Archives

Steps to Safety will help GPs connect patients with domestic abuse support

Steps to Safety, a domestic abuse sexual violence referral service, is to be established across all integrated care boards by 2029. Referring patients who are experiencing domestic violence will now be core business for general practice.

In support and to ensure assimilation of the programme, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recently announced that it will be tendering for a national partner to provide centralised assistance to integrated care boards, working alongside the government department, NHS bodies, and domestic abuse organisations.

The DHSC announcement and subsequent funding is vital to the success of Steps to Safety.

VISION Director and University of Bristol Professor in Primary Care, Gene Feder, has written an opinion piece for the BMJ, welcoming the government’s commitment to improve how domestic abuse is handled by the healthcare system. With his fellow academic and GP co-authors, Lucy Potter and Kate Pitt, they urge for programme evidence-based decisions alongside relational, integrated care and proactive outreach.

To download the opinion piece: Steps to Safety will help GPs connect patients with domestic abuse support

To cite: BMJ 2026;395:e101285

Illustration from Adobe Stock subscription

Do all deaths count? A look at Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews

In England and Wales, domestic abuse-related death reviews (DARDRs) bring stakeholders together to examine and learn from domestic abuse-related deaths. However, decision-making about which deaths to review has not been examined, creating a gap in knowledge about the notifications received, whether a DARDR is undertaken, and oversight and communication of outcomes. An exploratory study, Decision-Making on Deaths Subject to Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews in England and Wales: Do All Deaths Count?, addresses this gap.

Researchers James Rowlands (Durham University), Elizabeth Cook (VISION consortium, City St George’s University of London) and Althea Cribb (independent) reviewed data collected from the local partnership bodies responsible for decision-making about domestic abuse-related death notifications received between January 2017 and December 2024. They examined the stages from the notification of a death to the decision about whether to undertake a DARDR—which, reflecting the terminology in England and Wales, is described as the “commissioning pathway”—and the oversight and communication of these decisions.

Results showed increasing numbers but a changing profile of notifications: homicide is no longer the most common case type, having been superseded by suicide. However, missing data hampers decision-making. Improved understanding of decision-making about which deaths are reviewed has significant implications for state accountability. Further clarity and guidance are needed for commissioners and other stakeholders regarding notification, identification, and decision-making.

To download the article: Decision-Making on Deaths Subject to Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews in England and Wales: Do All Deaths Count?

To cite: Rowlands, J.., Cook, E. A., & Cribb, A. (2026). Decision-Making on Deaths Subject to Domestic Abuse-Related Death Reviews in England and Wales: Do All Deaths Count? Homicide Studies, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679261495100

For further information: contact James at james.h.rowlands@durham.ac.uk

AI illustration provided by Adobe Stock subscription

VISION responds to Parliamentary, government & non-government consultations

Consultation, evidence and inquiry submissions are an important part of our work at VISION. Responding to Parliamentary, government and non-government organisation consultations ensures that a wide range of opinions and voices are factored into the policy decision making process. As our interdisciplinary research addresses violence and how it cuts across health, crime and justice and the life course, we think it is important to take the time to answer any relevant call and to share our insight and findings to support improved policy and practice. We respond as VISION, the Violence & Society Centre, and sometimes in collaboration with others. Below are the links to our published responses and evidence from June 2022.

