Policy paper

Government reponse to 'Shifting the scales: Transforming the criminal justice response to domestic abuse'

Published 19 March 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Introduction

The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice are grateful to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC) for publishing the report: ‘Shifting the scales: Transforming the criminal justice response to domestic abuse’, and the effort to which the Commissioner’s team and external partners have gone to research this issue.

Domestic abuse is the most prevalent form of violence against women and girls (VAWG). In the year ending March 2024, over 1 in 4 women of women aged 16 and over reported experiencing domestic abuse since the age of 16 (27%) as well as around 1 in 7 men (13.7%). Domestic abuse is high harm, costing an estimated £84.4 billion to society annually.

The report is clear that the criminal justice system (CJS) was not designed to respond to the scale of domestic abuse that exists in society, and the positive increase in victims coming forward. It highlights that not all victims and survivors will interact with the CJS and outlines some of the systemic reasons why 80% of victims and survivors may not seek a criminal justice response.

This government will treat tackling VAWG as a national emergency. As part of our mission to halve VAWG in a decade, we will ask the police to relentlessly pursue those perpetrators who pose the greatest risk to women. This means using all the tools at their disposal to protect victims and get dangerous offenders off our streets.

This government has already demonstrated its commitment to tackling VAWG through a raft of interventions, new powers, and innovations and have unveiled a series of bold measures designed to strengthen the police response to domestic abuse, protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.

In February 2025, under a new approach named ‘Raneem’s Law’, domestic abuse specialists are being embedded in the first five 999 control rooms to advise on risk assessments, work with officers on the ground and ensure that victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly.

In December 2024, the government announced new measures to tackle stalking: conducting a review of the stalking legislation to determine whether the law could be changed to support a better understanding and better identification of stalking, introducing a robust framework for how agencies should define stalking, strengthening Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) and issuing statutory guidance to set out the process by which the police should release identifying information about online stalking perpetrators to victims so appropriate safeguards can be put in place.

To further strengthen protections for victims, in November 2024 we launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts – which is a huge step towards a new national approach. These go further than any existing orders, making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address, imposing electronic monitoring (“tagging”) and ordering assessments for behaviour change programmes.

The DAC made twelve recommendations in the report. The government has accepted two recommendations and partially accepted nine recommendations. One has not been accepted. Where a recommendation has not been accepted, it is not that we necessarily disagree, but that the government is meeting the aims of these recommendations through using other interventions. We have sought to make this clear where relevant.

Welsh Government

Section 16 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a statutory duty on the UK Government to respond to a report from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner published under section 8 of the Act. This duty does not apply to the Welsh Government and therefore this response is issued by the UK Government. Criminal Justice and policing are reserved matters.

The Welsh Government has a long-standing commitment to tackle gender-based violence as demonstrated through the groundbreaking Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) (Wales) Act 2015, and the National VAWDASV Strategy for 2022-26. The Act places a statutory duty on relevant authorities in Wales to develop local strategies to further the purpose of the Act. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are invited partners to this process to support a multi-agency approach to tackling gender-based violence. The current VAWDASV National Strategy 2022-2026 is being delivered through a Blueprint approach, which brings together devolved and non-devolved organisations, as well as strengthening the partnership between public, private and specialist sectors.

Overseeing the delivery of the Strategy is the National Partnership Board – co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt MS, for Welsh Government and PCC Emma Wools on behalf of Policing in Wales. The Partnership Board provides leadership for the multi-agency approach to implementing the working groups, which are the delivery mechanism for taking forward key actions, to implement the Strategy and its objectives. Hearing the views of survivors was a key principle during the strategy consultation and survivor voice will continue to feed into the National Partnership Board and its workstreams through its National Survivor Voice Scrutiny and Involvement Panel. 

Blueprint priorities include both a ‘Tackling Perpetration’ and ‘Sustainable Whole System Approach’ workstreams. Work in these areas include developing a Wales-wide whole system approach for tackling perpetration of VAWDASV that encompasses early intervention and prevention through to the criminal justice response; and reviewing procurement and grant guidance for VAWDASV services and disciplines to ensure equity, innovation and quality in the delivery of services and provision across Wales. This involves an ambition for behaviour change services at each level of the Public Health model to prevention; primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. In recognition of the levers available, Welsh Government focus is on primary prevention in communities by shaping the culture, awareness and societal change at the very earliest opportunities by investing in young people through the education system and by public campaigning, for example through the Sound campaign that places the onus on men and boys to shape and shift attitudes to VAWDASV and be active agents in addressing what is a societal issue, enlisting and empowering men as agents of change.

