The coalition government began consultation on the definition of domestic violence to be used by all agencies and all parts of government. It included the questions of whether the definition of domestic violence should include younger victims below 18 years of age, including boys; and whether coercive control should also be reflected in the definition.
Source: Cross-Government Definition of Domestic Violence: A Consultation, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | Labour Party press release | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined commonly held perceptions by young people as to why they were sometimes not believed by practitioners when reporting potential or actual instances of abuse or neglect.
Source: Stanley Tucker, 'Listening and believing: an examination of young people?s perceptions of why they are not believed by professionals when they report abuse and neglect', Children & Society, Volume 25 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the impact of domestic abuse on the health and lives of older women. The consequences of domestic abuse for older women were far-reaching, significantly affecting the long-term health and emotional well-being of those affected. There was little data available regarding older women and domestic abuse within the particular context of health.
Source: Julie McGarry and Christine Simpson, 'Domestic abuse and older women: exploring the opportunities for service development and care delivery', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 13 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the nature and implications of the proposed legal aid cuts in family law cases raising issues of domestic abuse.
Source: Rosemary Hunter, 'Doing violence to family law', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 33 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A report said that children removed from homes where domestic violence was present were being forced to stay in contact with violent parents against their will: moving far away from abusive partners did not ensure protection for mothers or their children if the violent father continued to have a presence in the family's life as a result of child contact arrangements.
Source: Lorraine Radford, Ruth Aitken, Pam Miller, Jane Ellis, Jill Roberts, and Ana Firkic, Meeting the Needs of Children Living with Domestic Violence in London, Refuge/National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | Refuge press release | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Nov
The coalition government published a report on progress in implementing its action plan on ending violence against women and girls.
Source: Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG): Action Plan Progress Review, Government Equalities Office
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the effect of a recent Supreme Court decision on the definition of domestic violence. The Court had rejected the view that domestic violence was restricted to cases where physical force had been used against the victim, and had held that it should be interpreted to include the use of emotional, psychological, or financial abuse.
Source: Jonathan Herring, 'The meaning of domestic violence: Yemshaw v London Borough of Hounslow [2011] UKSC 3', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 33 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A report said that nearly 200,000 babies in families with domestic violence, mental health, or addiction problems were at high risk of abuse. It called for 'early and effective' support for babies living in homes with these problems.
Source: Chris Cuthbert, Gwynne Rayns, and Kate Stanley, All Babies Count: Prevention and protection for vulnerable babies, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | NSPCC press release | MHF press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the effectiveness of a programme of training and support in primary healthcare practices designed to increase identification of women experiencing domestic violence and their referral to specialist advocacy services. The programme improved both referral and identification rates.
Source: Gene Feder, Roxane Agnew Davies, Kathleen Baird, Danielle Dunne, Sandra Eldridge, Chris Griffiths, Alison Gregory, Annie Howell, Medina Johnson, Jean Ramsay, Clare Rutterford, and Debbie Sharp, ' Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) of women experiencing domestic violence with a primary care training and support programme: a cluster randomised controlled trial', The Lancet 13 October 2011 (online first)
Links: Abstract | Bristol University press release | UWE press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A report said that women who had experienced domestic violence should have access to legal advice for a wide range of issues – including many of the areas of law that the coalition government was proposing to remove from the scope of legal aid.
Source: Legal Aid Is a Lifeline: Women speak out on the legal aid reforms, National Federation of Women's Institutes
Links: Report | NFWI press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Oct
The coalition government began consultation on proposals to give people the power to find out from the police if a new partner had a history of domestic violence.
Source: Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme: A Consultation, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Impact assessment | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Oct
A study examined violence in the intimate relationships of disadvantaged teenagers who were not in mainstream education. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds were much more likely to experience abusive partner relationships than their better-off counterparts. Many of the young people who participated in the study appeared to accept violence as normal, although unwanted, aspect of being in a relationship. More than half of the girls said that they had been in a sexually violent relationship before they were 18.
Source: Marsha Wood, Christine Barter, and David Berridge, ?Standing on My Own Two Feet?: Disadvantaged teenagers, intimate partner violence and coercive control, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | Bristol University press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined the interface between the police and child protection services in responding to domestic violence incidents. Notifications by the police triggered a new social work intervention in only 5 per cent of cases. 40 per cent of families notified had had no previous contact with child protection services in that area: but those cases most likely to receive social work assessment or intervention were those where the case was already open. Social workers also found that notifications conveyed little information on children's experiences of domestic violence.
Source: Nicky Stanley, Pam Miller, Helen Richardson Foster, and Gill Thomson, 'Children s experiences of domestic violence: developing an integrated response from police and child protection services', Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Volume 26 Number 12
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
Researchers examined evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multi-agency risk assessment conferences for domestic violence. They considered how the model operated within the wider response to domestic violence; variation in existing practice among conferences; and potential areas for future development.
