How Domestic Abuse–Informed Is Your Practice?

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 categorises 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 on how to:

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

• Recognise 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-centred, perpetrator-focused interventions.

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

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

• Increased safety: Families can remain together and protected from violence.

• Better resource allocation: Unnecessary child removals and court costs can be reduced.

• Enhanced staff satisfaction: Workers’ skills, confidence, and effectiveness can improve.

• Improved community trust: Stronger partnerships with survivors and service providers can be built.

• System-wide transformation: Lasting change through integrated approaches can be created.