Information for professionals

Professionals responding to CPVA

New Zealand has no CPVA legislation or guidance for professionals to identify and respond to CPVA. This lack of guidance makes it challenging for professionals to create the whānau and family centred, tailored and culturally safe response required to enhance safety. With your support we can change this.

When working with family and whānau

Include specific questions about CPVA when screening/assessing for family violence.
Be non-judgmental and empathetic to the experiences whānau and family share, listening to their thoughts and opinions on interventions. Remember, the CPVA is the issue, not the parent or the child.
Avoid minimising the harm parents share through assumptions (e.g. ‘they’ll grow out of it’). Many parents notice behaviours of concern from early childhood. It is important to support the family as soon as a pattern of behaviour is noticed, to try to avoid things escalating to crisis level later on.
Empower parents by asking what they need, what they have tried, and what outcome they want.
Complete a home risk assessment that identifies the risks, who might be harmed and how, frequency of violence, types of violence, what the family are doing already and what else can be done to reduce the risk.
Develop a safety plan in collaboration with the whānau and family.
Take a trauma-informed approach identifying potential Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES).
Work in whānau and family centred ways. It may be safer to work with family members individually rather than as a collective. Many parents are traumatised and may have PTSD from the violence.
Maintain awareness of the power imbalance between professionals and whānau/family.
Older children will often refuse to engage with services. If this happens professionals can still work with the rest of the family.

Safeguarding adults from abuse

Utilise a multi-layered safeguarding / whakahaumarutia response for the child and for Adults at Risk.

Safeguarding / whakahaumarutia is a practical response that could help keep you, your whānau and your child safe if you’re experiencing violence, abuse or neglect or are at risk of this. You can find out what safeguarding / whakahaumarutia means and what services are available to you.

Some examples of these supports include:

Therapeutic supports for the family
Connect the whānau/family with peer support groups
Consult with schools
Consultation with professionals to develop a sensory profile and speech language assessments and supports
Liaise with the police if the family are at risk
Liaise with Oranga Tamariki if necessary. Be mindful that reporting to statutory agencies can be counterproductive if they do not understand CPVA
Cognitive assessments for children.

VisAble has resources that you can download and share with those organisations and professionals whom you approach for support.

Fact sheets like CPVA Guidance for Professionals help explain CPVA to professionals and highlight the importance of letting parents and whānau guide the process – as the experts on your child and your family situation.

VisAble’s range of CPVA resources