  1. UK Parliament – The House of Lords Committee on the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 – Call for Evidence: Impact of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Our submission was published October 2026
  2. UK Parliament – International Development Committee – Inquiry: Women, Peace and Security. Our submission was published in March 2026
  3. UK Parliament – Public Bill Committee – Call for evidence: Crime and Policing Bill. Our submission was published in 2025
  4. UK Parliament (Library) – POSTNote – Approved Work: Violence Against Women and Girls in schools and among children & young people. Two VISION reports were referenced in their POSTNote published in August 2025
  5. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG). Our submission was published in April 2025
  6. UK Parliament – House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility Policy – Call for Evidence: Exploring how education and work opportunities can be better integrated to improve social mobility across the UK. Our submission was published in 2025
  7. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: Community Cohesion. Our submission was published in February 2025
  8. UK Parliament – Call for evidence on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Our submission was published in February 2025
  9. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Government. Our submission was published in January 2025
  10. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Tackling Homelessness. Our submission with Dr Natasha Chilman was published in January 2025. See the full report
  11. Home Office – Legislation consultation: Statutory Guidance for the Conduct of Domestic Homicide Reviews. Our submission was published on the VISION website in July 2024
  12. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The rights of older people. Our submission was published in November 2023
  13. UK Parliament  – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The impact of the rising cost of living on women. Our submission was published in November 2023
  14. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The escalation of violence against women and girls. Our submission published in September 2023
  15. Home Office – Legislation consultation: Machetes and other bladed articles: proposed legislation (submitted response 06/06/2023). Government response to consultation and summary of public responses was published in August 2023
  16. Welsh Government – Consultation: National action plan to prevent the abuse of older people. Summary of the responses published in April 2023
  17. Race Disparity Unit (RDU) – Consultation: Standards for Ethnicity Data (submitted response 30/08/2022). Following the consultation, a revised version of the data standards was published in April 2023
  18. UK Parliament – The Home Affairs Committee – Call for evidence: Human Trafficking. Our submission was published in March 2023
  19. UN expert – Call for evidence: Violence, abuse and neglect in older people. Our submission was published in February 2023
  20. UK Parliament – The Justice and Home Affairs Committee – Inquiry: Family migration. Our submission was published in September 2022 and a report was published following the inquiry in February 2023
  21. Home Office – Consultation: Controlling or Coercive behaviour Statutory Guidance. Our submission was published in June 2022

For further information, please contact us at VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk

Photo by JaRiRiyawat from Adobe Stock downloads (licensed)

Involving young people in research on abuse

Despite a growing recognition that children and young people experience harm in their romantic relationships, young people’s voices are rarely heard in research on teenage relationship abuse (TRA), including on how to undertake such research with young people with lived experience.

Involving Young People in Research on Abuse: Young People’s Perspectives is a short report from VISION Research Fellows Polina Obolenskaya and Annie Bunce and colleagues that draws on the perspectives of four young people (aged 18 to 25). These views were expressed during an online workshop as a result of having experienced harmful relationships when they were 13 to 16 years old.

Thematic analysis identified five key themes from their discussions:

  1. Participating in research has psychological and practical benefits for young people but they still appreciate remuneration;
  2. It is important to reach out to as many young people as possible to broaden knowledge and perspectives of teenage relationship abuse;
  3. Researchers’ use of language around teenage relationship abuse is vital for involving young people in a meaningful way and for research quality;
  4. Providing choice, safety and clarity helps encourage young people to get involved and maintain their engagement in the research process;
  5. It is important to young people that they are kept informed about how their voices are shaping the research and driving change.

The report concludes with some practical recommendations for researchers.

To download the article: Involving Young People in Research on Abuse: Young People’s Perspectives

To download the infographic: Infographic_Involving young people in research on abuse

To cite: Obolenskaya, P., Bunce, A., Balachandran, I., Balachandran, M., Beat, E., and Waller, K (2026), Involving Young People in Research on Abuse: Young People’s Perspectives. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=7570338 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.7570338

For further information: contact Polina at polina.obolenskaya@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Illustration provided by Polina Obolenskaya

Young people’s perspectives on experience of teenage relationship abuse and professional support

Violence and abuse in children and young people’s intimate relationships are frequently overlooked in research and policy, falling between child protection and Domestic Abuse policy. Focused work with young people with lived experience of harmful relationships is needed to ensure their voices are incorporated in research, policy and practice.

