By Kate Snowdon

Coercive and controlling behaviour is a feature of domestic abuse and gender-based violence, issues that have risen to the top of the social work agenda during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lockdowns and rising unemployment have forced more people indoors, with less access to support, creating situations where coercive and controlling behaviour is more likely to go unchecked.

In order to support the practitioners working with people in these difficult situations, and to thank all social workers for their incredible work, Community Care is making a number of specialist resources freely available. As of today, all social workers have access to Community Care Inform’s quick guide on how to identify coercive and controlling behaviour, written by Kate Butterby for Inform Children and Inform Adults. The guide is available as a free, downloadable PDF to help social workers support people both experiencing and perpetrating coercive and controlling behaviours.

The guide briefly explores what coercive and controlling behaviour looks like, and when it occurs, with specific sections on threats and humiliation, financial abuse, surveillance and deprivation. It also discusses the specifics of abuse in LGBTQ+ relationships and the effects of coercive control on children. It contains a number of practice tips that may help you and your practice.

Click here to download the guide to identifying coercive and controlling behaviour.

What’s in the guide?

The guide is written by Kate Butterby, who is a post-doctoral research associate at Durham University. Kate conducts research into child abuse and neglect, violence and abuse, and has previously worked on research into same-sex partner abuse. The guide includes:

• An understanding of what coercive and controlling behaviour is, and why perpetrators use it.
• The impact that coercive control has on people experiencing or witnessing it, particularly children and people in the LGBTQ+ community.
• How to spot the signs of coercive control, and what to do next.

The guide considers key evidence, policy, guidance and law to ensure the most relevant information on the topic of coercive and controlling behaviour.

Click here to download the guide on how to identify coercive and controlling behaviour.

More from Community Care Inform

Community Care Inform Children and Community Care Inform Adults provide online resources for subscribing social workers and social care professionals. If you have a licence through your employer or institution, you might also find the links below particularly useful at this time.

Self-care and Covid-19: podcast and transcript

Use of self and emotional intelligence: quick guide for practice educators

Managing fear in social work

Fear and social work: podcast and transcript

Loneliness and isolation during the pandemic: podcast and transcript

Not sure if you have a licence?

A large number of local authorities and universities work with us so do ask your manager, principal social worker or learning and development team if you have access, or contact our helpdesk by email or phone (0203 915 9444). You can also enquire about new subscriptions.

You can read extracts from other Community Care Inform resources here.

Domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health are complex safeguarding issues, all of which are reported to have been exacerbated by the pandemic. To support the social workers helping families and vulnerable groups to manage these problems, and more, Community Care is making a number of specialist subscription resources freely available to all practitioners.

As of today, all social workers have access to an expert-written guide on working with domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health. Written by researcher and trainer Jennifer Holly, for Inform Children and Inform Adults, the guide is available as a free, downloadable PDF.

The guide briefly explores the prevalence of co-existing domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health, and the impact of multiple parental difficulties, before providing a list of indicators that a child is living with these three issues It contains questions to ask that may help you identify problems, examples of conversations, case studies and practice tips.

Click here to download the guide to working with domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health.

What’s in the guide?

The guide is written by Jennifer Holly, who is a researcher and trainer, who has worked in the domestic and sexual violence sector, both in the UK and abroad, for more than 15 years. Since 2010 she has led on Against Violence and Abuse (AVA)’s work to develop improved responses to survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse who are also affected by substance use and mental ill health problems. The guide includes:

• An understanding of why domestic abuse often co-exists with parental mental health problems and substance use.
• The impact that living with multiple parental difficulties has on children’s and young people’s physical health, emotional and psychological wellbeing, cognitive abilities, behaviour, and educational and social development.
• How to comprehensively risk assess parents.

The guide considers key evidence, policy, guidance and law to inform managers on the identification, consequences and ways of working with domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health.

Click here to download the guide on domestic abuse, substance use and mental ill health.

More from Community Care Inform

Community Care Inform Children and Community Care Inform Adults provide online resources for subscribing social workers and social care professionals. If you have a licence through your employer or institution, you might also find the links below particularly useful at this time.

Self-care and Covid-19: podcast and transcript

Use of self and emotional intelligence: quick guide for practice educators

Managing fear in social work

Fear and social work: podcast and transcript

Loneliness and isolation during the pandemic: podcast and transcript

Not sure if you have a licence?

A large number of local authorities and universities work with us so do ask your manager, principal social worker or learning and development team if you have access, or contact our helpdesk by email or phone (0203 915 9444). You can also enquire about new subscriptions.

You can read extracts from other Community Care Inform resources here.

By Kate Snowdon, assistant content editor, Community Care Inform Adults

Stress is an occupational hazard for most social workers, and sadly now more so than ever. Working with some of the most vulnerable members of our society, social workers regularly support people who are experiencing difficult or traumatic life events. This vital but challenging work, combined with environmental and personal factors, can cause stress for many practitioners.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, more managers than ever will be feeling and seeing the effects of stress, in themselves, their teams and their service users. In recognition of these acute challenges – and to thank all social workers for their incredible work – Community Care is making a number of specialist subscription resources freely available.

As of today, all social workers have access to Community Care Inform’s guide, Stress management: a guide for managers, written by Ray Braithwaite exclusively for Inform Children and Inform Adults. The guide is available as a free, downloadable PDF, to help managers identify and manage stress in their teams and themselves. Although the guide was primarily written for managers, it includes tips and exercises that social workers at all levels may find useful.

The guide briefly explores what stress is, and the impact it has, before giving you ways to talk about, think about and manage stress, individually and as a team. It contains exercises, reflective questions and practice tips that may help you.

What’s in the guide?

The guide is written by Ray Braithwaite, who is a retired author and trainer, and has spoken nationally and internationally on stress. The guide includes:

• What stress is, the symptoms, the impact it has and why managers need to tackle it.
• The six key areas of work that make up the primary sources of stress and how to manage them.
• Strategies to manage workplace bullying and risk assess workplace stress.

The guide considers key evidence, policy, guidance and law to inform managers on the causes, and the consequences and signs of stress. It also contains a number of exercises designed to challenge your thinking around stress.

More from Community Care Inform

Community Care Inform Children and Community Care Inform Adults provide online resources for subscribing social workers and social care professionals. If you have a licence through your employer or institution, you might also find the links below particularly useful at this time.

Self-care and Covid-19: podcast and transcript

Use of self and emotional intelligence: quick guide for practice educators

Managing fear in social work

Fear and social work: podcast and transcript

Loneliness and isolation during the pandemic: podcast and transcript

Not sure if you have a licence?

A large number of local authorities and universities work with us so do ask your manager, principal social worker or learning and development team if you have access, or contact our helpdesk by email or phone (0203 915 9444). You can also enquire about new subscriptions.

You can read extracts from other Community Care Inform resources here.