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Addressing systemic gaps in responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities

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Domestic abuse affects significant numbers of people across LGBT+ communities; with 25% of lesbians and bisexual women [1], 40% of gay and bisexual men [2], and 28% of trans people reporting having experienced domestic abuse [3]. Despite these statistics, there is limited specialist support available for LGBT+ victim-survivors of domestic abuse, limited specialist intervention for perpetrators from LGBT+ communities, and a range of systemic barriers that prevent people within LGBT+ communities from accessing effective support for domestic abuse.  These barriers include the risk of discrimination and discriminatory practices as well as limited knowledge across generic services on the nature of domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. During this year’s LGBT+ Pride Month, we’re highlighting the ongoing need for specialist responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities and celebrating the vital expertise and collaboration of our partners in driving forward our National Systems Change work to address the systemic gap in responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. 

 

Identifying and scoping the systemic gap 

Through our National Systems Change work alongside specialist partners, we seek to identify and address systemic gaps in responses to domestic abuse. Our work to address the systemic gap in responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities began in 2021 with an initial scoping exercise to identify key stakeholders, map existing interventions, and explore both the extent and nature of gaps in domestic abuse provision for LGBT+ communities. As with all of our National Systems Change work, collaboration with specialist by-and-for organisations and experts by experience has been essential to driving forward sustainable and effective progress; the scoping period enabled us to identify and consult with these partners and build collaborative relationships with the shared aim of developing new models to meet the needs of service users from LGBT+ communities.
 

Developing the work strand  

Over the past two years, the collaboration of partners has enabled us to support the development of a coalition of LGBT+ organisations, perpetrator organisations, academics, expert specialists, and national programmes interested in developing new approaches to addressing the systemic gap in responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. Through a roundtable with this coalition, we produced a joint action plan for our National Systems Change work strand to improve responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities, which included: 

  • Increasing knowledge regarding domestic abuse perpetration and LGBT+ relationships by coordinating workshops for the Drive Partnership, the Drive Project delivery partners, and the wider perpetrator sector; 
  • Developing training to improve identification and referrals and address myths about ‘mutual abuse’; 
  • Developing practice guidance and standards development; 
  • Working on improving the quality and quantity of data collection, including co-creating a data gathering tool with the University of Durham to build the evidence base on LGBT+ perpetrators currently accessing services. 

Progressing the action plan  

As a result of the coalition’s action plan, we have hosted thirteen workshops to train domestic abuse professionals on interpersonal violence in LGBT+ communities, dual allegations, and risk identification, and are pleased to now be investigating the possibility of taking a re-designed version of the training into the public sector to continue to increase knowledge and develop better understanding of, and responses to, domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. We’ve also been able to gather further data to help shape the ongoing development of the work strand and progress the action plan; for example, we’ve further examined our own data through deep dive case audits of LGBT+ service users in the Drive Project, and, thanks to the engagement of LGBT+ victim-survivors, we’ve been able to gather LGBT+ victim-survivors’ views on interventions for those who cause harm in their relationships to ensure that the development of specialist responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities is informed by victim-survivors. Moving forward, we’re now seeking to build the evidence base on LGBT+ perpetrators through the creation of a case study template, in collaboration with Durham University, for domestic abuse services. The progress of the past two years has been driven by the willingness and enthusiasm for collaborative working across the sector and beyond, which has, in turn, enabled us to reach a new phase of co-design and collaboration moving forwards.  

Looking ahead 

Thanks to further funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and Treebeard Trust, and the ongoing collaboration of our partners, we are pleased to be entering a new phase of our National Systems Change work to improve responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities. As part of this new phase, we’re expanding our partnership with experts and by-and-for organisations across the sector to co-design and co-develop specialist responses to domestic abuse across LGBT+ communities. This new phase of work was marked with the launch of the LGBT+ communities co-design steering group, which held its first meeting at the start of 2024 to co-design behaviour change provision for those from LGBT+ communities who cause harm in their relationships, with a goal to pilot a new partnership response in the future.  

While there still remains an urgent need for specialist responses to domestic abuse within LGBT+ communities, it’s important to reflect on the progress that has been made across the sector – with a handful of services now either actively delivering specialist provision or ready to launch, compared to just one service in England and Wales in 2021 – and the central role that specialist by-and-for organisations and experts by experience have played in this. We are grateful to be working with these specialists to develop effective responses to those who cause harm within LGBT+ communities and increase both the immediate and long-term safety of LGBT+ victim-survivors.

Adam Kirkbride, member of the LGBT+ communities co-design group, shared: “As well as being a time for celebrating LGBT+ joy, it is important to remember that Pride is a movement for LGBT+ inclusion. The work that is being done at Drive to address systemic inequalities for LGBT+ people affected by domestic abuse is vital for us to move towards greater LGBT+ inclusion for all.”