by Diana Barran

Over the past 3 years there has been a real break-though in the UK for support for the highest risk survivors of domestic violence. CAADA has worked with other expert services in the sector to bring in a co-ordinated and systematic approach to addressing these cases. We have introduced a new process of using professional Independent Domestic Violence Advisors to support women and to co-ordinate help for them. They aim to keep women and their families safely within their homes by working in partnership with a broad range of agencies.

A second crucial element is the nationwide introduction of Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences, where the statutory agencies working in this field, including the police, social services, school welfare officers, health visitors, housing departments and the voluntary services, meet monthly to share information, to agree the degree of risk involved and to agree a co-ordinated response aimed primarily at keeping the woman and her family safe. This system draws together all the services that exist and makes them function in a co-ordinated way, rather than separately.

Diana Barran is the Chief Executive of CAADA, Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse.

She was previously a Donor Adviser and Head of Grant Development for New Philanthropy Capital and co-authored a guide for donors and philanthropists about the Domestic Violence sector called "Charity Begins at Home." Looking at seven pilot areas, the preliminary results are impressive. In two thirds of cases the abuse ceased altogether. In half of the cases where it continued the risk level moved from high to standard. And importantly, the research shows that the approach is effective whatever the cultural or ethnic origin of the abuser and survivor.

Evidence from other areas suggests that the method also reaches survivors in a way that no other programme has been able to. Three years ago an Independent Domestic Violence Advisors service was put into Worthing General Hospital on the south coast of the UK. When it started only one case of domestic violence a year was being detected at the hospital. Staff began routinely asking those admitted to Accident and Emergency and the Ante-Natal Department if they had suffered violence at the hands of a family member. In the first year the number of those who disclosed that they had been victims of domestic violence rose to 450. Tracking those cases through hospital records showed that on average each woman had been admitted to A&E 15 times, compared to the figure of 3 admittances over a lifetime for all others.

The combination of providing trained specialist support for women together with an effective multi-agency partnership approach is showing dramatic improvements in safety. The addition of a small amount of extra resources is leveraging the existing services in a highly effective way.