Response to recommendations

Data and accountability (Recommendations 1 and 2)

Recommendation 1: Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and criminal justice agencies overhaul and integrate data across the criminal justice system, to enhance operational work, improve accuracy, promote transparency and, ultimately, build accountability. This should involve:

• investment in new technological systems
• a review of outcome codes, particularly Outcomes 15 and 16
• close collaboration with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and specialist domestic abuse sector

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

Investment in new technology

Data plays a pivotal role in the criminal justice system (CJS), to inform and enhance decision-making processes for organisations within the system and also to enable transparency and accountability. There are opportunities for improvement across the separate data systems, particularly in relation to how victim data is recorded and linked. The CJS Data Improvement Programme was set up to address data challenges by improving how cross-CJS data is shared, used, and managed. We will continue to carefully consider how investment in new systems can form part of this work, as part of wider innovation to maximise the impact of every penny we spend in a challenging fiscal environment.

Investing in technological advancements will ensure law enforcement agencies pursue the most prolific offenders and collaborative data prioritisation work with police is a step towards achieving that. To this end, the Home Office provides data services to support the prevention and investigation of domestic abuse. The Police National Computer (PNC) is used by the police and other UK law enforcement organisations to access real-time information of national and local significance and holds convictions for domestic abuse offences. The PNC is due to be replaced by the new Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS) in March 2026. PNC and LEDS will have the ability to record information from the family court, through a manual process. We are working with the police and other partners to consider how this manual process can be improved.

The Police National Database (PND) also allows intelligence sharing across all police forces, non-police law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies. The PND currently has the capacity to service around 12,000 users with over 10,500 users accessing the PND during December 2024. This is an increase of 8% on the same period in 2023. There are existing operational processes to balance the number of PND licences against priorities and each force needs to ensure it has the appropriate ability to conduct necessary searches. This situation will be improved when the number of concurrent users is increased through a transformed PND capability due in Summer 2026.

The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice have jointly funded a project to create the new Multi-Agency Public Protection System (MAPPS). MAPPS is a Home Office-led project to replace the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) database, which is the main IT tool for the management of the most serious offenders used by the police, probation and prison services across the UK since 2005. MAPPS is due to launch by Summer 2028 and will allow multiple agencies managing these offenders to access data securely via the internet from any location, allowing for true multi-agency working, including through more automated information sharing across the CJS. This will now include those convicted of Coercive and Controlling Behaviour.

In addition, we will explore using technology to assist in building risk profiles for both perpetrators and victims, enabling law enforcement and partner agencies to implement robust management plans that disrupt offenders’ behaviour and enhance victim safety. The Home Secretary will oversee the development of a new national approach in policing to the use of data-driven tools which use computer programmes to bring together and analyse a range of police data to identify and pursue offenders involved in domestic abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. These tools, used alongside police officers’ expert judgement, will help law enforcement prioritise and pursue the most dangerous offenders, enabling a more effective allocation of police resources. This work is being developed closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), and the College of Policing.

Review of outcome codes

As part of a wider approach to enhancing data across the CJS, the report calls for a review of outcome codes, particularly outcomes 15 and 16. The Home Office-funded NPCC VAWG Taskforce is carrying out a review of the crime recording changes announced by the previous government in April 2023. This review is under way and aims to explore any unintended consequences of these changes on VAWG cases.  The conclusions of the review have not yet been returned to the Home Office, however, we have already made some changes in relation to use of outcomes 15 or 16 and domestic abuse cases – relevant investigations can now only be closed using these codes on the authority of a police inspector or support staff equivalent. More broadly, the Home Office considers changes to the outcomes framework on an annual basis and will continue to work with the DAC to help inform this.  The Home Office is also working with forces to improve the quality and coverage of domestic abuse-related data, and we keep under review what data should be collected and published.

Closer collaboration with the DA Commissioner and the specialist domestic abuse sector

The Home Office and the DAC work together closely, as set out by the published Framework Agreement. This includes cooperating on improving the response to domestic abuse and advancing the government’s efforts to protect victims and ensure they are referred to appropriate support services. We are collecting insights from the domestic abuse sector as part of our work to develop a new, transformative cross-government VAWG Strategy, including on where there are gaps in data and the evidence base. We will continue to work closely with the DAC and sector to inform plans around how our ambition to halve VAWG is measured and where current data collection could be improved.

