#ReachIn: A rapid review of informal Social Support Interventions for victim & survivors of domestic violence & abuse
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Social Science
Abstract
This project aims to improve outcomes for victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) by advancing knowledge about informal social support interventions. The pandemic has highlighted the challenges that policing, health and frontline services face in seeking to identify and support victims-survivors of DVA. Anecdotal evidence suggests that victims have been less able and/ or willing to seek help from traditional first responders (Peterman et al., 2020) whilst more informal sources of support have faced increased demands: Refuge saw a 700% increase in the number of visits to their Helpline website during the initial lockdown (ONS, 2020).
Interventions that aid informal networks (such as family, friends, neighbours and community groups) can therefore play a critical role (Sanchez et al., 2020). For those 'living with domestic abuse... the view from outside, from supportive friends, family and neighbours, is so important' (DVA Survivor, SafeLives), with the potential to improve mental and physical health outcomes for victims of DVA (Coker et al., 2004; Goodman et al., 2011). Yet, very little is known about interventions that promote, enhance, or create informal social support for adults affected by DVA.
This project will review existing research to identify effective informal social support interventions and how they 'work'. A systematic rapid review will identify, describe, appraise and synthesize evidence to understand whether, and how, informal social support interventions can improve outcomes for victims and survivors of DVA. In collaboration with stakeholders, these findings will then be translated into practical, real-world guidance for friends, families and communities, as well as DVA practitioners. The collaboration between UCL and SafeLives will ensure relevance, methodological rigour, and UK-wide reach of the project and outputs. SafeLives' #ReachIn campaign will serve as a vehicle for engaging key audiences and maximising benefits now, in the recovery phase of the pandemic, and beyond.
Interventions that aid informal networks (such as family, friends, neighbours and community groups) can therefore play a critical role (Sanchez et al., 2020). For those 'living with domestic abuse... the view from outside, from supportive friends, family and neighbours, is so important' (DVA Survivor, SafeLives), with the potential to improve mental and physical health outcomes for victims of DVA (Coker et al., 2004; Goodman et al., 2011). Yet, very little is known about interventions that promote, enhance, or create informal social support for adults affected by DVA.
This project will review existing research to identify effective informal social support interventions and how they 'work'. A systematic rapid review will identify, describe, appraise and synthesize evidence to understand whether, and how, informal social support interventions can improve outcomes for victims and survivors of DVA. In collaboration with stakeholders, these findings will then be translated into practical, real-world guidance for friends, families and communities, as well as DVA practitioners. The collaboration between UCL and SafeLives will ensure relevance, methodological rigour, and UK-wide reach of the project and outputs. SafeLives' #ReachIn campaign will serve as a vehicle for engaging key audiences and maximising benefits now, in the recovery phase of the pandemic, and beyond.
Publications
Schucan Bird K
(2023)
Ethically Driven and Methodologically Tailored: Setting the Agenda for Systematic Reviews in Domestic Violence and Abuse
in Journal of Family Violence
Schucan Bird K
(2022)
PROTOCOL: Informal social support interventions for improving outcomes for victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse: An evidence and gap map
in Campbell Systematic Reviews
Schucan Bird K
(2023)
Training Informal Supporters to Improve Responses to Victim-Survivors of Domestic Violence and Abuse: A Systematic Review.
in Trauma, violence & abuse
| Title | Infographic (barriers to informal support) in English and Spanish |
| Description | An info-graphic was professionally developed to create a visual representation of research (barriers faced by informal supporters to responding to victim-survivors), based on the workshops between the UK and Spain. The info-graphic was developed in English and Spanish to maximise international reach. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The infographic was used to reach English and Spanish speaking audiences, integrated into social media posts (blog posts and twitter posts) to maximise dissemination of research. |
| Title | Infographic (effectiveness of training informal supporters) |
| Description | An infographic was professionally created to visually represent the findings of the systematic review. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | None currently realised. |
| Description | The research has led to the following four main achievements: 1. NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF RESEARCH ON INFORMAL SOCIAL SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS This is the first project to create a comprehensive picture of international research on interventions that have been designed to create, enhance, or promote informal social support for victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse (DVA). The project reveals that such interventions are multiple and varied, with the majority targeting victim-survivor's ability to engage with informal supporters (e.g., peer support groups). Published studies mainly report findings for the well-being or social networks of adult, female victim-survivors who are currently in, or recently left, an abusive relationship. The project reveals several gaps in the evidence base: whilst many informal social support interventions are delivered around the world, relatively few are evaluated and/ or published as empirical research; there is a distinct lack of research on UK based interventions; there is limited evidence about the effects of interventions on victim-survivors in the longer term (over one year), minoritized ethnic or racial groups, and outcomes for informal social supporters. 2. NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING/ EDUCATION FOR INFORMAL SUPPORTERS TO IMPROVE RESPONSES TO VICTIM-SURVIVORS This is the first review to systematically describe, appraise and synthesize evidence about the impacts of educating/ training informal supporters to respond to victim-survivors. The review identified evidence that education/ training can lead to significant improvements in informal supporters' awareness and understanding of DVA, knowledge of resources/ support, and confidence and motivation to respond in the short term. The evidence base, however, is small, of variable quality, and examines training for specific types of informal supporter: faith leaders, workplace employees, peers, and community members. 