Domestic Abuse Experts

06/11/2026

Why do professionals still struggle to engage with people who cause harm? 👇

This was one of the recurring themes in our conversations at the recent The British Association of Social Workers Conference.

The 2024 SKAFADA study, commissioned by Foundations and undertaken by researchers from University of Lancashire and King's College London , found that only 37.6% of Early Help and Family Support practitioners surveyed reported knowing “quite a bit/a lot” about how to respond to perpetrators of domestic abuse.

⚠️ That's concerning, particularly when these professionals are working with families affected by abuse.

Knowing how to engage with someone who may deny or minimise their behaviour, challenge them appropriately and hold them accountable is an important skill for frontline professionals.

If we want to protect victims and children, we also need to understand and address the behaviour of the person causing harm.

This is the main focus of our Engage for Professionals programme, which gives practitioners the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to engage with perpetrators while keeping family safety the priority.

05/11/2026

📊 Almost 1 in 10 people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending March 2026.

That's an estimated 4.7 million people, compared with 3.8 million the previous year.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a significant increase, particularly in abuse by a partner or ex-partner, which rose from 6.1% to 7.9%.

The ONS has explained that changes to its survey may have influenced the size of the increase, and that it's too early to establish a longer-term trend.

However, it assesses that the rise also reflects a real increase in people experiencing domestic abuse.

One of the reasons the survey questions were updated was to better reflect the different behaviours people experience, including coercive and controlling behaviour.

👉 This raises the question of how well people understand domestic abuse.

Education and awareness are so important, both for the public and for the professionals who come into contact with people experiencing abuse.

Recognising the warning signs, understanding patterns of coercive control and knowing how to respond appropriately can help people access support sooner.

Because behind these figures are millions of people, and every one of them deserves to be recognised, listened to and supported.

Read the ONS findings here:
https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2026/10/22/a-rise-in-domestic-abuse-estimates-but-too-soon-to-identify-a-trend/

30/10/2026

What a day at the Social Work Live Conference on Tuesday!

It was great to meet so many people working across social work and social care, hear about the challenges they're facing and have some really interesting conversations about how we can better support professionals in their work.

We made some fantastic connections:
👉Mathew Devlin, Head of Strategic Engagement at socialworkengland. We had a really interesting discussion about continuing professional development and the importance of making sure training gives social workers practical skills they can use in their everyday work.

👉The lovely lady in our photo is Donna Ohdedar, Head of SILP and author of 'The Stories That Changed Me'. Donna shared some valuable insights into domestic homicide reviews around the importance of learning from cases to make improvements in professional practice.

👉Andrew Kapfunde, founder and Director of Operations at Step Forward Support. We spoke about supporting people with additional needs, understanding harmful behaviours and how recognising early signs of escalation can help prevent situations from reaching crisis point.

One of the recurring themes throughout the day was the challenge professionals face when working directly with people who use harmful behaviours.

Knowing how to recognise domestic abuse is important, but having confidence to engage with perpetrators and challenge their behaviour, while keeping the safety of the whole family in mind, is another challenge altogether.

It's something we see in our own frontline work, so it was encouraging to have lots of interest in our Engage for Professionals training and whole-family, whole-system approach.

There were thought-provoking conversations around carer and elder abuse, particularly how illness, disability and dependency can make situations within families much more complex.

And Monkey Bob attracted plenty of attention too!

It was great to make connections and hear directly about some of the gaps professionals identified where our frontline experience could help.
Thank you to The British Association of Social Workers for bringing everyone together, and to everyone who came over to speak to us. We really enjoyed meeting you.

29/10/2026

Last month, the Home Office introduced updated statutory guidance, with Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) now known as Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs).

The changes recognise the wider circumstances in which domestic abuse can contribute to a death, with a greater focus on learning, accountability and making sure recommendations lead to meaningful improvements.

We welcome these changes, but believe that learning from domestic abuse-related deaths must mean changing practice, not just providing recommendations.

👉 Frontline professionals and organisations must work together to recognise patterns of abusive behaviour, rather than viewing each incident in isolation.

Coercive control, counter-allegations and changes in risk all need to be understood if we are to recognise when someone may be in danger.

Reviews can identify where opportunities to intervene were missed, but that learning needs to reach the professionals making decisions and supporting people every day.

Because ultimately, the purpose of these reviews is to help prevent further deaths.

📰 You can read the updated Home Office guidance here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-statutory-guidance-for-the-conduct-of-domestic-homicide-reviews

27/10/2026

We're ready for The British Association of Social Workers Social Work Live in Birmingham! 👋

If you're attending the BASW UK Social Work Conference today, come and find us at Stand 11.

We'd love to hear about your work, the challenges you're facing and how we can support you and your organisation in recognising and responding to domestic abuse.

23/10/2026

👉 Did you know: Domestic abuse is not always impulsive. It can be planned. It can even be organised.

A recent report from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has highlighted a deeply disturbing form of domestic abuse and sexual offending known as organised drug-facilitated sexual assault (ODFSA).

The case of Gisèle Pelicot in France in 2024 brought worldwide attention to this horrific form of abuse, where someone can be harmed by the very person they should be able to trust.

What is particularly concerning is that victims may have no idea that the abuse is happening.

The CPS has now reported that investigations in the UK have uncovered organised networks of offenders, connected both online and offline, who facilitate this type of abuse.