Recommendation 2

Home Office and Ministry of Justice strengthen accountability by requiring robust and public data from Local Criminal Justice Boards, establishing a national scrutiny panel, and strengthening the powers of all criminal justice inspectorates.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

This government is dedicated to improving data and enabling the coordinated response which is critical to ensure that each victim and survivor receives the right support and that agencies are held accountable. National Guidance for Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) already states that members are expected to share data and analysis as appropriate and necessary to enable the LCJB to fulfil its role. We do not currently have plans to mandate reporting outside of existing requirements, but we will continue to work with local partners to consider ways to support areas to improve their data collection and transparency. We recognise the importance of robust, transparent data both locally and nationally. This is why, once commenced, the Duty to Collaborate in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 will require relevant authorities, including local policing bodies, local authorities, and integrated care boards, to jointly assess the needs of victims of domestic abuse in their area and the extent to which those needs are met by services when preparing their local commissioning strategy.

There are existing bodies which hold organisations to account and this government is committed to strengthening these powers. For example, we will strengthen the powers of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in its ability to intervene in failing police forces. This independent inspectorate has previously called for increased powers to enforce the recommendations it makes and strengthen its position within the policing system. Home Office officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector to determine how this body can be strengthened to achieve this aim. We are continuing to consult on potential policy changes and aim to present finalised proposals as part of broader plans for police reform to be published later this year.     

Both Chief Inspectors of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation) already have statutory underpinning and sufficient powers to provide robust, external scrutiny through annual, individual and thematic reporting, which identifies system-wide concerns. In the interests of accountability and transparency the Ministry of Justice already publishes action plans in response to all HMI Prisons’ and HMI Probation inspection reports, and a written ministerial response.

In relation to courts, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Courts Administration (HMICA) operated from 2005 to 2010, inspecting the administrative system that supported the business in the courts. The intention to cease operations was announced in December 2009, and confirmed in 2010 following a further review by the Cabinet Office. This review found it unnecessary to have an independent body to inspect an administrative system, and that the c.£2 million per annum running costs therefore did not represent good value for money for the public. Since the closure of HMICA in 2010, HMI Prisons has had responsibility for inspecting court custody and the criminal justice inspectorates. His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) also has robust internal systems and management processes which sit alongside this inspectorate.

Judicial office holders must be free to make decisions independently and without external pressure or influence. This is vital to maintaining a fair and impartial justice system in which the public can have confidence. An independent judiciary is essential and it is an important principle that the executive cannot hold the judiciary to account and the government is therefore of the view that an inspectorate would not be appropriate. Where a judicial decision is in question, the proper mechanism for challenging it will, in most instances, be to appeal.

Ministers are also held accountable to Parliament for performance of the system and responding to inspectorate concerns, through engagement with the relevant committees, including the House of Commons Justice Select Committee and the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

Multi-agency working (Recommendation 3)

Recommendation 3: Government must improve and strengthen multi-agency working through:

• resourcing the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to independently develop principles of effective multi-agency working
• conducting a baseline review of local multi-agency responses to domestic abuse, particularly in a criminal justice setting
• providing guidance for multi-agency response and commissioning
• conducting rolling reviews locally, monitoring how local areas meet these principles of multi-agency working
• supporting and developing the specialist DA sector through development of a continuing professional development justice advocacy programme

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

Resourcing the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to independently develop principles of effective multi-agency working.

Multi-agency working is vital to prevent re-victimisation and offer tailored, appropriate support at the right time. Chapter 7 of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) Statutory Guidance sets out best practice in the multi-agency response to domestic abuse, which includes agencies’ responsibilities in working together and sharing information, and best practice principles for multi-agency working.

The Home Office has an important role to play in improving multi-agency working and will be taking forward a substantial piece of work around risk assessment and management, working closely with the sector. An example of this step-change in true multi-agency working is the level of facilitation available through the forthcoming MAPPS system which will manage offenders by enabling the secure accessing of data via the internet from any location.

