CRAFT is an innovative organisation that has been created by practitioners, for practitioners. We offer training, consultancy and direct services in all aspects of managing and strengthening relationships in families, in particular, an early intervention approach to addressing domestic and family conflict, violence and abuse. Find out more about us…
The Principles of CRAFT
"Our vision is a critically reflective, well supported workforce that values themselves and the work they do to meaningfully improve outcomes for children and their families."Jodie Das, Founder.
Craft is driven by a desire to enable individual’s families and practitioners to navigate the challenges they face, individually and collectively.
It is an approach that is dedicated to finding ways to improve outcomes for families through relationship focused work, addressing all types of abuse and violence, from low level conflict to high risk coercive control.
The CRAFT model is built on the key principle of compassion.
"Compassion involves being kind to ourselves and each other, putting both practitioners and families at the centre of a caregiving network of systems that support, empower and enable" (Dr Kathryn Waddington, 2017).
The CRAFT approach acknowledges the commitment and hard work of practitioners working with conflict, violence and abuse in families. Yet despite our efforts and the development made by multiple services, our systems can be experienced as overwhelming, ill-focused and unsafe by the people it is designed to support and protect. CRAFT calls for a critically reflective approach to practice in this area if we are to meaningfully place ourselves and those we work with, at the heart of a compassionate and care giving system that can effectively meet the needs of all. This includes those who experience conflict, violence and abuse in relationships, and the services and practitioners who support them.
Please watch the video below highlighting the need to develop critically reflective practice when working with domestic and family violence, The Story of Emma…
CRAFT framework
"Working with domestic violence and abuse is a CRAFT. Navigating the complexities requires skills, confidence and continual critically reflective thinking."Jodie Das, Founder.
The CRAFT Framework is a way of working with individuals and families experiencing conflict, violence and abuse in their intimate and close relationships. It offers practitioners a way to organise and integrate thinking and doing,, from identification, through assessment, to recommended interventions.
The CRAFT Framework promotes robust, safety focussed and systemic practice that leads to quality experiences and outcomes for individuals and families experiencing conflict, violence and abuse.
Key components of CRAFT
The CRAFT framework is accompanied by a handbook containing both information and practical/procedural forms:
What practioners say about the CRAFT framework:
- "Has made me think more about using a process and key points to build relationships and gain information"
- "Reflective holistic approach to working with DV. Helped me think through have I done what I need to? I thought through my individual cases"
- "Good to think about what can be done - with the restraints we have, to be more effective. A good tool to take to supervision"
- "I really like the agency aspect and think the model will facilitate reflective practice"
To see what families who experience the CRAFT approach say click here…
CRAFT interventions
Based on extensive experience, and from a range of backgrounds working with domestic and family violence and abuse, CRAFT practitioners have developed a series of psycho-social educational programmes to address key areas when working with this complex issue.
The RESTORE programmes of interventions are essentially Relationship Education Sessions That Offer Restorative Experiences. They are designed to take both practitioners and those they are working with on a journey of awareness and self awareness, before motivating and offering potential change options. The RESTORE programmes can be delivered one to one or in a group setting and are designed to be flexible and tailored to the experiences and needs of individuals and families experiencing conflict, violence and abuse. Suitability for any of the RESTORE programmes is determined through using the CRAFT Framework.
For further information regarding any of the RESTORE programmes, email us.
A 12 session structured intervention designed to examine personal, intimate and familial relationships and address the use of harmful behaviours at the earliest opportunity. The programme gently guides participants through awareness, self-awareness, ultimately toward the learning and development of skills to navigate challenge and conflict in a safe, meaningful and mindful way, improving outcomes for all family members.
A 12 session structured intervention designed to restore women’s confidence and self-esteem, as well as understand safety within their intimate and close relationships. The programme has been designed in response to the need to intervene early with cases of conflict, violence and abuse. The programme is highly participatory. The techniques, tools and activities in the programme incorporate key aspects including, education, self-awareness and skills for change. They are designed to be delivered from a trauma informed approach with a view to improving outcomes for all family members.
A 6 session structured intervention to explore parenting, particularly where conflict, violence or abuse has been an issue. This strengths based and compassionate intervention usually follows completion of RESTORE Relationships and can, where appropriate and safe, offer restorative work to couples who are parenting together in whatever capacity. It can also be delivered to individual parents who may need to develop their understanding of the impact of harmful behaviours on children and young people.
To see what families who have been on the RESTORE programmes say CLICK HERE…
CRAFT services
We offer training in all aspects of the CRAFT model and all courses are tailored to the needs of your staff and the aims of your organisation.
TRAINING
CRAFT Framework Training
Typically delivered over two days, practitioners attending this training will gain a comprehensive overview of how to approach and work safely and preventatively with conflict, violence and abuse from a whole family perspective. We use innovative techniques to explore and reframe the complexities and challenges of working with different types of harm, in intimate and close relationships. The course is accompanied by a comprehensive CRAFT Framework handbook offering guidance and practical tools from identification, through assessment, to recommended interventions. For more information email us
CRAFT Bespoke Training
Craft deliver a variety of different courses and can cater for the needs of all practitioners and organisations working with the many aspects of conflict, violence and abuse in families, particularly where there are safeguarding concerns regarding children and/or adults.For more information email us.