Too Soon Too Late: Young People’s Perspectives on Experience of Teenage Relationship Abuse and Professional Support, a study from VISION Research Fellows Polina Obolenskaya and Annie Bunce and colleagues, explores young people’s thoughts on experiences of violence and abuse in romantic relationships, including recognition, help-seeking, and professional support. The team draws on lived experience accounts of four young people aged 18-25 who experienced harm in their romantic relationships when aged 13-16 (via an online workshop).

This work was designed and co-produced by academics and a domestic abuse charity, SafeLives, as well as three young people from their ‘Changemakers’ network, some of whom had also experienced abuse, who facilitated the workshop.

The workshop transcript was coanalyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified:

  1. violence and abuse in romantic relationships are not easily identifiable/recognizable in those aged 13-16, including among those who appear to be “doing well”;
  2. there are inadequacies and inconsistencies in the professional response; and
  3. earlier identification and more effective responses to harmful behaviors are crucial.

The study concludes that to improve recognition, identification, and responses to harm in teenage relationships, the following is required: adopting consistent and relatable terminology; empowering teachers to spot the signs of harm and strengthening communication between agencies; and tailoring responses to abuse among young people to their specific needs.

To download the article: Too Soon Too Late: Young People’s Perspectives on Experience of Teenage Relationship Abuse and Professional Support 

To cite: Obolenskaya, Polina and Bunce, Annie and Balachandran, Imi and Balachandran, Maya and Beat, Ellie and Waller, Kristie, Too Soon Too Late: Young People’s Perspectives on Experience of Teenage Relationship Abuse and Professional Support (October 06, 2026). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=7570859 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.7570859

For further information: contact Polina at polina.obolenskaya@citystgeorges.ac.uk

 
Photograph supplied from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

New VISION Policy Briefing Series on ethnicity inequalities and violence

In collaboration with Imkaan, the UK’s only national feminist umbrella organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritsed women and girls, VISION Research Fellow, Dr Hannah Manzur, wrote two policies on the intersectionality of ethnicity, sex, gender, and violence focussing first on access to specialist services and second, through a systems theory approach.

The first policy briefing, Ethnic Inequalities in Violence Series: Specialist Services, is based on VISION research on ethnic inequalities, gendered violence, and specialist services. The research team finds critical inequalities in Black and minoritised women’s access to support and emphasises the need for a sustainably funded ‘By and For’ Sector.

The second policy briefing, Ethnic Inequalities in Violence Series: Systems Response, also uses VISION research on ethnic inequalities but looks at violence risks, harms, and service responses from a systems theory approach. This briefing identifies compounding disadvantages, intersecting inequalities, and critical gaps and disparities in victim-survivors’ services access and treatment.

 

Supporting Specialist Services for Black and Minoritised Women Victims of Violence: Access, Impact, & Resources

Specialist services provide life-saving support to people experiencing domestic and sexual violence, including trauma-informed and VAWG-sensitive care, counselling, legal and medical support, safety planning, advocacy, and crisis interventions delivered by trained caseworkers and practitioners. Led by Black and minoritised women, specialist ‘By and For’ services[1] are particularly important in offering essential holistic, wrap-around support, including intersectional advocacy, tailored to the specific needs and experiences of Black and minoritised women victim-survivors. Despite this, specialist services, particularly the ‘By and For’ sector, are constrained by chronic underfunding, limited inclusion and recognition of their expertise, and increased demand for services in an increasingly hostile political landscape for Black and minoritised communities and victim-survivors of violence.

Key Recommendations

  1. Funding: adequate, secured, and sustainable funding for specialist services with increased and ring-fenced ‘By and For’ funding.
  2. Recognition: formally recognise ‘By and For’ services as a distinct and essential model of VAWG prevention.
  3. No Recourse for Public Funds (NRPF): urgently repeal the NRPF condition.
  4. Data: introduce a data firewall for migrant victims, improve national ethnicity data, fund specialist services’ data-infrastucture projects, and engage ‘By and For’ expertise.
  5. Accessibility: evaluate national accessibility to specialist services, especially ‘By and For’ closures and reductions.
  6. Training: statutory services training in service provision tailored to Black and minoritised women victims.
  7. Collaboration: investment in collaborative partnerships, training, and referral protocols, led by ‘By and For’ expertise.