Source: Nerissa Steel, Laura Blakeborough, and Sian Nicholas, Supporting High-Risk Victims of Domestic Violence: A review of multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs), Research Report 55, Home Office
Links: Report | Summary | Research document
Notes: Multi-agency risk assessment conferences are meetings where statutory and voluntary agency representatives share information about high-risk victims of domestic abuse in order to produce a co-ordinated action plan to increase victim safety.
Date: 2011-Jul
The Director of Public Prosecutions issued guidance on perverting the course of justice in cases involving rape and/or domestic violence allegations. He said that rape and domestic violence victims should be confident in reporting abuse without fear of prosecution if they were later pressured into retracting the allegation: but anyone who maliciously invented a false allegation of rape or domestic violence was 'still very much at risk' of prosecution.
Source: Perverting the Course of Justice: Charging in cases involving rape and/or domestic violence allegations, Crown Prosecution Service
Links: Guidance | CPS press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The Director of Public Prosecutions issued guidance on perverting the course of justice in cases involving rape and/or domestic violence allegations. He said that rape and domestic violence victims should be confident in reporting abuse without fear of prosecution if they were later pressured into retracting the allegation: but anyone who maliciously invented a false allegation of rape or domestic violence was 'still very much at risk' of prosecution.
Source: Perverting the Course of Justice: Charging in cases involving rape and/or domestic violence allegations, Crown Prosecution Service
Links: Guidance | CPS press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined the type of assistance provided by local authorities and other specialist agencies to adults who were neither pregnant nor had any dependent children living with them and who had to leave their homes because they were fleeing domestic violence.
Source: Gemma Burgess, Anna Clarke, and Fiona Lyall Grant, Domestic Violence: Assistance for Adults Without Dependent Children – Final report, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined violent fathering. It considered fathers' perceptions of their domestic violence and its impact on children, their relationships with children, and their parenting practices.
Source: Lynne Harne, Violent Fathering and the Risks to Children: The need for change, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
A briefing paper examined the situation of people with temporary immigration status who suffered domestic violence.
Source: Melanie Gower, Immigration: Domestic Violence, Standard Note SN/HA/4644, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2011-May
An article examined domestic violence perpetrator programmes within the probation service. There had been a recent proliferation of somewhat standardized models of intervention, and consideration was given to what individualized approaches might require.
Source: David Morran, Paul Wolf-Light, Moira Andrew, and Rory Macrae, 'Re-education or recovery? Re-thinking some aspects of domestic violence perpetrator programmes', Probation Journal, Volume 58 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A knowledge review examined what was effective in improving children's outcomes by supporting parental and carer couple relationships and reducing conflict within families, including domestic violence.
Source: Helen Barrett, Yan-Shing Chang, Janet Walker, and Palak Mehta, Improving Children's Outcomes by Supporting Couple Relationships, Reducing Family Conflict and Addressing Domestic Violence, Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
Date: 2011-Apr
A study examined the feasibility of standardizing national legislation in the European Union on violence against women, violence against children, and sexual orientation violence.
Source: Feasibility Study to Assess the Possibilities, Opportunities and Needs to Standardise National Legislation on Violence Against Women, Violence Against Children and Sexual Orientation Violence, European Commission
Date: 2011-Apr
The government published an action plan containing a series of detailed measures designed to tackle violence against women and girls – including domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking.
Source: Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls: Action Plan, Home Office
Links: Action plan | Home Office press release | Labour Party press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined the social work response to families notified by the police (following domestic violence incidents) to children's services in two English authorities. Structures for assessment and intervention contributed to a 'stop-start' pattern of social work – one that seemed ill-suited to building the trust and engagement needed to deal with the issue of domestic violence.
Source: Nicky Stanley, Pam Miller, Helen Richardson Foster, and Gill Thomson, 'A stop start response: social services' interventions with children and families notified following domestic violence incidents', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 41 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined violence against women aged 60 and over at the hands of existing and/or former intimate partners in 6 European countries – Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
Source: Barbara Nagele, Urte Bohm, Thomas Gorgen, and Olga Toth, Intimate Partner Violence Against Older Women, European Commission
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined local multi-agency responses to domestic violence, in particular how the introduction of local crime and disorder reduction partnerships in the late 1990s had affected service provision. The process had resulted in the dominance of the statutory sector, a marginalization of voluntary agencies, and a partial alienation of women's groups.
Source: Peter Harvie and Tony Manzi, 'Interpreting multi-agency partnerships: ideology, discourse and domestic violence', Social and Legal Studies, Volume 20 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
The Scottish Parliament approved a Bill designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Source: Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO | Scottish Parliament Debate 16 March 2011, Official Report, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Official Report | Glasgow University press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book examined the policy changes that had led to rehabilitation programmes for male perpetrators of intimate partner violence within the criminal justice system.
