Specialist responses to domestic abuse launched across Black, African, Caribbean and Mixed Heritage communities, South Asian communities, and LGBT+ communities

The CHAB Programme (Changing Harmful Attitudes & Behaviours), designed for South Asian communities, will be delivered over 20 weeks in both group and one-to-one sessions by H.O.P.E CIC, Sikh Women’s Aid, Halo, and Pegasus Ltd in Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Bradford.

The LEVEL Programme, designed for LGBT+ communities, will be delivered by WomenCentre and The Brunswick Centre on a one-to-one basis over 22 weeks in West Yorkshire.

The Drive Partnership’s National Systems Change work seeks to identify and address systemic gaps in responses to domestic abuse by bringing together the insights of survivors, service users, practitioners, specialist organisations, researchers and policy makers to build solutions. In 2023, the Drive Partnership launched a new phase of its National Systems Change work, thanks to further funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and Treebeard Trust, to partner with specialist by-and-for organisations and experts to co-design responses to domestic abuse.

The launch of these specialist services marks the culmination of two years of co-design and development work undertaken by three co-design groups and an Advisory Group, and is an important step towards addressing systemic gaps in service provision, meeting the needs of all communities, and increasing the safety and freedom of all victim-survivors.

Tina Patel, Head of National Systems Change at the Drive Partnership, said: “We are extremely proud to announce the launch of three new, co-designed specialist responses to domestic abuse, which have been designed and developed in partnership with by-and-for organisations and experts by experience.

The launch of these specialist services, led by new delivery partners with deep roots in the communities they serve, marks an important milestone in seeking to address systemic gaps in responses to domestic abuse to increase the safety and wellbeing of all victim-survivors.

This work would not have been possible without both the dedication and collaboration of our National Systems Change partners, whose years of expertise and unwavering commitment across the sector have paved the way for the development of this work.”