Conducting a baseline review of local multi-agency responses to domestic abuse, particularly in a criminal justice setting

Providing guidance for multi-agency response and commissioning

This national-level work is also supported by a focus on local areas. This is why the Home Office funds SafeLives, who undertake reviews of local areas’ approach to multi-agency working, including collecting and analysing data from Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs). This enables local areas to identify best practice and areas for improvement so that they can more effectively support victims through a whole system co-ordinated community response. The Home Office monitors the outcomes of the reviews and uses the findings to inform national policy.

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) require cooperative working between the police, probation, and prison services in their joint management of the risks posed by the most serious offenders. Section 65 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 brings into force automatic management under MAPPA for those sentenced to at least 12 months’ imprisonment or given a hospital order for an offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship. This measure was effective from 3rd February 2025. This law change means even more domestic abuse offenders will fall under MAPPA and recognises the significant harm coercive and controlling offending can cause by putting this behaviour on par with other forms of domestic abuse.

Supporting and developing the specialist DA sector through development of a continuing professional development justice advocacy programme

It is clear that multi-agency working is underpinned by ensuring CJS professionals are themselves trained and supported, which in turn ensures victims are given the right support at the right time to increase their safety and reduce re-victimisation. Training should equip those working in frontline domestic abuse support roles to deliver their core responsibilities.

The government has committed to publishing statutory guidance on the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) role under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and this guidance will set out a number of core requirements which IDVA training should cover. This includes understanding civil, family, and criminal justice processes. IDVA training should ensure IDVAs understand the roles of various statutory criminal justice bodies, and the different court stages, types of hearing, and special measures available to the victims they support.

IDVAs and commissioners, funders, and employers of IDVA services should consider the benefit of additional training beyond an IDVA’s core role to gain specialised and advanced skills depending on the needs of their local area or their organisation’s focus. Additionally, the guidance will set out the support an IDVA may provide to a victim who is engaging with the CJS, as well as best practice in effective multi-agency working with other services who may be working with the victim. Under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, those with functions of a public nature relating to victims, or any aspect of the CJS, will be under a statutory duty to have regard to the guidance.

Conducting rolling reviews locally, monitoring how local areas meet these principles of multi-agency working

We are committed to supporting the essential role that local areas and authorities play in preventing harm and safeguarding victims. The Secretary of State for Justice is required under Section 15(1) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to issue statutory guidance to relevant authorities under the Duty to Collaborate. The statutory guidance will provide information and recommendations for relevant authorities (Local Authorities, local policing bodies, and Integrated Care Boards) on aspects of the duty including partnership working models, joint needs assessment development and joint strategy development when commissioning support services for victims of domestic abuse.

The Ministry of Justice expects to consult on the guidance early this year. The guidance will set an expectation for relevant authorities to monitor and review their own strategies locally with the central government conducting a national thematic review after each strategy cycle. This guidance complements the joint Ministry of Justice and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) Victim Services Commissioning Guidance for principles of how to approach and undertake a needs assessment when commissioning support services for victims of crime. The Commissioning Guidance also includes a chapter on co-commissioning and collaboration, supporting commissioners to work effectively together to provide victim support services.

The government has identified several priority areas for reform and the DAC will be updated on resourcing in due course. Our approach will be mission-led, ensuring departments work together to develop a shared strategy for delivering the government’s priorities.

Resourcing (Recommendations 4 and 5)

Recommendation 4: HM Treasury ambitiously, strategically, and sustainably invest in the specialist domestic abuse sector – which is critical to the statutory response to domestic abuse – and resource statutory agencies across the criminal justice system to build capacity in response to growing demand for domestic abuse support.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

Supporting victims is one of the key areas of focus for this government and a critical foundation to our mission to halve the prevalence of VAWG. Access to specialist and ‘by and for’ services is incredibly important to victims in order to prevent re-victimisation: helping them plan their safety, access support, escape abuse, and move forward with their lives. We will be looking closely at how to improve this provision, and officials are engaged with the VAWG sector as part of this ongoing conversation.

The government is in the process of preparing for Phase Two of the Spending Review and will consider how best to support victims as part of this. Departments have considerable freedom about how they organise, direct and manage the resources at their disposal. It is for the accounting officer in each department, acting within ministers’ instructions, and supported by their boards, to control and account for the department’s business.

