Coercive Control and Social Entrapment Workshop Series overview

Coercive control and social entrapment continue to be key issues in our sector that we need to practice and engage with in order to enhance safety and accountability. Coercive control and social entrapment are critical concepts that when translated into practice allow us to challenge perpetrators systematic tactics of isolation, fear and coercion; the limitations of our service systems; and support victims/survivors. The concepts of coercive control and social entrapment provide an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics that allows perpetrators to establish and maintain control over their partner or their ex-partner.

Workshop 1: Coercive Control and Social Entrapment

Date: Friday, 8 October 2021
Time: 9.30am – 11.30am (AEST)

Understanding the concepts of coercive control and social entrapment is critical as practitioners-in-systems. The power of these concepts, when understood and collectively responded to across sectors, challenges and compels us to shift the burden of responsibility from victims/survivors to holding perpetrators and systems accountable. Translating these concepts into practice is key to managing and monitoring risk; responding to the tactics of intimate partner violence; the limitations of safety responses in our current systems; and how structural oppressions reinforce entrapment conditions.

Workshop 2: Substance Use Coercion – Intersections between Alcohol and Other Drugs and Family Violence

Date: Friday, 15 October 2021
Time: 9.30am – 11.30am (AEST)

Substance Use Coercion occurs with perpetrators of family violence using their partner’s substance as part of a broader pattern of abuse to further their power and control. This workshop will interrogate how the perpetrator shifts responsibility for their violence onto their partner’s substance use and how this can adversely impact on the victim /survivor accessing services and support including tactics to sabotage their recovery and treatment. This workshop will also offer practice responses in assessing and working with the intersections between family Violence and substance use

Workshop 3: Resistance Violence – Responding to domination in the lives of victims/survivors

Date: Friday, 22 October 2021
Time: 9.30am – 11.30am (AEST)

Victims/Survivors are always active in their resistance to perpetrators’ use of tactics of coercive control, abuse and violence. As workers, we need to be able to analyse the ways that power and control is being used by perpetrators and how we further entrap victims/survivors in our systems responses. We will unpack the resistive strategies of victims/survivors as a response and form of survival to perpetrators’ use of coercive tactics, and bring forward victims/survivors agency when living in a context of entrapment and oppression.

Workshop 4: Collusion – Increasing Accountability Practices for Family Violence Teams and Systems

Date: Friday, 29 October 2021
Time: 9.30am – 11.30am (AEST)

Collusion is complex and nuanced and in perpetrator work it comes in many forms. This workshop will explore collusion beyond our direct responses to men who are violent to women. We will look at collusive messages and practices that occur at structural, organisational, relational, and individual levels. As family violence programs our practices of respect and equality are critical for challenging oppression and gender power relations. Further, it creates a foundation for engaging in critical thinking and dialogue with perpetrators so that entitled belief systems that devalue women are challenged.

Please note: Participants can register for one or more of the workshops.

Who should attend

Anyone with an interest in gaining deeper understanding of coercive control and social entrapment.

About the facilitators

Tracy Castelino

Tracy Castelino has been working to challenge and eliminate injustice and inequality for over 20 years. She has a passion for seeking respectful and innovative ways of working with individuals, organisations and communities to respond to the various issues that cause marginalisation and vulnerability. Tracy, with her ShantiWorks’ team, works to create a reflective, educative space as a way to explore key issues such as domestic violence, whiteness and racism and responding to trauma.

The Coersive Control and Social Entrapment series will be delivered by Tracy and members of the ShantiWorks team.