Domestic Abuse Research Network (DARNet)

9 March 2021 - 12 noon - 2pm
Collective Efficacy, Community Safety and Domestic Abuse during and after C19 

What does an effective community response to DA look like? How has the pandemic, and ensuing economic downturn, impacted existing community responses, and how have service providers negotiated these challenges? How can we empower and equip communities to deal with DA in the future? How might we use the evidence base behind emerging community-focused approaches in responding to DA?

Our first event will explore these questions and more, featuring an exciting line-up of facilitators and contributors, including the Designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs. Professor Liz Kelly will  explore how community-level factors can expand or constrain a  victim's 'space for action' to disclose abuse.  

Dr Ruth Weir will share her research on why the links between neighbourhood-level factors, community assets and DA matter.  While DARNet members, Dr Katherine Allen, Katie Tyrrell and Suffolk's DA Champions Coordinators will share a recent evaluation and learning on the DA Champions initiative, Meena Kumari will also share her insights of organising a collective during C19. Both Dr Olumide Adisa, and Dr Roxanne Khan will share their findings from the mapping research from the accounts of multi-agency participants supporting minoritised communities. Guddy Burnet and Katie London will share insights on their community coordination work across five London boroughs during C19. Also, this event will feature contributions from a service provider on their experiences delivering Anchor+, an independently evaluated programme for migrant women with additional needs (mental health, alcohol addiction, and drug misuse).
 
Book your place by clicking here. 

23 March 2021 - 12 noon – 1.30pm

Access to Justice: Stalking and the Victim’s Right to Review (VRR) - research launch and workshop 

The VRR came into effect for police forces in 2015, in response to demands for greater victim agency and accountability within the criminal justice system. But how much has changed for crime victims since the VRR for police forces was introduced?  

The first part of the event will focus on the research undertaken to examine police forces data on VRRs, undertaken by Visiting Senior Fellow at the University of Suffolk and Training and Best Practice Lead at Changing Pathways, Alison Bird, with Dr Olumide Adisa, and Dr Katherine Allen. 

In the second part of the session, Alison and John Trott (Abuse Free Life) will run a virtual workshop that will raise awareness of VRRs, demystifying what they are and what they offer, and exploring the opportunities and limits of VRRs in improving access to justice for victims of stalking. 

Book your place by clicking here. 

20 April 2021 - 12 noon - 2pm

Exploring Domestic Abuse, Mental Health, Substance Misuse/Addiction – Workshop  

How can understanding the interconnections between DA, mental health and addiction help us to effectively name and confront abuse? 

Bal Kaur Howard and Dr. David Best will explore the complex dynamics of DA, mental ill health and problematic substance use, navigating the surrounding myths and stigma that can normalise or mask DA.  

Bal is an educator and advocate who specialises in DA, ‘honour’ based violence, forced marriage, FGM, substance misuse / addiction to name a few. Dr Best is Professor of Criminology at the University of Derby and chair of the Prisons Research Network of the British Society of Criminology. Trained as a psychologist and criminologist, he has worked in practice, research and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders.

Book your place by clicking here. 

27 April 2021 Collaborative event with H.O.P.E Network - 12noon – 1.30pm 

From minoritised to centralised identities: paradigm shifts in tackling DA (special theme)  

There is a growing understanding that there are no ‘one size fits all’ approach to tackling DA? How can policy makers, commissioners and services ensure that every survivor’s safety and support needs are met? How can communities work to amplify survivors’ voices from minoritised communities and confront perpetration?

The pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and ongoing political contention in the UK and beyond have brought these and similar questions of identity and intersectionality into sharp focus. Some of the current gaps in the safety net are clear – Black and minoritised, migrant, LGBTQIA+ and disabled survivors face additional barriers in accessing timely, effective support, and their voices often go unheard in public conversations about DA.  

Join a diverse panel of fantastic speakers to discuss and frame a new call for action in bridging these gaps including tackling the sector-wide inequalities and marginalisation that create a conducive context for worse outcomes for those under the radar of mainstream services.

Book your place by clicking here. 

18 May 2021 - 12 noon – 1pm 

Virtually Supported: Innovations and Risks in DVA and SV service delivery

Technology often features as a villain or risk factor in discussions of DA, linked to issues such as image-based abuse, stalking and harassment. However, in the wake of C19, we have seen a more optimistic side to technology, driving innovations in service delivery. How can technology help improve services during and after a crisis? This event will explore changing approaches to service delivery during C19 and the opportunities and limitations for delivering services virtually beyond the crisis, with contributions from Professor Andy Phippen, a professor of IT ethics and digital rights at Bournemouth University, Fiona Ellis, Survivors in Transition, and Amy Roch, Suffolk Rape Crisis  

Book your place by clicking here.

25 May 2021 - 12 noon – 1pm 

Delivery of family justice: Child arrangements orders & domestic abuse

The courts’ approach to the resolution of child arrangements disputes involving allegations of domestic abuse has attracted significant concern for many years. The Ministry of Justice's recently concluded expert review into the courts’ practice proposed wide-ranging reforms that have the potential to re-shape the delivery of family justice in the context of domestic abuse. What would a reformed, and ‘trauma aware’, approach look like in practice?

 Dr Jo Harwood, DARNet member and a Lecturer in Law at the University of Essex will be presenting her research from a major socio-legal study conducted with judges, barristers, solicitors, Cafcass officers and representatives from organisations supporting women affected by domestic abuse. Naomi Wiseman and Artis Kakonge from Garden Court Chambers will also be sharing their practical experience of the family courts. 

Book your place by clicking here.