PSNI to alert 60 County Down schools of domestic abuse incidents

Some schools in Northern Ireland are to be alerted by police if pupils have been affected by domestic violence.

It is part of a scheme called Operation Encompass, which is being piloted in 60 schools in County Down.

Before each school day, police will tell schools if any pupils have been affected by an incident of violence in the home in the previous 24 hours.

The scheme has been in operation in police forces in England and Wales for a number of years.

It will eventually be rolled out across all schools in Northern Ireland.

The scheme is a partnership between the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the Safeguarding Board Northern Ireland (SBNI), the Education Authority (EA) and schools.

It has come into effect due to new domestic abuse laws being introduced in Northern Ireland.

Incidents of domestic abuse and violence in Northern Ireland have spiralled in recent years.

Operation Encompass aims to help get children affected by domestic violence immediate emotional support in school.

If the PSNI is called to an incident and a child is present, they will inform school staff responsible for safeguarding before the start of the next school day.

The pilot project involves 60 schools within the Downpatrick PSNI district.

Operation Encompass was first set up in England in 2011 by primary school head teacher Elisabeth Carney-Haworth and her husband David, who is a former police officer.

Elisabeth and David Carney-Haworth set up the scheme after she saw behavioural changes in one of her pupils

It started after Mrs Carney-Haworth noticed the behaviour of a six-year-old boy at her school had changed "literally overnight" and it was not until months later she found out he had witnessed a violent domestic incident at home.

Mrs Carney-Haworth told BBC News NI that the scheme was "incredibly simple" but could make a big difference in providing children with help and support.

In 2020 alone, more than 143,000 calls were made to schools in England and Wales by police forces taking part in Operation Encompass.

'Understanding behaviour'

"Every single incident that the police attend that they class as a domestic abuse incident where there are children attached to either the perpetrator or the adult victim then that is reported to the school prior to the start of the next school day," Mrs Carney-Haworth said.

"The information is shared with the person in school charged with safeguarding but everybody in the school will understand how domestic abuse can impact on children.

"Right from the moment that child walks through those school gates it's somebody being there to greet them with a smile, to let that child know that they're pleased they're there, that they are noticing them and that they are there to support them.

"It's also understanding that a child's behaviour can be very, very different when they are experiencing domestic abuse.

"It's understanding those behaviours and seeing them as a communication and not seeing it as a child just acting out or being naughty.

"It's understanding where the behaviour is coming from and then supporting that child."

• Supporting children after domestic abuse

Mrs Carney-Haworth said that as the scheme was being introduced in Northern Ireland in stages it would ensure that all processes in it would be working properly before it was implemented on nationwide basis.

Det Ch Supt Anthony McNally from the PSNI's public protection branch said that the number of domestic abuse incidents in Northern Ireland had increased over the past year with Covid-19 restrictions creating an environment for more abuse to occur in the home.

"The lasting effects on children who are exposed to domestic abuse can sometimes be left out of the narrative and we want to work in partnership to change this and ensure they are properly safeguarded," he said.

"A child who is experiencing and/or witnessing physical, emotional and psychological abuse at home will go to school the next day often requiring emotional help and support, so it is important that our education colleagues are made aware in quick time when a child has suffered or witnessed domestic abuse."

'Much-needed support'

Sheila Simons, the chair of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Partnership in the South Eastern Health Trust, first became aware of Operation Encompass seven years ago.

She told BBC News NI that it would help children in Northern Ireland living with domestic violence "get much needed support and help when they need it most".

"The sad reality is that many children in Northern Ireland and beyond live with domestic violence and for some children it is their normal," she said.

"They often feel frightened and at a loss who they can reach out to.

"School is the perfect environment to support these children given the amount of time they spend at school and the established relationships they will have developed with their teacher."

The former footballer Ian Wright recently made a BBC documentary about how he had suffered domestic abuse as a child and the impact it had on his life.