Forms of domestic abuse
Domestic Abuse isn’t just physical abuse. Domestic abuse includes physical, emotional, sexual, financial and economic, coercive control, digital and psychological abuse. Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, bullying, threatening or violent behaviour, by a partner, ex-partner or family member. Abusive behaviour can happen in any relationship, and it can continue even after the relationship has ended.
Since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children that have been exposed to domestic abuse are now recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right, rather than just witnesses.
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Domestic homicide reviews highlight learning points which should be considered when working with families where domestic abuse is present and should be considered alongside all forms of domestic abuse;
-Child safeguarding can place a heavy emphasis on the mother (who is often the primary caregiver) to protect her children rather than giving due focus to the father and/ or perpetrator
– Parent oriented issues such as mental health and substance use are not always recognised as being linked to experiences of domestic abuse and therefore support offered is not always trauma informed.
-Family Court and/or Public Law Outline processes can sometimes exacerbate control/coercion and post-separation abuse.
-Maternal risks of mental health and/ or substance use can be seen as ‘riskier’ than the perpetrators’ abuse.
-A need to focus on support for parents following the loss of a child or loss of child contact.