Review of domestic violence perpetrator programmes in the UK

Domestic violence is a social issue that is controversial and politically charged. Unlike many other academic and practitioner based areas there is a lack of discourse meaning current interventions are often not informed by a scientific evidence base. The aim of the current study was to review the current provision of domestic violence perpetrator programmes (DVPP) within the UK. This research was part of a worldwide review into DVPP provision with each team focusing on specific geographical areas. The objective of the current review was to address the following key research question: what are the characteristics of DVPP within the UK? This included reviewing the population they serve (e.g. male or female; age range), source referral (e.g. court-mandated, voluntary/self-referred) and the program characteristics (e.g. length of program, number of sessions, modality, curriculum informing the program). Questionnaires were sent to all known organisations delivering perpetrator programme which included prison, probation, and charities. This was supplemented with a review of the available literature on programmes where available. Findings are discussed in line with the importance of research informed and evidence based practice. Furthermore, we seek to highlight the importance of the communication between researcher and practitioners, establishing a more collaborative approach on this issue can inform better provision for perpetrators