Anna Mitchell Email & Phone Number

Edinburgh, Gb

Scotland

Leading the development of the Safe & Together Model in the UK. Our mission is to create, nurture and sustain a global network of domestic violence-informed child welfare professionals, communities and systems.

The Domestic Abuse Lead Officer has a remit to coordinate and improve domestic abuse services across Police Scotland, the Local Authority, NHS and the voluntary sector. It is a multi-agency funded post which reports to the Chief Officers’ Group for Public Protection in Edinburgh. I provide operational and strategic responsibility for the delivery of the Edinburgh Violence Against Women Partnership Action Plan and take a lead role in the local implementation of Equally Safe: Scotland’s Strategy for Preventing and Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls. I provide professional support to the Edinburgh Violence Against Women Partnership and associated subgroups, as well as the other areas of public protection. I advise practitioners, managers, other agencies, the Chief Social Work Officer and the Chief Officers Group in relation to all aspects of domestic abuse in the City of Edinburgh. I ensure that the Violence Against Women Partnership and other public protection committees are kept informed of, and plans appropriate responses to, local investigations, national developments, Scottish and UK Government legislative changes, regulations, research evidence and best practice in relation to domestic abuse. I support the public protection bodies to fulfil their duties to improve the skills and knowledge of officers or employees of the public bodies and office holders who have responsibilities relating to the safeguarding of women at risk from domestic abuse in Edinburgh. I maintain an overview of and improvement in activity related to reducing domestic abuse arising from self-assessment, significant case reviews and external inspection reports. I contribute to the development and dissemination of inter-agency guidelines, policies and procedures, and review their effectiveness. I contribute to the development and review of training, and lead on appropriate training activities.

Coaching Culture - the Leader's RoleLeading Change in Public ServicesPublic Services in ContextWorkforce PlanningAdvanced Leadership SkillsInfluence, Negotiation and Conflict

Project managing the role out of the Caledonian System to 13 local authorities, involvement in assessing the bids for funding, developing service standards and an evaluation framework, co-authoring the Caledonian women's manual, inputting into local practitioners briefings, reference groups and multiagency fora, designing and implementing recruitment strategies, developing protocols with health and social work, presenting at conferences, designing and delivering training to hundreds of social work staff at all levels, project planning, gaining knowledge of UK and Scottish legislative changes, national developments, regulations, research, policies and guidelines which underpin work with violence against women in Scotland, engagement with Multi Agency Partnerships, the National Group for Violence Against Women and the Cross Party Group for Violence Against Women. Programme manager of a number of projects - implementation of the Men’s Advice and Respect phoneline, the Caring Dads Parenting Programme for men who abuse, the piloting of specialist risk assessments for domestic abuse and child contact in the family courts and the development of non-court mandated domestic abuse perpetrator work. Although I gained much experience of processes, procedures and project management, above all I gained an understanding that the effective implementation of any project still comes down to the relationships between the people involved. I felt that I still used many of the people skills which I have in order to communicate effectively, listen to others and work in collaboration.

Working with women whose ex/partners are on probation for domestic abuse, risk assessment and management, safety planning and advocacy, crisis intervention, child and adult protection, group work with women, safety planning with children, training other Partner Workers througout Scotland and developing the network of Scottish Women's Workers. I gained knowledge of the complexities of multiagency interventions and how to use the systems around the woman to meet her needs. I was able to hone the skills needed to maintain good working relationships with women whilst still carrying out a statutory social work role. I was convinced of the importance of engaging with both men and women in order to more effectively work with both and to have more accurate plans to increase safety and reduce risk. I was lucky to be able to work creatively and change practice in response to new research and advances in the field. I gained knowledge of risk management and criminal justice processes. As there is both a men's and women's service it was essential to be able to work effectively with colleagues who may not have the same view point as me. I became aware of how services may respond to domestic abuse in ways which increase risk and how to effectively challenge this. I developed skills in negotiation, listening and working towards common ground. This also helped me learn how to manage my own difficult emotions which can come up when working with victims of abuse and the systems which surround them. I effectively used supervision and external support services if required. I have a well developed personal support plan to deal with stress and trauma.