A new toolkit has been launched to help services work more effectively together when supporting families affected by domestic abuse.
Developed through research supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, the toolkit focuses on strengthening ‘whole family approaches’ – where adult and children’s services work in a more coordinated way to support parents and children.
Domestic abuse can have long-term impacts on both adults and children, including lasting mental health challenges. While policy has long encouraged multi-agency working, delivering joined-up support in practice can be challenging, with differences in how services operate sometimes leading to gaps in care.
The Whole Family Approaches to Responding to Parents and Children in Families Affected by Domestic Abuse: Implementation Toolkit provides practical, step-by-step guidance to help organisations plan, deliver and review this approach.
It includes tools for strategic leads, operational managers and practitioners, helping teams build a shared understanding and work more consistently across services. The resource can be used on its own or alongside existing local models.
The toolkit is based on research exploring what helps or hinders implementation. Findings highlighted the importance of shared learning, collaboration and clear approaches across teams to achieve meaningful impact.
Professor Ruth McGovern, Co-Director of NIHR ARC NENC and lead for the toolkit development, emphasised the need for coordinated action across services to improve support for families experiencing domestic abuse.
This work reflects a wider ambition across the system to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes by embedding evidence-informed, person-centred approaches into everyday practice.
Read the full article and access the toolkit here.
