Episode two - How Salford City Council work with families where there is domestic abuse

Dr. Jess Wild from Research in Practice discusses Salford City Council’s approach to child protection work with Claire Baddley, who is the Domestic Abuse Lead for Children’s Services at the council. Claire shares how the council works with families where there is domestic abuse or where domestic abuse is a concern.

Talking points

• Perpetrator (early) interventions and risk assessment, with dedicated pathways for LGBTQ+, Black and minoritised people, and those with English as a second language. 
• Avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach and tailoring responses to individual families.
• Models for work with people who harm, including Drive intervention programme, Caring Dads, Strive for Change.
• Trauma informed practice.
• The New Domestic Abuse (DA) Act 2021.
• Interrogating the language used to describe domestic abuse and those involved and ensuring that language doesn’t act as a barrier to engagement. 
• Ensuring language is inclusive and trying to avoid use of the term of perpetrator, alongside deploying a survivor led model. 
• Capturing the voices of children, particularly of those under five, without re-traumatising.
• Developing a business case for a city-wide strategy to address DVA
• Evidence base for perpetrator provision.

Challenges and opportunities

• The impact of COVID-19.
• Expanding the evidence base for perpetrator provision and the challenge of evidencing efficacy. 
• Difficulties of short term funding and the need to evidence base practice within shorter time frames. 
• The new Domestic Abuse (DA) Act 2021 and ensuring services aligns with new provisions.