 

Ethnic Inequalities in Violence: Addressing Compounding Disadvantage and Institutional Engagement through a Systems Response to Violence

From data to policy to services, the systems designed to address the complex needs of violence victim-survivors of violence often fall short. Disjointed services, difficult pathways to support, and critical gaps in service provision create a complex system which victim-survivors, particularly those experiencing domestic and sexual violence, are expected to navigate to access support. For Black and minoritised victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence, violence  causes and contexts, risks, harms, and support needs are shaped by both intersecting inequalities and compounding disadvantages. The combination of existing social disadvantages, under-funded and non-specialist public and specialist services, and disjointed and complex systems[2] requires urgently addressing from an intersectional and systems-based response to violence prevention and victim support.

Key Recommendations

  1. Systems-level responses: Targeted interventions and support provision must be integrated into a systems-level approach through cross-sectoral and multi-agency collaboration. Include funded advisory roles for specialist ‘By and For’ services representatives as systems leaders, not only referal partners.
  2. Build data and evidence linkages and expand cross-sectoral comparative research.
  3. Remove cross-sectoral barriers to support, including repealing the NRPF, introducing data-sharing firewalls, and enhance statutory duties.
  4. Invest in comparative and intersectional research which integrates multiple social contexts and axes of inequality.
  • [2] VISION’s systems theory approach was led by Dr Olumide Adisa. See for example: Adisa 2024, 2025.

 

To download the briefings:

To cite the Specialist Services briefing: Manzur, H. 2026. Supporting Specialist Services for Black and Minoritised Women Victims of Violence: A VISION Research and Policy Briefing in collaboration with Imkaan. London: VISION, Imkaan. https://doi.org/10.25383/city.33524527

To cite the Systems Response briefing: Manzur, H. 2026. Ethnic Inequalities in Violence: Addressing Compounding Disadvantage and Institutional Engagement through a Systems Response to Violence. A VISION Research & Policy Briefing in collaboration with Imkaan. London: VISION, Imkaan. https://doi.org/10.25383/city.33527260

For further information: contact Hannah at hannah.manzur.4@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Illustration from Adobe Stock subscription

Domestic Violence and Abuse-Related Suicide: Evidence from Six Years of Irish Coronial Data

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and suicide are both major public health concerns, yet the relationship between them is less well understood. For people experiencing DVA, understanding their connection is key if support services and interventions are to respond effectively.

A new study, Domestic Violence and Abuse-Related Suicide: Evidence from Six Years of Irish Coronial Data, co-authored by Gemma Cox, Sarah Dangar, Katerina Kavalidou, and VISION researcher, Lizzie Cook, contributes new evidence to this emerging area of research. The study is the first in Ireland to examine the intersection between DVA and suicide using six years of national coronial data from the Irish Probable Suicide Deaths Study (IPSDS).

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study draws on coronial records of suicides to investigate the prevalence, circumstances, and characteristics where a link to DVA had been document. A total of 3622 cases of suicide were screened for evidence of DVA; of thse, 15 DVA-related suicides were identified, all of which were female. A series of composite narratives are used to highlight the complex interaction of factors shaping DVA and suicide.

The study highlights the importance of recognising DVA within wider suicide prevention efforts. However, it also raises important questions about how experiences of DVA are identified and recorded within coronial systems that investigates these deaths.

This paper will be of interest to researchers, clinicians, mental health professionals, domestic abuse practitioners, suicide prevention specialists, policymakers, coroners, voluntary and communtiy sector organisations, and others working across health, social care, and justic sectors.