3. NEW RESEARCH AGENDAS. Despite vigorous ethical debates about primary research in domestic abuse, there is a dearth of consideration of the ethical dimensions of systematic reviews in this field. This project examined, and attempted to address, ethical challenges associated with each stage of the systematic review process. In doing so, the project identified a new agenda for ethically driven and methodologically tailored systematic reviews in domestic abuse. Further, the project identifies the importance of new research agendas focusing on informal social support interventions as part of our wider efforts to understand societal wide responses to DVA. 4. NEW COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS. The project has generated new and active partnerships. First, teams at UCL and SafeLives have successfully collaborated in the completion of the research, combining academic expertise in systematic reviews with experience of a 2nd tier domestic abuse charity. This has maximised the rigour and relevance of the research, built capacity in systematic review methods in SafeLives, and enhanced the methodological approach to systematic reviews in domestic abuse in UCL. Second, a new collaborative group was established that brought together individuals with lived experience, the College of Policing, the University of Bristol, Home-Start East-Sussex, and P.H.O.E.B.E (frontline domestic abuse organisations). This has strengthened the research process and findings, and developed an active network focused on informal social support. |
| Exploitation Route | The research outcomes can be taken forward in multiple ways: ACADEMICS/ RESEARCHERS: The project has identified several research gaps in the field of informal social support interventions and so further primary research is necessary to better understand the nature, extent and impacts of such interventions. Appropriate study designs should be used to enable researchers to draw inferences about effects, reporting outcomes for victim-survivors, and collecting data in the longer term. Secondary researchers can utilise the map of informal social support interventions to identify fruitful areas/ sets of studies for further in-depth analysis. POLICY-MAKERS: The project has identified the potential of informal social support interventions as complementing existing policies/ formal responses to domestic abuse. This project can inform policy decisions to fund and evaluate such interventions. FRONTLINE INTERVENTION PROVIDERS: The existing evidence base can inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of informal social support interventions. INFORMAL SOCIAL SUPPORTERS/PUBLIC: The project offers knowledge, based on research evidence, that can bolster the capability and motivation of individuals to respond to victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
| Description | Policy The project has begun to inform policy debates about domestic abuse by highlighting the importance of informal social support interventions. The project submitted written evidence to the APPG on Domestic Abuse in 2022 and this informed the final report 'The Road to Recovery: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Domestic Abuse Survivors' (Women's Aid, 2022) which recognised the 'importance of peer-support programmes and interventions that work with the local community and informal networks' (p. 23). Academia To date, the project has had key impacts 1) substantively and 2) methodologically: 1) Substantive advances in the field of domestic abuse research. Conceptually, the research has developed a new framework for understanding informal social support interventions (see Schucan et al., 2022) and developed a logic model for training interventions aimed at informal supporters. Empirically, the project has pinpointed barriers to informal responses to victim-survivors (infographic: barriers) based on international collaboration (Global engagement meetings. 2022) and existing research. The systematic map has identified interventions, from around the world, that seek to foster or enable social support for victim-survivors of abuse (see Schucan et al., 2022), and disseminate these findings to relevant international audiences (ECDV, 2021). Further, the synthesis of a sub-set of studies from the map has identified the effectiveness, and perception of effectiveness, of training aimed at informal supporters. 2) Methodological advances in systematic reviews in domestic abuse and advancing ethical considerations in reviews. The project has established a new agenda surrounding the methods and ethics of undertaking systematic reviews in the field of domestic abuse (WWGS, 2022). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Written Submission to All-Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/APPGReport2019-FINAL.pdf |
| Description | Written submission to Open Consultation on Domestic Abuse Act statutory guidance |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/domestic-abuse-act-statutory-guidance |
| Description | Informal social support for victim-survivors of domestic abuse: exchanging knowledge and expertise for research, practice and policy advocacy, Global Engagement Funds |
| Amount | £4,800 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | UCL and SafeLives |
| Organisation | SafeLives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The UCL research team contributed expertise in systematic reviews in domestic violence and abuse, and rapid review methodology. This informed the research process and outcomes. UCL led in the design and delivery of the research and knowledge exchange activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SafeLives contributed to the research design and delivery. SafeLives provided perspectives from the third sector and individuals with lived experience to guide the research process and interpret the findings. |
| Impact | UCL and SafeLives have collaborated on all outputs associated with the project: SafeLives Learning and Recommendations; What Works Global Summit 2021 Poster; 4th ECDV Oral Presentation; Written submissions to APPG on DVA and Open consultation on DA Act; Campbell title registration; Global Funds. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | UCL, SafeLives, College of Policing, University of Bristol, P.H.O.E.B.E, Home Start East Sussex |
| Organisation | College of Policing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The UCL research team contributed expertise in systematic reviews in domestic violence and abuse, and rapid review methodology. This informed the research process and outcomes. UCL led in the design and delivery of the research and knowledge exchange activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SafeLives contributed to the research design and delivery. SafeLives provided perspectives from the third sector and individuals with lived experience to guide the research process and interpret the findings. PHOEBE and Home-Start East Sussex shaped the research priorities and aided the interpretation of the research findings from the perspective of frontline organisations. College of Policing and University of Bristol provided academic and applied expertise to shape the research priorities, influence the research methods and aid the interpretation of findings. |
