Introduction

Domestic Violence or Abuse (DVA) is, over many years, the most common factor identified at the end of assessments of children in need under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. The resources below are the outputs of a 2020-21 Change Project focused on building conceptual and practice developments when responding to families where DVA occurs. Drawing from international research, practice initiatives and family expertise, the project and these resources aim to support re-thinking responses to DVA in children’s social care to develop approaches that are humane and socially transformative. Find out more about the Change Project.

These resources are intended to support practitioners and policy makers in service design and practice with families where there is a perpetrator of DVA. Suitable for use across child protection, domestic abuse services and allied professions, the aim is that these resources are utilised to embed change and improve practice to enable better outcomes for mothers, fathers and children experiencing DVA.