To download the article in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine: Domestic violence and abuse-related suicide: evidence from six years of Irish coronial data

To cite: Cox G, Cook E, Dangar S, Kavalidou K. Domestic violence and abuse-related suicide: evidence from six years of Irish coronial data. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. Published online 2026:1-8. doi:10.1017/ipm.2026.10220

For further information: contact Lizzie at elizabeth.cook@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Photo by Steve A Johnson on Unsplash

Upcoming event: Gaps in measuring and responding to childhood adversity

 

 

Domestic abuse and other adversities experienced by children and young people: What’s missing in measurement and service response?

This event is in the past

Free webinar, Tuesday 15 September 2026, 12:00 – 14:00

To register: Gaps in measuring and responding to childhood adversity

There is widespread recognition that adversities experienced by children and young people are damaging to their health and wellbeing, with negative impact through their life course.  Those adversities, including domestic abuse and child maltreatment, are often invisible to NHS service providers, a necessary condition for responding to the needs of those children and young people. 

VISION (a UK Prevention Research Partnership-funded consortium) and CPRU (the NIHR Child and Families Policy Research Unit) have conducted multi-disciplinary research improving the measurement of child adversities and their impact on mental health, enhancing the use of general practice data to identify families experiencing adversity, identify the gaps and effective practice in responding to the needs of children and young people experiencing domestic abuse or maltreatment, particularly their mental health.  

The webinar will be co-chaired by Professors Gene Feder (VISION, University of Bristol) & Ruth Gilbert (CPRU, University College London) with presentations from the following researchers with ample time for discussion of their findings in relation to practice and policy: 

  • Dr Ladan Hashemi (VISION, City St George’s UoL) – Adverse childhood experiences and childhood outcomes: cumulative exposure, and mitigating factors: from epidemiology to informing services
  • Dr Shabeer Syed (CPRU, University College London) – From firstborn to family: identifying ACEs in general practice data and the case for whole-family support
  • Dr Claire Powell (CPRU, University College London) – Invisibility of domestic abuse in child and adolescent mental health services: how can it be made visible and addressed?
  • Dr Ruth Weir (VISION, City St George’s UoL) – Teenage relationship abuse: Recognition and response in collaboration with young people

Co-organisers:

             

 

AI illustration from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

Upcoming event – Improving police responses to domestic abuse with AI

 

 

Exploring opportunities to improve police responses to domestic abuse with Artificial Intelligence: Aligning with the NPCC’s Digital Strategy

This event is in the past

Online, Wednesday 2 September 2026, 4 – 5 pm

To register: Exploring opportunities webinar

Presenters: Dr Les Humphreys, University of Lancashire and Dr Darren Cook, City St George’s University of London

Efforts to develop intelligence led policing are ongoing and will continue apace in line with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Digital Strategy for 2025-2030. To implement this strategy, Police chiefs are calling for huge investment from the government to increase science and technology capabilities. This strategy has the potential to make significant improvements to police responses to domestic abuse, in part by better utilising the masses of unstructured (i.e., textual) data routinely collected by the police but rarely analysed. Effective implementation of the digital strategy requires understanding police analysts’ current abilities to meet the proposed demands, and an appreciation of what developments are needed and feasible.

To address these questions, we conducted a survey of police analysts, asking questions reflecting their current knowledge of modern AI tools, as well as their capacity and attitude towards potential upskilling. We received responses from 159 analysts (81% of whom were from UK police forces). We present results from the survey. Highlighting the potential benefits of improved data analytic capabilities within policing, we present examples of how AI and related technologies can be used to address core data analysis problems related to domestic abuse. We conclude by discussing the implications that our research has for ensuring police analysts are well positioned to effectively use the large amounts of text data they hold for better responses to domestic abuse.