Following the Spending Review announcements in October, the Home Office has confirmed funding for grant recipients for 2025-2026 and notified those organisations accordingly. While we have had to make some very tough decisions to secure the best financial position, the Home Office have been able to secure funding to deliver key manifesto commitments on VAWG, give increased support for vital frontline services supporting victims, help to transform the policing response to VAWG and deliver programmes to relentlessly target perpetrators, despite the challenging fiscal position.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has policy responsibility for the provision of support to victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation. Since 2021, MHCLG has provided £507 million to local authorities in England to deliver their duty, under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, to plan for, commission and provide support within safe accommodation to victims of domestic abuse and their children (children are recognised as victims in their own right) who need to flee their homes. In November 2024, the department increased funding for the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant by £30 million, bringing the total to £160 million in 2025/26, enabling local authorities in England to continue to provide essential support within safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse and their children. Local authorities must have regard to the MHCLG guidance which is clear that commissioned services should be provided by knowledgeable and/or experienced specialist domestic abuse providers, whose purpose is to provide support to victims of domestic abuse.

The Ministry of Justice provides funding for vital victim and witness support services. This includes community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services, in addition to the core funding the Ministry of Justice provides to PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet that need. Each PCC’s approach to commissioning varies; tailored to meet the unique needs of their area, depending on availability of local provision, capability, and priorities. The refreshed Victim Services Commissioning Guidance (published in December 2024 jointly by Ministry of Justice and the APCC) contains a chapter focused on commissioning services for marginalised victims. This is intended to support PCCs in considering which services victims from marginalised groups in their local area may prefer to access, including those which are ‘by and for’ or specialist. 

The Ministry of Justice has protected dedicated VAWG victims spending by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support next year. The Victims Funding Strategy committed to the principle of multi-year funding for core victim support services. This means committing to multi-year funding where possible and appropriate, and commissioners are also encouraged to pass on any multi-year funding commitments that they receive from their funding source to their provider organisations. 

The National Witness Service (WS) currently operates in every criminal court location in England and Wales providing emotional and practical support to all witnesses involved in criminal cases, to help them to give their best evidence. Last year, the WS supported over 80,000 witnesses. We understand the importance of ensuring that witnesses can continue accessing support, and we are committed to ensuring that this support meets the needs of witnesses. In November, the Ministry of Justice launched a new grant competition to deliver the WS, which is offering enhanced training to all WS staff and volunteers to ensure all support is delivered in a trauma-informed way. The new model will also promote better coordination between the WS and other CJS agencies to ensure better join-up of support for witnesses.

Recommendation 5

Ministry of Justice encourage and adequately resource re-establishing and rolling out Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts (SDACs) in Magistrates’ Courts across England and Wales by critically ensuring effective case clustering and resourcing of the court coordinator role.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

We are committed to improving the criminal court system’s response to domestic abuse cases and are considering measures to enhance support for victims, working with sector stakeholders. This includes exploring the merits of specialist court models to better support victims through the CJS.

This government is dedicated to our pledge of supporting victims, survivors and witnesses, which remains a priority focus, and is committed to ensuring that the right criminal justice services and information are available.

Prioritisation of domestic abuse in the statutory criminal justice response (Recommendations 6 and 7)

Recommendation 6: Ministry of Justice and Home Office, in collaboration with relevant agencies and the specialist domestic abuse sector, ensure that professionals across the criminal justice system – including police, prosecutors, the judiciary, and probation officers – are comprehensively, consistently, and regularly trained in identifying and responding to all forms of domestic abuse.

Recommendation 7: Home Office, along with leaders within policing, elevate the status of domestic abuse within policing, and ensure that good work is properly recognised and rewarded.

These recommendations have been grouped together as they pertain to training and prioritisation. The government partially accepts Recommendation 6 and accepts Recommendation 7.

Driving improvement in training to support policing and all CJS professionals to better safeguard and protect victims is a central part of this government’s mission to halve VAWG. On 2nd February 2025, the Home Secretary announced £13.1 million of funding to launch a new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to target VAWG, including domestic abuse and child sexual abuse. Centralising policing expertise to tackle these crimes will drive national coordination and prioritisation, with strengthened specialist training for officers across the country ensuring they offer consistent protection for victims and the relentless pursuit of perpetrators.