Source: Erica Bowen, The Rehabilitation of Partner-Violent Men, Wiley
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Mar
A scoping review examined the existing international data on safeguarding children from physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence. It considered how different institutional and cultural approaches to safeguarding children, and different forms of provision and support, might influence trends in the incidence and nature of abuse and neglect.
Source: Emily Munro, Rebecca Brown, Joe Sempik, and Harriet Ward, with Charlie Owen, Scoping Review to Draw Together Data on Child Injury and Safeguarding and to Compare the Position of England with that in Other Countries, Research Report RR083, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined antecedent patterns of healthcare use by children who had been fatally or seriously harmed by maltreatment. Complex paediatric and family problems, and a high level of contact with services, were found to precede serious adverse events. Universal health services were likely to be well placed for giving continuing and family-orientated support to vulnerable families.
Source: Jenny Woodman et al., 'Healthcare use by children fatally or seriously harmed by child maltreatment: analysis of a national case series 2005-2007', Archives of Disease in Childhood, Volume 96 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined how social workers worked with fathers who had committed domestic abuse. Fathers (especially non-resident fathers) were too often not assessed as a risk – or resource – to the child. They were often in contact with their children: but assessments or programmes were rarely offered that forced them to face up to their abusive behaviour.
Source: Cathy Ashley (ed.), Working with Risky Fathers, Family Rights Group
Links: FRG website | Guardian report | Community Care report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2011-Feb
A survey found that nearly 1 in 5 secondary school children had been severely abused or neglected during childhood. The survey involved 2,275 children aged 11-17 and 1,761 adults aged 18-24, and was carried out in 2009.
Source: Press release 15 February 2011, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: NSPCC press release | Action for Children press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Feb
A survey highlighted the case for legal aid as an essential tool for women seeking protection for themselves and their children from violence. Access to legal advice and representation should be improved, rather than being cut as the government proposed.
Source: Women's Access to Justice: A Research Report, Rights of Women
Date: 2011-Feb
An article reported the first-ever national study of the needs of disabled women experiencing domestic violence. Support services frequently overlooked or responded inappropriately to disabled women in this situation.
Source: Gill Hague, Ravi Thiara, and Audrey Mullender, 'Disabled women, domestic violence and social care: the risk of isolation, vulnerability and neglect', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 41 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the association between childhood physical/sexual abuse and illicit drug use in later life. There was 'tentative support' for some degree of association. The authors highlighted the difficulties involved in drawing conclusions due to the complex and multifaceted nature of drug use, and the variability in the quality of the research available in this area.
Source: Sophia Butt, Shihning Chou, and Kevin Browne, 'A rapid systematic review on the association between childhood physical and sexual abuse and illicit drug use among males', Child Abuse Review, Volume 20 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
The final text was approved of a draft Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women – the first binding text in Europe to focus on all forms of violence against women.
Source: Draft Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Council of Europe
Links: Draft convention
Notes: The draft convention was due to be considered by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in March 2011.
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined domestic violence against women from minority-ethnic and Roma backgrounds in the United Kingdom and Hungary. Stereotyping and racism often contributed to women not being able to access adequate protection.
Source: Yesim Yaprak Yildiz, Fruzsina Baumann, and Sumita Dutta, Empowering Women or Perpetuating Victimhood: Minority ethnic and Roma women's experiences of domestic violence policy and service provision, IMECE Turkish Speaking Women's Group/London Training and Employment Network/Regional Social Welfare Resource Centre
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
The Supreme Court ruled that the term 'domestic violence' was not limited in law to physical violence: it included other forms of violent conduct such as threatening or intimidating behaviour and any other form of abuse that, directly or indirectly, might give rise to the risk of harm.
Source: Yemshaw v London Borough of Hounslow, UKSC 3 (2011), United Kingdom Supreme Court
Links: Judgement | Supreme Court press release | Womensgrid report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Notes: The Court was ruling in the context of Section 177(1) of the Housing Act 1996, which stated that it was not reasonable for a person to continue to occupy accommodation if it was probable that this would lead to domestic violence or other violence against them or other members of their household.
Date: 2011-Jan
A report by a committee of MSPs supported the general principles of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill: but it opposed a proposal to remove the means-testing of anyone applying for civil legal aid to pursue a protective order in a domestic abuse case.
Source: Stage 1 Report on the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill, 1st Report 2011, SP Paper 556, Scottish Parliament Justice Committee
Links: Report
Notes: The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill was introduced in May 2010. It was designed to increase access to justice for victims of domestic abuse, and to enable police and prosecutors to provide a more robust response to breached civil protection orders.
Date: 2011-Jan