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The Disconnect: When Safeguarding Systems Fail Survivors

© 2026 Samantha Avril-Andreassen. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Across the United Kingdom, significant legal reforms have been introduced to recognise coercive control, economic abuse, and the complex realities of domestic abuse.

Yet many survivors report a troubling experience once they attempt to navigate the systems designed to protect them.

Police, healthcare providers, housing authorities, financial institutions, and the courts each play a role in responding to domestic abuse. However, these institutions often operate independently, with limited continuity of information between them.

For individuals moving through these systems, the result can be a profound institutional disconnect.

This documentary examines how fragmentation across safeguarding systems can allow patterns of abuse to persist while victims struggle to obtain protection, stability, and justice.

The Fragmented System

Domestic abuse rarely occurs within a single institutional environment.

A survivor may interact with multiple agencies over time:

• reporting incidents to the police
• seeking medical support
• applying for housing assistance
• navigating family or civil court proceedings
• addressing financial disputes

Each institution holds part of the story.

However, when these systems do not share information effectively, no single decision-maker may see the full safeguarding picture.

This fragmentation can produce situations where abuse is documented across multiple agencies, yet remains difficult to recognise in its entirety.

The Implementation Gap

Legislation such as the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has introduced important legal recognition of coercive control and economic abuse.

However, legal recognition alone does not guarantee effective institutional response.

Survivors often encounter an implementation gap, where the law acknowledges abuse dynamics but institutional procedures struggle to reflect that reality in practice.

In complex legal disputes—particularly those involving property, financial disclosure, or extended litigation—this gap can become especially visible.

Patterns That Remain Hidden

When safeguarding systems operate in isolation, patterns of abuse can become difficult to detect.

Professionals working within individual institutions may only see:

• a housing dispute
• a financial disagreement
• a court application
• a safeguarding referral

Without access to the broader context, these interactions may appear as isolated incidents rather than part of a continuing pattern.

This fragmentation can unintentionally allow individuals who engage in abusive behaviour to move through systems without the full history of their conduct being visible.

The Human Impact

For survivors, the experience of institutional fragmentation can be deeply destabilising.

Many describe being required to repeatedly recount traumatic experiences across multiple agencies.

Others face prolonged legal proceedings, financial uncertainty, or housing instability while systems struggle to coordinate responses.

The cumulative effect can be a gradual erosion of stability, dignity, and security.

In some cases, survivors report feeling that the system designed to protect them has instead become another arena of conflict.

A Structural Problem

The purpose of this documentary is not to assign blame to any single institution.

Police, courts, housing authorities, healthcare providers, and regulatory bodies each operate within complex legal frameworks and resource constraints.

However, the absence of structural coordination between these systems can create vulnerabilities in safeguarding responses.

This raises important policy questions:

• How can institutions ensure continuity of safeguarding information across agencies?
• How can professionals better recognise patterns of coercive control within complex legal processes?
• What reforms might strengthen the coordination of safeguarding systems?

The SAFECHAIN™ Perspective

SAFECHAIN™ examines these questions through the concept of institutional fragmentation.

Rather than focusing on individual cases, the initiative seeks to understand how safeguarding systems interact and where gaps in coordination may arise.

By mapping the survivor journey across institutions, SAFECHAIN™ aims to highlight opportunities for improved information continuity, trauma-informed practice, and institutional accountability.

Why This Conversation Matters

Domestic abuse policy continues to evolve, and significant progress has been made in recognising the complexity of abuse dynamics.

However, ensuring that legal recognition translates into effective institutional practice remains an ongoing challenge.

This documentary invites policymakers, professionals, and the public to reflect on how safeguarding systems can work more effectively together.

When institutions communicate, coordinate, and recognise the broader context of abuse, the chain of protection remains intact.

When that chain breaks, the consequences can be profound.

About SAFECHAIN™

SAFECHAIN™ is a safeguarding systems initiative examining how institutional fragmentation across policing, healthcare, housing, financial systems, and legal processes affects responses to domestic abuse.

Through research, policy analysis, and practical frameworks, SAFECHAIN™ seeks to strengthen the continuity of safeguarding information and improve coordination between institutions.