| Impact | Advisory Group |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | UCL, SafeLives, College of Policing, University of Bristol, P.H.O.E.B.E, Home Start East Sussex |
| Organisation | SafeLives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The UCL research team contributed expertise in systematic reviews in domestic violence and abuse, and rapid review methodology. This informed the research process and outcomes. UCL led in the design and delivery of the research and knowledge exchange activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SafeLives contributed to the research design and delivery. SafeLives provided perspectives from the third sector and individuals with lived experience to guide the research process and interpret the findings. PHOEBE and Home-Start East Sussex shaped the research priorities and aided the interpretation of the research findings from the perspective of frontline organisations. College of Policing and University of Bristol provided academic and applied expertise to shape the research priorities, influence the research methods and aid the interpretation of findings. |
| Impact | Advisory Group |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | UCL, SafeLives, College of Policing, University of Bristol, P.H.O.E.B.E, Home Start East Sussex |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Department | Medical School |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The UCL research team contributed expertise in systematic reviews in domestic violence and abuse, and rapid review methodology. This informed the research process and outcomes. UCL led in the design and delivery of the research and knowledge exchange activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SafeLives contributed to the research design and delivery. SafeLives provided perspectives from the third sector and individuals with lived experience to guide the research process and interpret the findings. PHOEBE and Home-Start East Sussex shaped the research priorities and aided the interpretation of the research findings from the perspective of frontline organisations. College of Policing and University of Bristol provided academic and applied expertise to shape the research priorities, influence the research methods and aid the interpretation of findings. |
| Impact | Advisory Group |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | 4th European Conference on Domestic Violence 2021: Oral presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 15 minute presentation at 4th European Conference on Domestic Violence. The presentation reported on the findings of the project to date (map findings) to an audience of 23 academics and practitioner/ researchers. Attendees noted the value of the contribution and the broadening of their understanding with regards informal social support for victim-survivors of domestic abuse. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://ecdv-ljubljana.org/ |
| Description | Advisory Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Three Advisory Group Meetings were held during the course of the project. 1) Defining the scope of the review and informing methods, 2) Identifying research priorities for in-depth analysis, 3) drawing interpretations and key messages from the research findings |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Blog post (IOE) reporting on workshops with Spanish colleagues |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog post was published to highlight the barriers faced by friends, family and colleagues in supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse. Information was provided to offer advice on how to respond. The blog was a collaborative output from international workshops between the research team and Spanish colleauges, published to mark the start of the 16 days of activism against gender based violence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/2022/11/23/friends-family-colleagues-and-neighbours-play-a-vital-role-in... |
| Description | Presentation at International Conference of Science, Feminism and Masculinities (CICFEM) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 'The importance of informal support networks in gender-based violence intervention' Presentation delivered at Spanish conference to share experiences (findings and collaborative process) of international workshops on informal social support for victim-survivors of domestic abuse. This conference engaged with Spanish academics, activists, practitioners and policy makers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.cicfem.com/?lang=en |
| Description | SafeLives Learning and Recommendations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | UCL and SafeLives delivered a presentation to 50 colleagues from SafeLives to share high level research findings and develop recommendations from perspective of third sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Social Science Research Unit & EPPI-Centre oral presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation given to academics/ systematic review specialists in the Social Science Research Unit/ EPPI-Centre. This was well attended (approx 40 colleagues) and provided opportunity for methodological and substantive debate about the project. For example, a colleague raised the issue of children's provision of informal social support to their parents (and the challenges introduced by intervening in this relationship) which the project had not hitherto considered. The colleague provided helpful references which will be used to inform the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Two Global Engagement meetings between UK team and Spanish academics, activists and practitioners |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Two online workshops brought together teams from the UK (UCL, SafeLives, individuals with lived experience) and Spain (Universitat de Girona; Plataforma Unitaria contra las Violencias de Género; Solidarity network of victims of gender violence in universities) to 1) share research knowledge and expertise, 2) synthesize learning and establish a collaborative agenda going forward. The workshops resulted in an info-graphic, blog post, and conference presentation. This enabled international reach of the research findings/ project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | What Works Global Summit 2021: Evidence for Development Poster |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster with 3 minute talk-over presentation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://hopin.com/events/evidence4dev |
| Description | What Works Global Summit, 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 15 minute presentation on 'Ethics and systematic review methods: A renewed agenda'. The presentation identified ethical issues surrounding systematic reviews in domestic abuse to an audience of 25 academics and practitioner/ researchers. Attendees noted the value of the contribution and prompting reflection on their own methods/ ethical approaches in systematic reviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oXKVj_73Xs&list=PLvUIl9ouflEJoljFrxLcSfsLlbcyzr-q3&index=40 |