Domestic Violence

Victims of domestic violence require a range of services to assist in getting their lives back on track. The need for agencies that provide these services to work in collaboration is key to help reduce the trauma of abuse.

Some of the services a victim of domestic violence may require are:

treatment from a doctor for injuries, physical and mental
support and counselling for the emotional trauma undergone
legal advice (to take out an injunction against the perpetrator)
police involvement in the event of a prosecution
advice on rights to remain in the house and exclude the perpetrator
advice regarding other housing options are available
advice on the legal position of the perpetrator having access to the children

Access to Services

Accessing all these services within a ‘ window of courage ’ is not easy for victims and in the past agencies would have been approached one at a time, telling their story on each occasion. To have to do this three or four times makes the pain worse. And there are practical considerations – the cost of travelling to different appointments, the need to make provision for safe childcare or the need to organise time off work. As well as cost implications, this can be a lengthy procedure for the victim.

Each agency will endeavour to do their best but will view the victim’s situation from their own perspective and remit. When discussing the case with the police, they will be mindful of the possibility of taking a case to court. When with a solicitor the focus will be an injunction and/or a divorce. Again, these may resolve the problem, but could just escalate and prolong the violence.

PROTOCOL Domestic Violence Reporting System

The PROTOCOL Domestic Violence Reporting System can be implemented across partner agencies (e.g. social services, housing, police, primary care etc). The result will provide an end to victims having to retell their experiences of abuse and provide a unified interface to a package of support and services. This still allows each key provider/agency (police, social services, housing etc) to play to their individual strengths and deliver.