Developments in Protecting Victims of Domestic Abuse

Diana Barran Chief Executive Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse

Each week sees hundreds of victims of domestic abuse and their children come before the family courts seeking protection from their partners or ex-partners. Clearly great progress has been made in addressing some of the risks they face through the implementation of the Family Law Act 1996 the Children Acts of 1989 and 2004 and the Adoption and Children Act 2002. However the number of domestic homicides remains broadly unchanged over the past 10 years and the number of children who live with domestic abuse remains at an unacceptable level.

In the past four years some significant changes have begun which the organisation Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA) believes if implemented fully and effectively will result in a transformation in the way that domestic abuse is addressed in this country. These changes build on the lessons of recent homicide and serious case reviews which share three common themes. The first of these is that typically there has been insufficient understanding of risk in relation to domestic abuse. The second is that there has been insufficient information...

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