Domestic Violence and Partnerships
Domestic Violence and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships: questionnaire findings
Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) have a central role to play in tackling domestic violence, by delivering appropriate and effective services to victims. This report shows the findings of a questionnaire, made available electronically from July to September 2003 to all 376 CDRPs. It assesses the nature and extent of work undertaken by CDRPs on domestic violence.
Title: Domestic Violence and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships: questionnaire findings
Author: Alana Diamond, Corrine Charles, Theresa Allen
Series: Home Office Online Report 56/04
Date published: December 2004
Number of pages: 42
Availability: Download full report 
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Key Findings
Audits and Strategies
The majority of CDRPs included domestic violence (DV) as part of their last audit and strategy (89% and 95% respectively); 73% have also developed a stand-alone strategy to help them tackle DV in their area. 73% considered it to be a high priority.
Domestic violence forums commissioned the majority of action plans and strategies. These were available to the public on request or on-line via website (84% and 76% respectively).
The level of financial resources available for domestic violence varied widely amongst CDRPs. 62% of CDRPs were allocated funding between £5,000 and £149,999. The mean funding level was £55,347.
Approaches to work
The police and local authority were highly involved agencies within the CDRP partnership (81% and 66% respectively).
The 3 most highly involved strategic agencies or groups were:
Drug Action Teams (30%)
Local Strategic Partnerships (29%)
Area Child Protection Committees (26%)
79% of CDRPs reported that they had local domestic violence forums operating in their locality. Over half stated that they consulted directly with the domestic violence forum
63% of CDRPs stated that they had some form of consultation with DV victims when developing strategies
93% of CDRPs consulted with the public in developing their strategies.
Co-ordination of work
59% of CDRPs had access to a domestic violence co-ordinator; and of these, 70% reported that the co-ordinator worked exclusively on domestic violence.
Of those CDRPs, which had a domestic violence co-ordinator, 44% reported that they worked solely for their CDRP.
Definitions of domestic violence and data collection
There were different definitions of domestic violence but most included notions of power and control and the different manifestations of abuse (physical, sexual, psychological and financial).
75% of CDRPs said that they regularly collected data. The most common collection method was use of paper forms in conjunction with a database (50%).
The police were the main contributor to CDRP data collection systems.
69% of CDRPs stated they had either a data-sharing protocol in place or one in development.
Targets on domestic violence work
57% of CDRPs reported that they had a local authority Public Service Agreement. Less than 22% of these related to domestic violence.
62% of other domestic violence targets were set as part of the CDRP strategy.
Of those CDRPs which had set a target on domestic violence just over a quarter had met all or most targets over a 12-month period.
Self assessed achievement
Over a third of CDRPs indicated that they were making steady progress and the majority indicated that they either had some, or many areas for development.
A minority of CDRPs described themselves as having 'few' areas for development or as being a 'model of good practice' (2% and 16% respectively).
Interventions and initiatives to address domestic violence
The most common initiatives were those that raised the awareness of domestic violence (36%), followed by victim/survivor support services (11%) and training (11%).
69% of interventions were aimed at women and 43% at children.
The main barriers affecting implementation were lack of funding (52%), the challenges of partnership working (17%) and the lack of a domestic violence co-ordinator (14%).
Factors relating to performance
CDRPs describing themselves as having met all or some targets over a 12-month period and as a 'model of good practice', were found to have:
high prioritisation of domestic violence in the CDRP strategy
more than £20,000 of financial resources for domestic violence
a local domestic violence forum
a domestic violence co-ordinator in post
common and shared definition of domestic violence
collected regular data on domestic violence
a data-sharing protocol in place.
Last update: Tuesday, August 07, 2007