Event Summary

Westminster Insight is delighted to announce its timely, cross-cutting, expert Tackling Domestic Abuse Digital Conference taking place online on the 23rd of September.

Domestic Abuse has reached epidemic levels, demanding a whole society approach and collaboration across services. This digital conference will bring together a range of voices from key stakeholders including police and criminal justice (CJS), victim support services, social services, housing, and charities. Our thoroughly researched, timely event will look at key policies, immediate priorities, new strategies, best practice, and multi-agency approaches for combatting domestic abuse, in all its forms.

We will focus on victim protection and what happens when a victim leaves. Safeguarding victims both physically and mentally, through safe housing, tackling threatening behaviour, helping victims through trauma, and stamping out victim blaming. We will consider the central role of coercive control in many cases of domestic abuse, and reasons that it often goes under-reported. We will also explore investments into domestic abuse services, and how local authorities and police can best use available funding.

Sessions will unpack the impact of domestic abuse on children and families. We will examine the experience of young people going through family courts, as well as children being used as tools of domestic abuse, and how best to support children through this.

Hear about recent developments in fatal domestic abuse, including the Domestic Homicide Review and culpability in cases of suicide after domestic abuse. Understand what is meant by “hidden homicides” and learn about improved recognition of the link between domestic abuse and suicide.

We will explore the new Social Housing Bill, which will give landlords the power to evict domestic abuse perpetrators once the victim has moved out. We will explore what this will look like in practice.

Prevention is key. We will spotlight early intervention and teaching; as well as later prevention of re-offending, through perpetrator management strategies. We will examine the link between misogyny and domestic abuse and how to shift attitudes towards women, especially amongst young men.

We will look at more recently recognised domestic abuse behaviours, including the increasingly central role of coercive control in domestic abuse.  Specialist speakers will focus on tackling technology-related domestic abuse too: such as stalking, online harassment, and tracking victims.

We hope you will join us to learn from innovative strategies, practical case studies, inspiring panel sessions, victims’ perspectives, policy-focussed keynote addresses, and expert panel discussions.

Key Points

Key strategies, issues, and solutions we will focus on, include:

  • Primary prevention through a ‘whole system approach’, including teaching acceptable behaviour in schools.
  • The piloting and roll-out of the Domestic Abuse- Related Deaths Accountability and Oversight Mechanism.
  • We will look at vulnerable groups, and high-risk factors, such as disability, and culture-related abuse; and additional barriers to support where multiple disadvantage exists.
  • Online misogyny, and encouragement of violent sexual behaviours, like strangulation.
  • Housing and domestic abuse: refuge, safe houses, and rights to remove perpetrators from social housing
  • Perpetrator management: learn how the VAWG strategy aims to hold perpetrators to account, through initiatives.
  • VAWG strategy priorities for the CPS: including victim-focused and trauma-informed, and intersectional approaches.
  • Preventing escalation and homicides; and looking at domestic abuse-related suicide.
  • Safeguarding victims, after leaving, including through safe housing.

Look out for our, soon to be published, full programme of expert and audience suggested speakers.

Sponsorship

Click here for sponsorship opportunities.