The Centre will act as a central hub for policing activity on crimes involving vulnerable people and public protection, including VAWG, bringing together existing Home Office-funded programmes to help ensure national oversight of policy, guidance and training. The Centre will draw on College of Policing statutory powers, bring together partner expertise to drive organisational change and improve practice to deliver on the government’s public protection priorities. The new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection is being led by National Policing Lead for VAWG, Chief Constable Maggie Blyth. It will be placed on the same strategic footing as other threats like Counter-Terrorism and Serious and Organised Crime to ensure that VAWG is prioritised by all Chief Constables. It represents a key step in driving consistent improvements across England and Wales in the policing response to these crimes. The Centre has been given a nearly £2 million uplift to prioritise improving the training for officers on VAWG crime types, as set out in the government’s manifesto. This will ensure officers across the country offer consistent protection for victims and relentlessly pursue perpetrators. It will also mean that officers will be better equipped to handle these sensitive cases.

This government’s commitment to the mission to halve VAWG will mean ensuring all CJS professionals receive the training necessary to support their work. In pursuit of this, all probation staff are required to undertake domestic abuse e-learning every three years. In addition, the completion of a full facilitated Safeguarding learning package (which includes separate events on Child Safeguarding, Adult Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse Awareness) has been committed to as an organisational priority for the Probation Service. This is required learning for Probation Officers, Probation Service Officers, those undertaking the Professional Qualification in Probation and the line managers of these staff.

To promote Continuous Professional Development for experienced practitioners, an Advanced Domestic Abuse product has been developed combining e-learning and facilitated delivery, alongside CPD work that can be completed in an operational setting. The e-learning must be completed before attending the virtually facilitated learning. There is an expectation that this learning is repeated every 3 years. The Probation Service will continue to prioritise domestic abuse learning, sustaining the high levels of completion of the mandatory e-learning and increasing the numbers of practitioners completing the facilitated learning within the required 3 years.

The Probation Service has also introduced an internal probation professional register, to provide assurance that those individuals authorised to assess and manage the risk of people on probation have the right qualifications, knowledge and skills to do so. On 30 September 2024, we made registration requirements mandatory for staff working in roles where there is an essential requirement to hold a probation officer qualification. To maintain and renew registration staff are required to keep learning and skills up to date. By September 2025, they will be required to have completed key learning on child and adult safeguarding and domestic abuse, and to reflect that learning in their practice.  

With regards to judicial training, the Lady Chief Justice, the Senior President of the Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for this, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. As the judiciary is independent, training is delivered independently of government, through the Judicial College. 

All newly appointed and newly assigned judicial office holders receive induction training which they undertake before they can sit in a jurisdiction. Continuation training is provided for all judicial office holders on a regular basis. In crime, criminal judges and magistrates receive training on domestic abuse as part of their induction and continuation training. There is also bespoke training for the magistracy on domestic abuse. Domestic abuse training covers all forms of abuse recognised by law, ranging from physical abuse including serious sexual and other assaults, emotional and psychological abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, including financial coercion and control. Further to this, all judges who hear criminal cases involving allegations of a sexual nature require specific authorisation to try such cases. These judges must attend a serious sexual offences induction seminar before they first try such a case. They then must attend serious sexual offences training every three years.

Police-perpetrated domestic abuse (Recommendation 8)

Recommendation 8: Home Office strengthen police misconduct regulations and vetting processes to hold police perpetrators to account, as well as hold forces to account in rooting out abusive officers and staff through accurate, consistent recording and clear consequences.

The government accepts this recommendation.

Any form of police-perpetrated VAWG is unacceptable and the government is committed to raising standards in policing so that women, and the wider public, can have confidence that the police are there to protect them. 

We welcome the work Centre for Women’s Justice has done to improve the response to police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA) in recent years. We are considering recommendations they have made to clarify and strengthen processes for handling complaints and conduct matters related to PPDA, including internal complaints made by officers against other officers. We will seek to address these through broader policy work including updates to statutory guidance this year. 

Last year, the Home Secretary announced a range of measures to strengthen the police disciplinary system. This included requirements on forces to suspend officers under investigation for domestic abuse and sexual offences, as well as ensuring officers convicted of certain criminal offences are automatically found to have committed gross misconduct and creating a presumption of dismissal where gross misconduct is proven.

It is crucial that allegations of domestic abuse against police officers are handled robustly with a thorough consideration of the unique risks in such cases. This assessment is assisted by the College of Policing’s Guidance on Outcomes in Police Misconduct Proceedings, which was updated in 2022, to support both misconduct panels and police decision-makers to properly consider culpability and harm factors in allegations against the police. The government intends to implement reforms this year to strengthen the police disciplinary system and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate guidance is in place for allegations of domestic abuse or VAWG.

