Domestic Violence Offender Management Board Colorado Division of Criminal Justice 700 Kipling Street, Suite 1000 Denver, CO 80215 303-239-4456

At the request of the DHS/DVOMB Committee, the DVOMB in conjunction with this Committee further clarified the definition of family/couples counseling. Family/Couples Counseling When DHS/CPS is involved in a case involving domestic violence and the perpetrator is also in offender treatment, the Domestic Violence Offender Management Board (DVOMB) Standards provide direction regarding some allowed/non-allowed counseling interventions that potentially intersect with CPS requirements. The DVOMB Standards 5.0, states, in part, that the offender shall agree to: “Not participate in any couple’s counseling or family counseling while in offender treatment. This includes any joint counseling that involves the offender and the victim.” The DVOMB has further stated that the Standards prohibit counseling with the offender and the victim (victim defined as the adult victim and the intimate partner Appendix C4). This does not prohibit the offender from participating in counseling with the children without the adult victim present. If counseling does occur with the offender and children it should recognize, and acknowledge the offender’s battering and address this with the offender or children as appropriate. Interventions that are prohibited by the Standards would include:  

Family counseling where the offender and the adult victim are in the room together. Parenting classes/skill building where the offender and the adult victim are in the room together.

The premise of the DHS/DVOMB Committee is that cases involving domestic violence have potential risks. Further, offenders need to consistently be given the clear message that controlling behavior is unacceptable. Additionally, all professionals working in these cases should be monitoring risk and ensuring that none of its intervention give the offender inappropriate power and control over the adult or child victims. Bifurcated team decision meetings that involve the adult victim and perpetrator may need to be conducted to ensure victim safety and avoid offender control or collusion of the team. Assessment processes and victim advocacy are needed to determine victim risk and safety throughout the case planning process. (The Family Violence Prevention Fund Guidelines for Conducting Family Team Conferences when there is a History of Domestic Violence may be a potential resource for these teams.)