For any queries, contact connectcentre@lancashire.ac.uk

Co-organisers:

                        

Photograph from Adobe Stock subscription

Measuring outcomes of safe accommodation: A rapid evidence review

Safe accommodation refers to safe, time limited accommodation for anyone escaping domestic abuse. It includes a range of settings such as refuge accommodation, specialist and dispersed accommodation, sanctuary schemes, and move-on or second-stage housing. In the short-term, support in safe accommodation provides immediate safety for victim-survivors fleeing domestic abuse, and, in the longer-term the aim is for victim survivors to be free from abuse and rebuild their lives.

The most recent national estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales showed that 3.8 million people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in year ending March 2025: 2.2 million females and 1.5 million males. The demand for safe accommodation for those experiencing domestic abuse persistently outweighs supply. Also, there is a shortage of safe accommodation and barriers to access for marginalised groups such as those with no recourse to public funds, or complex mental health and/or substance use need and/or disability access.

While existing evidence provides insight into demand and provision in the context of supported safe accommodation, it does not capture the outcomes experienced by survivors who access safe accommodation. Previous studies have highlighted the diversity and inconsistency of outcomes used to evaluate the impact of domestic abuse services on adults and children, and the need for a shared outcomes framework to develop a coherent national picture of what works.

In response, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) commissioned a study to assess the feasibility of establishing a shared outcomes framework for support delivered in safe accommodation. The first stage of the research was a rapid evidence review to synthesise outcomes measured to assess the impact of support for victim-survivors and their children provided in the context of safe accommodation, conducted by Dr Annie Bunce (City St George’s, University of London), Dr Katie Smith and Dr Estela Capelas Barbosa (University of Bristol).

The review constitutes a targeted update and extension of a recently published scoping review of outcomes used to measure the effectiveness of domestic abuse support services conducted by VISION researchers (Carlisle et al., 2024), which identified 426 outcome measures across 80 studies. The current rapid evidence review was restricted to forms of supported safe accommodation, the original searches were updated to include studies published from June 2022 onwards, and barriers to and facilitators of implementing a shared outcomes framework were also reviewed. Seven academic databases were searched alongside three grey literature databases and 164 organisational websites. To be included, papers were required to be UK specific, published in English and focused on interventions delivered within safe accommodation. For the outcomes element of the review, papers were only included if they reported empirically measured outcomes (i.e., outcomes based on data collected and analysed by the authors, rather than purely theoretical, proposed, or assumed outcomes). 

Across the 17 reports meeting the inclusion criteria, outcomes clustered around three core domains: safety, wellbeing, and empowerment, which map broadly onto the Domestic Violence and Abuse Core Outcomes Set. Safety outcomes were the most frequently reported, followed by mental health and psychological wellbeing, while empowerment outcomes such as independence and confidence appeared less consistently. Service-level indicators such as length of stay and move-on destinations were also widely reported but fall outside existing frameworks.

This finding that outcomes measured in the context of safe accommodation broadly cluster around three core domains of safety, wellbeing and empowerment indicates some convergence in how impact is conceptualised. However, outcomes are measured inconsistently across services, with considerable variation in what is captured and how. Furthermore, significant barriers remain to implementing a shared outcomes framework. Developing a consistent approach to outcome measurement could strengthen accountability and support learning across areas.

Recommendations

  1. Frameworks should allow for the capture of relational and subjective aspects of recovery not easily measured through conventional quantitative indicators.
  2. Any national framework must be supported by appropriate data systems, training and analytical capacity to avoid placing additional burden on frontline staff and further disadvantaging smaller (particularly by-and-for) organisations and victim-survivors from marginalised communities.
  3. Future research should focus on further development and validation of measurement tools suitable in the context of safe accommodation, with particular attention to the relevance/meaningfulness of outcomes for victim-survivors themselves. Coordination between research teams is needed to avoid duplication and ensure data collection is harmonised between stakeholders.

To download the rapid evidence review: Measuring Outcomes of Safe Accommodation: A Rapid Evidence Review 

To download the main research report: Domestic_Abuse_Safe_Accommodation_Main_Research_Report.pdf

AI illustration from Adobe Photo Stock subscription