Identifying, and then what?
How to use the signs chart?
The signs chart is a practical tool for professionals who want to recognize signs of domestic violence and child abuse and be able to discuss these. The chart helps you to keep a broad perspective: not just one person or situation, but the whole picture. Take all signs seriously, base your assessment on what you observe and discuss your observations with colleagues.
Please note: signs alone are never evidence. They may indicate violence, but not necessarily. Stay mindful and engage in conversation – with an open mind and without judgment. Violence is often reciprocal; a person may be a victim and a perpetrator at the same time. Therefore, carefully consider the roles people may have; these may change.
You can fill out the chart digitally and save it as a PDF. This PDF will be helpful when going over the steps of the Protection Code Domestic Violence and Child Abuse.
Use the signs chart as a starting point for further action. Stay alert, work together and act carefully.
Recommendations when identifying
- Base your assessment on what you observe: What do you see? What do you hear?
- Ask open questions, for example: “How are things at home?” or “What happens when you are fighting?”.
- Use understandable language: connect with the people’s level, avoid technical jargon.
- Document neutrally and factually: describe behavior without judging, substantiate statements with facts.
- Work together: check your observations, stay alert and act carefully.
Identifying, and then what?
Violence in relationships often remains hidden. Signs are not always visible or clearly recognizable. Victims and perpetrators may feel ashamed or fear the consequences, which leads to the violence staying hidden. This makes identification complex and requires sensitivity, knowledge and skills.
Professionals often experience a fear to intervene; doubts about their assessment of the situation, fear to make it worse or a lack of faith in their own abilities. Identifying usually starts with suspicions and can be compared to making a puzzle. Consider facts, statements, context and own emotions. A question as simple as “How is it going at home” may already trigger a lot.
Use language that connects with people’s and children’s level. Avoid system language. Document behavior factually and neutrally, and substantiate statements with observations. Careless reporting may jeopardize the further assistance process.
The updated signs chart (2025) helps professionals to systematically pay attention to what they have seen, heard or felt. By linking observations to signs and risk factors, we gather a better understanding of the situation. The chart is linked to the Protection Code and leads users through the assessment framework step by step: do you engage in conversation yourself, do you enlist help or do you report?
The signs chart offers structure, reduces fear to intervene and increases the change of victims getting adequate help in time. It helps you to not only consider the bruises and the tension symptoms, but also the person behind the sign – with their unique context and vulnerabilities.
Protection Code
For more background information on the steps, consult www.nomasnomore.nl and ask for the protocol for Protection Code for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse within your own organization.
Step 1: Identifying signs
Identify the signs that may confirm or disprove a suspicion of domestic violence or child abuse and record these.
There may be things that are not listed on the chart but that do worry you. You can consider these when making the decision to report or not to report. We recommend you to be cautious with signs you did not perceive yourself and wherever possible, to encourage these people to take the Protection Code steps themselves or to get in touch with the Advisory and Reporting Office. Do the Child Check or Informal Caregiver Check if you are working with vulnerable adolescents, adults and/or elderly who are in a (medical) situation that may cause minor children or partners (serious) harm.
Child Check
The Child Check applies if an adult or adolescent client is in a (medical) situation that may cause minor children (serious) harm. The Child Check means that you check with certain groups of adults to see if they are in charge of the care for minor children and/or if children grow up safely in their care. Examples include clients with severe psychological problems, drug or alcohol addiction or a violent partner. Also check with these groups of clients if they are pregnant. And in case of adolescent clients with these types of issues, you check if they have underage siblings living in the house with them.
Step 2: Peer consultation
Discuss the signs with an expert colleague or in a teem meeting. If needed, also seek the advice of the Advisory and Reporting Office. Record the outcome of peer consultation and/or the advice given in the client file. Write down with whom, what and when you discussed this.
Step 3: Conversation with the client
Discuss the signs with the client. If you need support when preparing for or having the conversation with the client, consult an expert colleague and/or the Advisory and Reporting Office.
- Explain to the client what the purpose of the conversation is;
- Describe the facts you identified and the observations you made;
- Invite the client to respond to this information;
- Don’t give an interpretation (if any) of what you have seen, heard and observed until after the client has given a reaction.
Step 4: Assessing the violence by means of the assessment framework
Based on the signs, the advice you sought and the conversation with the client, assess the nature and the severity of the domestic violence and/or child abuse, by means of the assessment framework. Also assess the nature and the severity of the domestic violence or the child abuse. You can use risk assessment tools, if these are available within your organization.
Evaluate
- Do I have all relevant information?
- Did I speak to all those involved, including the children?
- Did I take all the steps?
- Did I record all information in the file?
Assess
- By means of the assessment framework, based on all information and all conversations, assess the risk of unsafety and the degree of unsafety
- In all cases of doubt, consult the Advisory and Reporting Office (again)
5. Decide: offer/enlist help or report
Offering help yourself is possible if you, as a professional:
- Are able to offer or enlist effective and adequate assistance;
- the client and other persons involved wish to receive this assistance; and
- the person who will offer the assistance is ale to track if the help offered leads to sustainable safety.
Reporting to is recommended if:
- the client and/or other people are not open to receiving the assistance you offer or enlist; or
- the (ongoing) assistance does not offer sufficient guarantees for the safety of the client and their family members, or if – due to the nature and severity of the signs and/or the outcome of the child check – you are unable to offer adequate and effective help that will lead to sustainable safety.
Inform the client of the notification if you have not informed them in an earlier stage. Here too, informing the client can only be omitted if there are specific indications that doing so could lead to safety risks for the client, their family members, or yourself. For example, if there are signs that the client will become even more violent towards their victim if they become aware of the fact that the victim has spoken to care providers, or if the professional fears – based on previous experiences with the client – that the client will use violence against them.
Contents of the notification
- the facts that have led to the notification;
- the response of the client to these facts;
- if there has been no contact with the client: the reason why this was not possible;
- what the person notifying hopes to achieve with the notification.