning sys-

tem. Information on history of violence, the list

of injuries and their impact, as well as diagnosis

and care plans is collected. Based on their clinical

assessment, medical practitioners can break pro-

fessional confidentiality regulations and repor t

the situation to the public prosecutor if severe

danger is presumed. Systematic screening for

intimate partner violence with pregnant patients

is also recommended. Besides detection and

screening, attention is given to the management

of risk, although no details are provided.

A working model for the approach to intimate

partner violence by general medical practitioners

has been developed and published (13 0). Recently,

a reporting code to be used by professionals tied

to professional confidentiality and confronted

with situations of intimate par tner violence was

developed, commissioned by the Institute for the

Equality of Women and Men in 2016. However,

the authors insist the code be tested by profes-

sionals before implementation (131).

For social workers in Belgium, risk assessment for

intimate partner violence is a clinical assessment

(professional judgement), based on information

obtained during counselling sessions with vic-

tims. In the methods and guidelines developed

for social workers on the involvement of children,

some structured screening and risk assessment

processes are presented to evaluate the risk of

child abuse.

Police of ficers make use of checklists and draft

specific reports on cases of intimate partner vi-

olence. Practices differ considerably bet ween

police zones and specific services within the

zones (132). However, in 2015 a control list with

questions to be asked during interrogation was

added to the police circular 4/2006. These ques-

tions should be asked after the victim and perpe-

trator have told their versions of events in order

to ensure that all aspects relevant in a situation of

intimate par tner violence are recorded.

Being aware of the gap in the practice of risk as-

sessment in Belgium, the research centre APART

developed a scientifically based risk assessment

and risk management tool for intimate partner

violence (133). This was developed in cooperation

with the National Institute for Criminalistics and

Criminology and the Institute for the Equality of

Women and Men. This tool is available as a paper

version in three languages, namely Dutch, French

and German, and online in Dutch and French.

Use of the online tool is free of charge and pro-

fessionals from various sectors and organisa-

tions have registered, from both Flanders and

Wallonia. However, use of the tool is not manda-

tory and registration with the o nline system does

not mean that it is being applied. The tool adopts

the structured approach based on professional

judgement and is currently being validated by re-

searchers of the expert group APART at Universi-

ty College Leuven-Limburg.

Annexes

49

Risk assessment and management of intimate partner violence in the EU

In the northern region of Belgium (Flanders),

a multidisciplinary approach for complex cases

of domestic violence has been initiated in the

past year, stimulated by polic y developments.

Before this, only two provinces worked in this

way to handle situations of domestic violence. In

both family justice centres (FJCs) in the country

there is close cooperation between actors from

different sectors, mainly police, prosecution, so-

cial workers and general practitioners. They used

a self-developed risk-screening tool to evaluate

risk and protective factors in different domains

of life. The multidisciplinary approach in these

two provinces evolved into FJCs and a new instru-

ment for risk assessment has been developed,

called the triage instrument. The outcome of

the triage guides the professionals towards sup-

port actions for the family (different degrees of

intensity in support). The triage instrument is

being evaluated in a European research project,

called stopping violence against women and

children through an integral and fast trajectory 

(JUST/2015/RDAP/AG/MULT: 9763). Recent de-

velopments in policy have obliged the multidis-

ciplinary approach in each province of Flanders

to work with the same registration system to

structure the process of information gathering

and dossier building. Part of the registration is

completing the Dutch triage instrument.

In Bulgaria, risk assessment is reportedly car-

ried out mainly by NGOs and social services but

there are no unified procedures or coordination

around risk assessment practices.

By order issued on 30 April 2018, the prosecutor

general adopted guidelines for the work of the

Prosecutors Office of the Republic of Bulgaria.

This concerns files and pre-trial proceedings initi-

ated by reports of committed domestic violence,

threats of murder and violated orders for protec-

tion against domestic violence. The purpose of

the guidelines is to create a unified mechanism

for timely reaction of prosecutors in such cases,

as well as to effectively protect the rights of in-

jured parties. Immediate action by prosecutors

on duty is expected as soon as the alert is re-

(134) https://dnes.dir.bg/obshtestvo/tsatsarov-dade-ukazaniya-na-podchinenite-si-kak-da-deystvat-pri-domashno-nasilie

(135) https://www.dnes.bg/obshtestvo/2018/05/03/biesh-jenata-zakonno-domashnoto-nasilie-ne-e-prestyplenie.375379

ceived. When appearing in person in the district

prosecutors office, the victim provides written

statements before the prosecutor on dut y and

fills out a form containing information about his/

her rights. It is envisaged that when the prosecu-

tor finds evidence of imminent danger to the life

and health of the victim, they immediately notify

the police authorities, which must take measures

in accordance with the Ministry of Interior Act and

the law on protection from domestic violence.

The guidelines also contain specific provisions on

timely investigation during pre-trial proceedings

and the need for measures to protect the victim

under the Penal Procedure Code (134 ).

The Ministry of Interior has drafted a proposal to

improve the efficiency of police work in the field

of domestic violence and gender-based violence,

including the development of a risk assessment

algorithm for cases of domestic violence and

gender-based violence, and training of police of-

ficers on risk assessment (135 ).

In Czechia, implementation is fragmented and

not standardised. Risk assessment is conducted

primarily by NGOs providing services to victims

and by police. Risk assessment processes mainly

focus on the risk of repeated violence and its pre-

vention. Womens NGOs were the first to apply

risk assessment in their practices.

The police as well as NGOs in Czechia use an

adapted version of the SARA method (SARA DN).

The SARA DN consists of 15 questions and the

licence for the Czech version of SARA is owned

by the organisation Bílý kruh bezpečí (white cir-

cle of safety). Police use SARA DN as a basis to

make decisions on perpetrator eviction orders

that need to be justified. However, it is not man-

datory and its use depends on the professional

discretion of the police officer. Domestic violence

intervention centres are also trained in using the

SARA DN method.

Risk assessment is not part of a multiagency

framework and there are no clear and mandato-

ry procedures and processes about sharing in-