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Content

Introduction
Case Studies
The model of integrated client service
The special rules of integrated client service
  Rules to guarantee the physical safety of the victim
  Rules to guarantee the emotional safety of the victim
  Rules to guarantee the physical and emotional safety of staff members
International good practice
Policy recommendations for the successful prevention and treatment of domestic violence and other forms of gender based violence

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Introduction

Under the auspices of the European Commission's Daphne II. Programme, and within the framework of the pilot project to provide integrated client services for survivors, and a multisector approach to domestic violence, NANE Women's Rights Association (NANE) and the Habeas Corpus Working Group (HCWG) introduced a series of interdisciplinary training and networking events and, in 2005, started a special support service for victims of domestic violence and, on a broader scale, for victims of violence against women. The purpose of this service was to take into account the clients' complex and interrelated needs for legal, psychological and social help. This publication summarises the lessons learned from this pilot programme by presenting the cases of the clients who participated in what we termed ‘integrated client service', and the conclusions drawn from the training events, workshops and seminars as well as the cases themselves regarding general and specific policy recommendations for professionals, legislators and law implementation authorities.

The training sessions, seminars and workshops run under this pilot programme were attended by 98 persons in all: practitioners from diverse fields, such as legal, law enforcement, psychosocial, medical, child- protection, pedagogy and more, both from public and civil institutions (NGOs). Out of these, 28 have completed a series of multi-professional three-days training course whose aim was to provide practitioners with knowlegde and skills on how to treat survivors on the one hand, and to provide a basis for inter-professional networking and long term cooperation. The project was originally meant to be a two-year-long program, but was reduced by the Commission to one year. Therefore, whether long-term networks and cooperations will result from these events is a question for the future which we will not be able to monitor very closely. However, all meetings and training sessions were characterized by participants expressing a strong need and a determined will to keep in contact and continue working together. Examples presented by our international partners have been received with much interest and an oppenness to implement procedures and programs similar to those presented in partner countries. Informal cooperation is said to be sprung among a few participants, though they may be vulnarable without further organizational support.

We are grateful to our clients for participating in the programme and for honouring us with their trust. We also thank our clients for consenting to the use of their cases, which we analysed in accordance with data protection standards and the requirement of protecting their personal safety.

Special thanks go to Judit Herman and Péter Szil for the suggestions and corrections in the Hungarian version of the text, to dr. György Molnár for the valuable bibliographical data and to Tamás Petróczy for his persistent administrative work around this publication. We are also grateful to Gábor Kuszing, dr. György Molnár, Viktória Boros, Erika Kispéter and Timea Ács for all the work related to the publication of this report in English.

NANE - HCWG

Budapest, 2006

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