As part of the measures the Home Secretary announced last year, we will also be introducing a set of regulations which will place stronger vetting standards on a legislative footing. This will follow another set of regulations which will create a statutory duty for officers to hold and maintain vetting clearance and enabling chief constables to dismiss officers who fail their vetting, something which was recently highlighted as a gap in the judicial review brought by the Police Federation in ‘Di Maria v Met Police and others into the Metropolitan Police Service’s Operation Assure. ^{[footnote 1]} We will also work closely with policing to ensure that vetting processes are robust and continue to improve, including through work on automated checks against the Police National Database against the workforce.

It is vital that those experiencing PPDA are informed about and are able to access relevant support and we will work with policing to build on existing work. For example, last year the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published a handling review of PPDA, which committed to providing further guidance for force Professional Standards Departments on dealing with complaint and conduct matters related to police-perpetrated VAWG (including PPDA) as well as supporting victims.

Management of perpetrators in the community (Recommendations 9, 10 and 11)

Recommendation 9: Home Office and Ministry of Justice fund and roll out tactical policing interventions (such as MATAC) and quality-assured perpetrator behaviour change programmes to every force area in England and Wales.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

We have committed to use every tool available to protect more women and girls from harm, and to relentlessly target perpetrators including via methods used to tackle terrorism and serious organised crime. We are also determined to safeguard victims by disrupting the behaviour of perpetrators through behaviour change programmes.

The Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund currently provides funding to 27 PCCs to commission domestic abuse and/or stalking perpetrator behaviour change intervention programmes in their local areas. In addition to relentlessly pursing perpetrators, it is essential that we prevent reoffending and ensure there is a comprehensive approach to perpetrators, from early intervention to targeting the most prolific and repeat offenders.

The VAWG Strategy will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the government’s VAWG ambition, including identifying problematic behaviours early, that services respond effectively and in a co-ordinated manner to stop harmful behaviour from continuing or escalating, and perpetrators are identified and managed to stop reoffending.

Recommendation 10

Ministry of Justice and the National Probation Service develop a programme of work to build community-based interventions and supervision specifically for domestic abuse.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

His Majesty Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) already offers a range of accredited programmes suitable for those individuals convicted of offences involving domestic abuse. The current provision for men with convictions for domestic abuse comprises four primary accredited programme options. 

These include: Building Better Relationships (BBR) (delivered in custody and community), suitable for adult men in heterosexual relationships who have an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) conviction, Kaizen (custody only) which is a high-intensity programme delivered in custody and accommodates all domestic abuse offences, Becoming New Me + (BNM+) (custody only), another high-intensity programme for those with Learning Disabilities and Challenges (LDC) delivered in custody and accommodates all domestic abuse offences and New Me Strengths (NMS) (custody and community) is a moderate-intensity programme for those with LDC needs which is delivered in custody and accommodates all domestic abuse offences. HMPPS also offers the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP) in prisons and probation settings. TSP is accredited for all offence types and is suitable for adult men and women. Women who have been convicted of offences involving committed domestic abuse may receive support via TSP. 

HMPPS has also begun rolling out the new Building Choices (BC) accredited programme. Building Choices provides a new approach to programming. Moving away from individual programmes which focus exclusively on one type of offending, Building Choices facilitates the exploration of complex offending histories (which are typical for the eligible cohort). The programme offer starts with a comprehensive assessment which helps direct how facilitators deliver the programme to address individual risks and needs. This ‘What Works for Me’ assessment lays the foundation for specific responsivity i.e., adapting to the characteristics of the individual, including their strengths, learning ability (including communication, memory, information processing, and reading/writing ability), culture, gender, age, mental and physical health, and other factors, as well as for personalising the programme and enhancing opportunity for people to fully participate.

Building Choices addresses both offence-specific and wider offending behaviours. It is strengths-based, supporting the development of emotional management skills, healthy thinking (including healthy sexual thinking as relevant), and healthy relationships (inclusive of managing coercive control, stalking etc as appropriate). Building Choices recognises domestic abuse perpetration in a range of cultural and social contexts and the need to be responsive to a range of protected characteristics. It is designed to be responsive to those individual needs through the Risk, Need, Responsivity framework. Furthermore, Building Choices is built upon the understanding that the Bio-Psycho-Social (BPS) circumstances experienced by everyone influence how people may engage with and take benefit from an accredited programme.

