Domestic abuse-informed practice can be defined as a perpetrator pattern, child-centred, survivor strengths-based approach to working with domestic abuse. It holds perpetrators to account whilst recognising the strengths of the non-offending partner to protect the safety and wellbeing of children aiming to keep children and non-offending partners together and ultimately improve outcomes for adult and child survivors of domestic abuse.
This project aims to support to local authority areas and partnerships that are working to embed domestic abuse-informed practice with high quality evaluation tools, resources and learning. It will provide opportunities for organisations to share learning, experience and work through any challenges, and will capture insights into key enablers and barriers to making progress while using available evidence to measure and demonstrate progress being made across Scotland.
The Improvement Service is working in partnership with the Safe & Together Institute to deliver this project and will work in close collaboration with local implementation leads.
Current work
Support for local area evaluation
The Improvement Service and the Safe & Together Institute can offer support to local areas that would like to undertake some form of self-evaluation around the work to embed domestic abuse-informed practice. Self-evaluation can provide a benchmark to show to what extent the organisation, partnership and associated services/systems are working in a domestic abuse-informed way, and where there may be opportunities to strengthen the approach. It can also provide a benchmark against which progress and impacts can be measured and demonstrated.
We can offer support with self-assessment using the toolkit, case file audits and developing case studies, and we’d be pleased to talk about how we could support any other evaluation activities that are not currently included. Please contact Kirsty Wright to discuss any plans or for suggestions on how to get started.
Sharing learning and experience
A UK-wide National Implementation Forum was established in March 2022, which aims to provide opportunities for local leads to connect to each other, share progress and provide coaching around key aspects of implementation of the Safe & Together Model. The group meets approximately every eight weeks throughout the year. Please contact Anna Galloway if you would like to attend the forums.
There is dedicated Knowledge Hub Group for professionals that are involved in embedding the model within their local areas/organisation or partnership. You will need to sign up to Knowledge Hub and request access to the group.
Learning reports
Throughout the course of Delivering Equally Safe (DES) Funding, the Improvement Service will produce an annual learning report to highlight the work that DES-funded organisations and partnerships have undertaken to embed Safe & Together and to share emerging learning and any available evidence of the impact this is having on professionals that provide services to adult and child victim/survivors of domestic abuse. The report will be co-produced with national and local stakeholders.
The Year 2 Report is available: Implementing Safe & Together in Scotland: Creating Domestic Abuse-Informed Workforces, Services and Systems - Year Two Learning Report
This report marks the second in a series highlighting key learning from 12 local authorities/partnerships working to embed the Safe & Together Model across Scotland, and the impact this work is having. The report focuses on the emerging learning and evidence of the impact of embedding domestic-abuse informed practice for professionals and families affected by domestic abuse. The report also highlights some of the barriers and enablers for this work, and how this work supports multiple national strategic priorities.
You can also read the Year One report which focuses on the emerging learning from the activities that took place over the first 12 months of the DES funding.
Case studies
These case studies highlight the activities, outcomes and experiences of the 12 DES-funded organisations and partnerships throughout Year 2 of embedding the Safe & Together model locally. The case studies are organised based on key activities the areas are focussing on taking forward, however many are taking multiple approaches and will have cross-over with other activities.
Multi-agency approach and strategic oversight
Additional information and resources
Safe & Together Institute’s website includes detailed information about the model and a wide range of learning resources and materials.
Other I.S. programmes of work you may be interested in:
- The National Violence Against Women and Girls Network supports local councils and their partners to improve outcomes for women, children and young people affected by violence against women and girls.
- The National Trauma Training Programme aims to provide a range of support and resources to local authorities and other key stakeholders to raise awareness of the benefits of a trauma-informed approach across systems, services and the workforce.
- The Authentic Voice project aims to work with local councils and partnerships that would like to embed lived experience into the (re) design and delivery of services.
Resources
- Domestic abuse and trauma-informed practice
- Tackling Inequalities Trauma and Adversity across the Lifespan
Please contact Jenny Smith-Littlejohn if you would like any further information.