CRAFT Programmes of Intervention (RESTORE) Training
Delivered over a variety of timescales to suit your requirements, we deliver training for the facilitation of all RESTORE programmes. Participants will learn specific techniques and receive a programme manual containing material and sessions that address particular issues associated with conflict, violence and abuse in relationships and families. For more information email us.
consultancy and Supervision
Consultancy
CRAFT specialise in practice development. Whether you or your organisation are new to working with domestic violence and abuse or highly experienced, we use a range of techniques and interventions to motivate and develop all responses to this complex issue, CRAFT also supply audit and research services that monitor existing responses and ensure learning is built into individual and organisational practice.
Supervision
We provide individual and group supervision, including clinical supervision, to teams and individual practitioners working with conflict, violence and abuse, particularly those working with victims and perpetrators of high risk domestic violence and abuse.
For more information email us.
CRAFT in practice
National Victim Support have adopted the CRAFT approach to working with domestic and family violence, developing both the Framework and Intervention Programmes across several of their innovative projects.
Turning the Spotlight Cumbria - An example of CRAFT in practice
CRAFT are proud to work in partnership with Turning the Spotlight (TTS), a Victim Support Project commissioned by Cumbria PCC to support families experiencing conflict, violence and abuse. Built on the framework and package of programmes developed by CRAFT, TTS offers extensive support to those who have experienced (and/or have perpetrated) standard to moderate levels of violence and abuse.
The project provides a restorative approach and attention is given to the principles of building healthy and respectful relationships throughout all aspects of the TTS project. CRAFT continues to support TTS through practice development days and the provision of external consultancy/supervision on both a team and individual level.
For more information about TTS click here…
What families say about the approach they receive at TTS:
Participants of the CRAFT Relationship Programme.
- "Once we got introduced and started talking to them you realised you could open up… and I reckon it was because of the way they spoke to you, they spoke to you like you weren’t like a child to them, they talked to you in a proper manner"
- "They encourage you to talk and are always asking how you are"
- "Everyone else didn’t laugh at me when I got muddled up, they just support you to carry on"
What families say they learnt from the Programmes they attend:
Participants of the CRAFT Relationship Programme.
- "I try and step out the box a lot more now and look at other angles of the situation whereas before I wasn’t able to do that"
- "Being able to unload your issues and problems"
- "Controlling your anger and understanding your partner more"
Participants of the CRAFT Parenting Programme.
- "It helped me understand more about the impact of an argument or confrontation that has on my family and my children."
CRAFT research
"At CRAFT, we firmly believe that learning is an ongoing process and must be firmly linked with and built into practice. It is important that this is not only when something goes wrong or in the aftermath of a tragic event, but on a proactive and ongoing basis, throughout all interventions."Jodie Das, Founder.
In order to learn about and develop practice when working with the many complexities of domestic and family violence, the CRAFT model is being tested as part of a doctoral study with the University of Westminster.
The study is a Critical Participatory Action Research Study. This study method recognises practitioners as researchers themselves, who have important knowledge and experience to contribute to the ongoing learning and development of practice. The study is focused on bringing together a range of professional disciplines working with conflict, violence and abuse in families to critically reflect and work together to generate learning and development for practice in this area.
Publications include: Das, J. and Unterlerchner, B. (2014) “Developing Programmes for Victims of Domestic Abuse” in McFarlane, MA and Canton, R (Eds) ‘Policy Transfer in Criminal Justice: Crossing Cultures, Breaking Barriers’ Palgrave Macmillan: UK.
If you are interested in being part of the study or for further information please contact us. We welcome the views and experiences of all practitioners working in this area.
Research Partners include:
Who we are and how to Contact us
"The CRAFT team incorporates a group of highly experienced and trained professionals who have come together due to their passion and commitment to develop practice in the field of interpersonal and family violence."
Our team has extensive experience in family therapy, couples therapy and the management and delivery of programmes for addressing family violence, in particular working with perpetrators of DVA. We also have extensive experience in all aspects of working with victims of domestic abuse, including assisting them in supporting their children. All members of our team are experienced trainers and deliver training on a local, national and international level, as well as developing and delivering courses for University curriculums (Exeter, Westminster and University of West England).
Jodie Das
Founder/Trainer
Jodie is a researcher, practitioner, educator and consultant who has worked for many years with DVA. Jodie has developed CRAFT as a response to the complexity of the issue and the challenges of working with it. She is committed to supporting and empowering practitioners across many professional disciplines in the development of compassionate and critically reflective practice when working with DVA.
t: 07950 040001
Email Jodie
John Davenne
Consultant/Trainer
John qualified as a Probation Officer in 2002 and worked as a DVA Facilitator, Treatment Manager and Programme Manager with oversight of DVA perpetrator work across two counties. In 2011 he began work in New Zealand with the Department of Corrections as Senior Advisor with responsibility for the implementation of the Family Violence Programme for male perpetrators of DVA.
t: 07961 789174
Email John
Dinah Mears
Consultant/Trainer
Dinah Mears has been working and training in the fields of Safeguarding Children, and Domestic Abuse since 1996. During this time Dinah also trained as a relationship counsellor and now has a busy private practice. Dinah teaches the Advanced Specialist Diploma in Relationship Therapy at Heartwood College in Devon.
t: 07971 867411
Email Dinah
Sarah Wigley
Consultant/Trainer
Sarah formed Sarah Wigley Associates in 2008 and focuses on creating training programmes and approaches to enable non domestic abuse specialists to explore and integrate best practice into their frontline work with families. Sarah’s experience working with victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse underpins her approach to challenging and supporting professionals when considering their own practice, particularly with regard to "Early Help".
t: 07817 574476
Email Sarah