Professor Calls for More Research into Domestic Violence Programmes

Programmes to tackle domestic violence in England and Wales are too varied with little evidence that they work, says a leading academic.

Professor Erica Bowen, of the University of Worcester, said there was almost no evidence or research available to support the use of many interventions and has called for a change in the system.

"Most local authorities will have programmes to try and deal with domestic abuse, and that is fantastic," she said. "But the problem is that there are many different programmes operating across the UK and most have never been fully evaluated to see if they actually have any impact on reducing domestic abuse."

In England and Wales, domestic violence and abuse costs the economy more than £15bn a year.

Professor Bowen will deliver a talk at The Hive in Worcester on Wednesday, February 1 from 6pm to 7pm in which she will look at how effective current intervention programmes are and how we measure their effectiveness.

"We need to be investing some funding in evaluating the programmes we have and finding out whether they are effective, otherwise, ultimately as a nation we are wasting valuable money on initiatives that may do little to reduce domestic abuse at all," said Professor Bowen.

"The problem is that there is only finite resource available and intervention programmes working with perpetrators are hugely controversial."

The University of Worcester is home to the National Centre for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Abuse (NCSPVA), which brings together a multi-disciplinary team of academics and practitioners carrying out research, education and advocacy to reduce the incidence of violence and abuse and create a safer society.

The talk is one of a series of public lectures delivered by Professors from the University of Worcester and is free to attend.

For more information visit The Hive What's on webpage.