Domestic Violence Assessment Consultancy and Training

The following sets out DV-ACT's policy regarding confidentiality and privacy, before completing any assessment or treatment work with DV-ACT you will need to indicate that you have read and agree to the following terms:

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• Anything discussed at your appointments will be treated with sensitivity and will only be shared outside of DV-ACT with children's services or other professionals identified as being involved in your case.

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• If you tell the assessor/therapist something which leads them to believe that there may be an immediate or preventable risk of harm to yourself, others or that a crime is likely to be committed this may need to be reported to the authorities. Wherever possible, this will be discussed with you first.

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• If appointments are taking place online please ensure that you are able to talk freely with the assessor without the possibility of being overheard.

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• You must not attempt to photograph or record any part of your appointments or sessions and understand that doing so would be a breach of confidentiality.

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• Notes will be taken during and/or immediately after your appointment and will be used for writing assessment reports.

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• When completed, assessment reports will be shared with the referrer (usually the local authority solicitor or children's social worker) who may then send the report to other parties or professionals involved in your case.

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• If your case is in court proceedings, or if it escalates to court proceedings, any assessment reports completed by DV-ACT may be used in court and would then, therefore, be available to anyone who is involved in the court case (i.e. ex/partners, family members, other assessors).

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• Information given in your appointments may be shared with your ex/partner. If you feel that this may put you at greater risk, it is important that you inform the assessor that you feel this way so that steps can be taken to protect you.

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• Paperwork and personal information will be kept and used only for the following purposes; to enable assessors/therapists to contact you and carry out the work instructed; for the monitoring of demographics; to allow for evaluation of our services. We will not share your personal data or paperwork with anyone outside of the scope listed above.

   

• Any documents, reports or notes related to your case will be kept securely, with documents from other sources destroyed after 1 year. DV-ACT notes and referral paperwork will be kept for a period of 5 years.

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Your safety is important to us and your ex/partner will not be informed of your appointment dates or times by us.

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Please visit the links at the bottom of the page for further information about the assessment process and what will happen at your appointments.