It's incredibly difficult to comprehend, but it highlights something we believe is so important.

⚠️ We need to understand the behaviour of those who cause harm.

Domestic abuse can involve deliberate decisions, patterns of control and calculated behaviour that may not be obvious for years.

This is why our approach focuses on understanding perpetrator behaviour, recognising patterns of abuse and holding those responsible accountable, while most importantly, keeping the safety of victims and survivors.

The more we understand about how abuse happens, including the behaviour of those responsible, the better equipped professionals can be to recognise risks, respond appropriately and help protect those affected.

🔗 Read the full article here:
https://www.cps.gov.uk/national-news/news/sexual-offending-domestic-abuse-and-online-abuse-networks-uncovered-law

21/10/2026

4 in 10 women experienced further abuse while waiting for a refuge space….😔

That's just one of the concerning findings from Women's Aid's latest 'Nowhere to Turn 2026' report, which highlights the barriers women continue to face when trying to access refuge and safe accommodation.

The report also found that:
👉 92.5% of women supported experienced coercive and controlling behaviour.
👉 There were over 100 instances where services failed to provide support or provided inappropriate support.
👉 A quarter of recorded statutory service failings in 2025 were linked to referrers having poor knowledge of domestic abuse.

That last finding is particularly concerning.

When someone is trying to escape domestic abuse, the professionals they turn to need to understand the risks involved, the complexities of their situation and how to respond appropriately.

A lack of understanding can mean missed warning signs, inappropriate advice or delays in getting someone the support they desperately need.

Women's Aid is calling for housing teams, commissioning services and children's services to receive specialist domestic abuse training, and we couldn't agree more.

This is exactly why we deliver our Engage: Housing training, including the option to train Domestic Abuse Champions within housing organisations.

We help housing professionals build the knowledge and confidence to recognise domestic abuse, understand the risks and respond safely and appropriately when someone needs support.

Domestic abuse awareness alone isn't enough. Professionals need to know how to put that understanding into practice, particularly when someone's safety could depend on the decisions they make.

We welcome Women's Aid's findings and recommendations, and hope they encourage more organisations to look at how well equipped their teams really are to support survivors. 👏

To find out more about our training for housing professionals, visit:
https://domesticabuseexperts.org.uk/our-courses/

19/10/2026

A £4.7 million investment in helping GP practices recognise and respond to domestic abuse is welcome news.

The NHS's new Steps to Safety programme across the North East and North Cumbria aims to give healthcare professionals more training, clearer referral pathways and better support to identify abuse earlier.

👉 Recognising the signs is one thing. Knowing how to start a conversation, respond safely and help someone access the right support is another.

We've spent years training professionals across healthcare, policing, social care and other frontline services. We know from experience how much difference the right training can make - not just in recognising abuse, but in understanding its complexities and responding in ways that don't inadvertently increase risk.

It's particularly good to see lived experience helping to shape the programme, ensuring the voices of those affected influence how professionals are trained and supported.

Congratulations to everyone involved at North East and North Cumbria NHS.

⚠️NEWS POST❗

A £4.7 million programme is set to transform the way NHS services spot the signs of domestic abuse and offer support to people affected by it.

Read the full story on our website ➡️ https://ow.ly/Kbek50ZYjIy

16/10/2026

Could your business make My CWA - Cheshire Without Abuse its Charity of the Year for 2027? 💜

If you’re starting to think about who to support next year as an employee or as a business owner, we’d love to speak with you.

We rely on fundraising, donations and the support of local businesses and our communities to help fund our services for adults, children and families affected by domestic abuse across Cheshire.

Choosing MyCWA as your Charity of the Year would help us continue this work.

A partnership could involve a team fundraising challenge, an event, volunteering or regular donations. You can also help by talking about our work and making sure more people know where to turn for support.

However your team gets involved, you’ll be helping us be there for people who need safety, support and someone who listens.

If you are considering MyCWA as your Charity of the Year in 2027, please email [email protected] to talk about what could work for your business.

❤️ And if you choose another charity, we completely understand. But we hope your kindness will help a local organisation and the people in our communities who need it most. There are so many organisations doing vital work and your support matters.

16/10/2026

“It is THAT serious”.👇
This is just one of six powerful quotes at the heart of the Raising Red, Flying Green campaign, developed with survivors of domestic abuse to raise awareness of the links between domestic abuse, mental health and su***de.

The campaign, led by Women's Aid in Luton, is highlighting the thoughts and feelings that survivors may experience, including how difficult it can be to see a way forward or reach out for help.

We know how important it is that people recognise the impact domestic abuse can have on someone's mental health, and sadly, the consequences can be devastating.

We believe that listening to survivors and understanding their experiences is essential to ensuring our services reflect the needs of those affected by domestic abuse. Their voices need to inform how we recognise abuse, respond to it and support those affected.

We want to recognise the fantastic work Women's Aid Luton is doing with this campaign, particularly in bringing these messages into everyday spaces where they could reach someone who really needs to see them. ❤️

The campaign runs throughout October, with posters, awareness tags and digital displays helping to spread the message across the UK.

Please take a moment to look at the campaign and share it. The more people who understand the connection between domestic abuse, mental health and su***de, the better.

Find out more and access support:
🔗 www.raisingredflyinggreen.co.uk