4.5 Domestic Abuse
Domestic Abuse
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 says that behaviour is 'abusive' if it consists of any of the following:
- Physical or sexual abuse;
- Violent or threatening behaviour;
- Controlling or coercive behaviour;
- Economic abuse;
- Psychological, emotional or other abuse.
and it does not matter whether the behaviour consists of a single incident or a course of conduct. The perpetrator of the abuse and the victim of the abuse have to be aged 16 or over and are 'personally connected' as intimate partners, ex-partners, family members or individuals who share parental responsibility for a child. There is no requirement for the victim and perpetrator to live in the same household.
Types of domestic abuse include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members, teenage relationship abuse and child to parent abuse. Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of sexual identity, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home.
Domestic abuse has a significant impact on children and young people. Children may experience domestic abuse directly, as victims in their own right, or indirectly due to the impact the abuse has on others such as the non-abusive parent.
Domestic abuse in teenage relationships is just as severe and has the potential to be as life threatening as abuse in adult relationships. See Sefton Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy.
Sefton Domestic Abuse Pathway
Work has recently been undertaken in relation to the Domestic Abuse Pathways for Sefton, in order to streamline referral routes and make it easier for support to be offered to and accessed by victims of domestic abuse.
As part of this work, the pathways into Domestic Abuse support will be changing slightly, with Sefton Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) Team moving in line with other IDVA services across Merseyside and raising their referral threshold to match that of the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC).
As well as the change in criteria, a new online referral portal has also been created for all referrals being made to both Sefton IDVA Team and MARAC.
The new pathway is as follows:
- HIGH RISK (Merit Gold, DASH 14+ or professional judgdement)
MARAC and IDVA via online referral portal
- MEDIUM/LOW RISK (Merit Silver/Bronze, DASH 13 or less)
Call Sefton Domestic Abuse Service helpline or attend drop in
The link for the online referral portal for making all new referrals into IDVA and MARAC is:
IDVA and MARAC Referral Form
PLEASE NOTE: For a referral to be accepted by IDVA and MARAC, a copy of a DASH risk assessment must be included with the referral. There should also have been a high risk Domestic Abuse incident within the last 3 months.
The Domestic Abuse Services offered as part of the new pathway are:
Sefton IDVA Team
- Support and safety planning for any high-risk victims of domestic abuse
- Referrals can be made using professional judgement as long as there is a clear rationale provided
- Support available Monday – Friday 9am-5pm
- Duty contact details team@sefton.gov.uk or 0151 934 5142
Sefton Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS)
- Provided by Sefton Women and Childrens Aid (SWACA)
- Helpline for anyone affected by domestic abuse
- Practical and emotional advice and support
- Support available Monday – Friday 8am-6pm via 0151 394 1400
Last updated October 29, 2024.