Rehabilitation activities for domestic abuse offences also extend beyond offending behaviour programmes and formal interventions. Effective rehabilitation includes targeting services that address an individual perpetrator’s criminogenic need and risk, as well as activities delivered by our partners that support stabilisation of an individual, including access to good health care and safe accommodation.

We are working towards service delivery that aligns as far as possible to current evidence of what is effective, including for those who commit domestic abuse related offences. We are therefore keen to ensure our probation and prison staff become more confident in delivering quality contacts in their 1:1 work. This includes a continued focus on working in a structured way to rehabilitate and manage the risks an individual presents in their community.  We also know that individuals in our services can commit a range of offences and many of these offences share common criminogenic need and risk factors. Targeting these needs and risks helps us better optimise resources whilst keeping a focus on quality of delivery. This is the basis of the new design for our accredited programme, Building Choices. 

Recommendation 11

Ministry of Justice expand eligibility for the Victims Contact Scheme to all victims and survivors of domestic abuse, regardless of sentence length or whether their perpetrator’s conviction is specifically for a domestic abuse-related crime.

The government partially accepts this recommendation.

We recognise that giving victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release is important, which is why the Victim Contact Scheme and Victim Notification Scheme are vital communication tools for eligible victims. The Victim Contact Scheme covers victims of serious violent, sexual and terrorist offences where the offender receives a sentence of over 12 months, and the Victim Notification Scheme covers victims of specified stalking, harassment, and coercive and controlling behaviour offences, regardless of the length of sentence. Many victims of domestic abuse are covered by these existing operational schemes.

Separate to the schemes, the Offender Manager should consider public protection (including of the victim) as part of the preparation for release, and can, for example, consider including licence conditions which are relevant to the victim, such as a no contact condition.

The government is actively considering how to improve communication with victims about an offender following conviction. 

Victims and survivors in the criminal justice system (Recommendation 12)

Recommendation 12: Ministry of Justice introduce legislation to make self-defence more accessible for victims of domestic abuse who use force against their abuser, and to provide a defence where victims of domestic abuse are coerced into offending.

The government rejects this recommendation.

Self-defence is already a full defence for those accused of a criminal offence including murder. Other defences, full and partial, can apply where a person has committed an offence as a result of being subjected to domestic abuse. However, the government recognises the concerns about those who are compelled to commit a criminal act by being subjected to abuse and the particular issues raised by victims of domestic abuse who kill their abuser. That is why the Law Commission project on defences to homicide cases for those subject to domestic abuse will now continue as part of the wider Law Commission project announced at the end of last year, looking at both the law on homicide and sentencing for murder. The government will consider those recommendations, and any necessary legislative changes, once the report is received. Any wider lessons from the review of homicide defences will inform consideration of a general defence for all offences but the government has no immediate plans to legislate to create a domestic abuse defence.  

For those convicted of an offence, the government has also committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. The review was launched in October 2024. The terms of reference ask the independent Sentencing Review to consider whether the framework appropriately takes into account the specific needs or vulnerabilities of women within the criminal justice system.

Conclusion

We would like to thank the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC ) for their work in producing this report. The responses to the recommendations demonstrate the government’s commitment to all victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

This government has made an unprecedented commitment to halving VAWG in a decade. Achieving this mission will require a whole systems approach. Domestic abuse is a hidden crime, with many cases never coming to the attention of the CJS. It is therefore critical that all agencies and services that come into contact with victims are able to identify abuse; effectively assess risk; and help victims find support.

The Safer Streets Mission is the vehicle to drive delivery across government to halve violence against women and girls and to restore confidence in the policing and justice system. It is an opportunity to deliver transformative change to society by taking a whole-system approach.

These are ambitious aims that will require a dedicated coalition of government, public services, the private sector, charities, and the public themselves, to be successful in achieving them.

The new cross-government VAWG Strategy will set out the strategic direction and concrete action to deliver on the government’s ambition to halve VAWG in a decade. The Strategy will seek to continue to drive down reoffending by transforming the police and justice response to VAWG, and prevent VAWG from happening in the first place, to reduce prevalence over the long-term. Halving VAWG will require a transformative response across all of government and wider society. We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge and look forward to our continued work with the DAC and their office to help achieve this.

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Footnotes

1. Di Maria v Met Police and others - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary ↩