SINGAPORE - A 24-hour emergency response team made up of social service professionals, that responds to high-risk family violence cases together with the police, will be rolled out progressively nationwide in the coming months.

The first phase of the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT) started in April 2023, in areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon and Sengkang that are under the Ang Mo Kio Police Division.

DVERT officers, who are Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) staff trained in areas such as social work and psychology, work round the clock in 12-hour shifts to strengthen emergency response to high-risk family violence cases, said Ms Tabitha Ong.

Ms Ong, the director of the MSF’s Adult Protective Service, gave The Straits Times an update of DVERT’s work. The new team attended to 119 households from April to December 2023, and most of these cases involved a spouse who had been physically abused, she said.

DVERT’s set-up was one of 16 recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence, chaired by Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling and Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, which were released in 2021.

Amid an uptick in cases of family violence, the task force was set up in 2020 to address gaps and see what more could be done to boost protection and support for victims, among other areas.

When the police get a report about family violence and assess that it is a high-risk case, DVERT officers will be activated, and they will respond to the case together with the police.

Mr Martin Chok, deputy director of family and community services at social service agency Care Corner Singapore, said the quick response of DVERT officers, such as in assessing the situation and referring the victim to help services or a crisis shelter on the spot, is critical.

Without the DVERT officers, the police have to refer the case to a Protection Specialist Centre that specialises in tackling family violence like Care Corner Project StART, but that could take one or two days, according to Mr Chok.

He said: “Time is of the absolute importance here as it could be a matter of life and death.”

Ms Tessa Tay, 30, a DVERT officer who is trained in psychology, said the cases the team has attended to include that of a Singaporean woman who fled from her husband’s van after he hit her in the vehicle. She ran to a member of the public, who called the police.

“Her husband prevented her from contacting her family by keeping her phone. He had denied her the use of her phone and finances, and she was very fearful of going home,” said Ms Tay.

“This case is memorable as violence is not just about physical violence, but also the psychological aspect (of the violence) and its impact on the victim.”

The DVERT officers took the woman to a crisis shelter.

Ms Tay said its officers will speak to the victim and perpetrator to assess the situation, and come up with a plan to keep the victim safe in the meantime while he or she is referred to a Protection Specialist Centre or other agencies that provide the aid they need.

And when the Women’s Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which was passed in 2023, comes into effect in 2024, DVERT officers will have more powers, MSF’s Ms Ong said.

These include the ability to issue an Emergency Order at the scene in high-risk situations, to immediately protect the victim and prevent further violence. This Emergency Order can include one or more of the following orders:

• Domestic Exclusion Order, which restricts the perpetrator from being at home to ensure the victim’s safety.
• Stay Away Order, which prohibits the perpetrator from entering or remaining in places the victim frequents, such as the workplace or a childcare centre.
• No Contact Order, which prohibits the perpetrator from visiting or communicating with the victim.

Ms Ong said the Emergency Order acts as a temporary safeguard until a Personal Protection Order, which restrains a person from committing violence against a family member, is issued in court. 

The perpetrator of the violence can be arrested if he commits another act of violence that breaches the Emergency Order.

Under the Bill, a person convicted of family violence can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed for up to 18 months, or both if the offence is aggravated.

Ms Tay said that because of their training, they are able to get victims to reveal more about what they had experienced through various methods.

For example, she cited a case where DVERT officers coaxed a fearful mother to talk, and her daughter to share through drawing, about their abusive husband and father. It turned out the man pushed his wife and threatened to hurt her and their two young children after a quarrel. He also threw a glass object on the floor, and the woman called the police.

The police sent the man to the Institute of Mental Health for a psychiatric assessment, and the DVERT officers came up with a plan to keep the family safe.

They also referred the case to the Child Protective Service to ensure the children’s safety, and referred the family to a Protection Specialist Centre to address issues relating to the abuse.

Care Corner’s Mr Chok said they had heard of cases in the past where the police did not arrest the abuser as the incident of abuse was not considered an arrestable offence. Such offences include voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons.

And the police left the house after issuing a stern warning to the abuser.

He said: “This may affect victims, (making them) think: What is the point of calling the police? And after the police leave, the perpetrator may start the abuse again.”

Mr Chok said: “The presence of DVERT officers is reassuring for victims. They tell us they feel their concerns are heard, and they are not dismissed.”

He cited a case of an elderly couple who were pushed down the stairs by their son. Neighbours called the police after hearing their screams, and DVERT officers referred the case to Care Corner Project StART.

Mr Chok said the son had a history of violence, and had previously hit and strangled his parents when he was angry. While police investigations against the son are ongoing, he said, the elderly parents have been taught how to keep themselves safe. “The process has empowered the parents to know they are not alone, and they know they can get help,” he said.