How Domestic Abuse–Informed Is Your Practice?

Group of four young adults sitting at a table with laptops and a tablet, smiling and talking.

Similar to being trauma-informed and culturally competent, child-serving systems cannot achieve their mission of child safety and wellbeing without being domestic abuse–informed.

But what does that mean? What does good practice look like? Often public protection case reviews or local authority inspections highlight that there is a need to improve practice around domestic abuse but fail to clearly state what that means. They often recommend the need for more domestic abuse training but are unclear what that training should consist of. There is a lack of national multi-agency guidance around domestic abuse practice which would support a shared approach.

The Domestic Abuse–Informed Continuum of Practice aims to address this gap. It categorizes practitioner and system responses to domestic abuse cases involving children into five stages. Our evidence-informed continuum helps you identify where your current practices fall on the spectrum and provides a clear roadmap for improvement:

  • Eliminate destructive practices that blame survivors, endanger children, and waste valuable resources

  • Recognize neglectful approaches that overlook critical impacts on family safety and wellbeing

  • Advance beyond pre-competent responses that acknowledge problems but lack effective solutions

  • Achieve competence by implementing survivor-centered, perpetrator-focused interventions

  • Reach proficiency with consistent, culturally responsive approaches that transform outcomes

Silhouette of seven people raising their hands against a sunset.

As your practices improve, you’ll experience measurable results, including:

  • Increased Safety: Families remain together and protected from violence

  • Better Resource Allocation: Reduce unnecessary child removals and court costs

  • Enhanced Staff Satisfaction: Workers gain skills, confidence, and effectiveness

  • Improved Community Trust: Build stronger partnerships with survivors and service providers

  • System-Wide Transformation: Create lasting change through integrated approaches

Want to know where your organization lands? Click the button below to download the Domestic Abuse–Informed Continuum of Practice.

Interested in improving your domestic abuse–informed practice?