The Safe Contact Project is a partnership between the Hammersmith-based Domestic Violence Intervention Project (DVIP), Coram Child Contact Service, and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).
It has led to the development of a detailed risk assessment process for complex contact cases involving domestic violence, alongside a long-term programme to help perpetrators of domestic violence address their behaviour.
Partners of perpetrators and their children are also supported as a vital part of the scheme.
Kate Iwi, children's services development officer at DVIP, said some short-term programmes for perpetrators created a false sense of security among families and professionals.
Others, including those run by the probation services, lacked a focus on building empathy with children. "An enormous reason and motivation for why a lot of people stop their violence and want to address it is their children," she said.
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