Media Report

New Policy Paper Highlights Structural Failures in Domestic Abuse Safeguarding

By Samantha Avril-Andreassen
Policy Research Release | SAFECHAIN™ Initiative
2026

© 2026 Samantha Avril-Andreassen. All rights reserved.

Introduction

A new policy paper examining the United Kingdom’s response to domestic abuse has highlighted significant structural weaknesses within the safeguarding systems designed to protect victims.

The report, authored by Samantha Avril-Andreassen, argues that institutional fragmentation across policing, courts, healthcare, housing services, and social care can undermine survivor protection and prolong harm.

The research proposes that domestic abuse should be understood not only as a criminal justice issue but as a cross-institutional governance challenge involving multiple agencies whose systems frequently operate in isolation.

Fragmented Safeguarding Systems

Domestic abuse survivors often encounter several public institutions simultaneously.

These may include:

• police services

• family courts

• healthcare providers within the NHS

• housing authorities

• child and adult social services.

Each institution operates under different legal frameworks and administrative systems. As a result, critical safeguarding information may remain siloed rather than shared across agencies.

The report highlights that victims frequently must recount traumatic experiences repeatedly to different institutions, creating additional emotional strain and delaying coordinated responses.

Without integrated safeguarding infrastructure, agencies may possess partial information about abuse but lack the ability to see the full pattern of harm.

Coercive Control and Psychological Abuse

The research emphasises that domestic abuse increasingly involves psychological abuse and coercive control rather than solely physical violence.

Coercive control includes behaviours such as:

• social isolation

• financial restriction

• intimidation

• surveillance and manipulation.

Public awareness of coercive control increased significantly following the appeal case of Sally Challen, whose conviction was reconsidered after evidence of long-term psychological abuse was presented.

The case demonstrated how patterns of psychological manipulation can profoundly affect victims’ mental health and decision-making.

However, the report notes that legal institutions still face challenges in identifying coercive control within adversarial court proceedings, where abuse often unfolds over long periods rather than through isolated incidents.

Financial Abuse and Litigation Tactics

The report also highlights financial abuse as a major but often overlooked dimension of domestic abuse.

Financial abuse may involve:

• restricting access to money

• controlling employment opportunities

• accumulating debt in the victim’s name

• concealing assets during separation or divorce.

The research suggests that financial abuse can continue long after relationships end through prolonged litigation and complex financial arrangements within family court proceedings.

Such tactics can place survivors under severe financial pressure while legal disputes continue.

Domestic Abuse and Mental Health

Domestic abuse is strongly associated with severe psychological consequences, including:

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• anxiety and depression

• long-term trauma.

The report highlights growing concerns about the relationship between domestic abuse and suicide, noting that many victims experience profound psychological distress during and after abusive relationships.

However, domestic-abuse-related suicides are not consistently recorded in national statistics, potentially obscuring the scale of the problem.

The Scale of Domestic Abuse in the UK

The report draws upon national data illustrating the scale of domestic abuse.

According to the Office for National Statistics:

• approximately 2.1 million people experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023

• around 1.4 million of those victims were women.

Police recorded more than 850,000 domestic-abuse-related crimes during the same period.

These figures highlight the continuing scale of domestic abuse as a national safeguarding challenge.

Proposed Policy Reforms

The policy paper calls for several reforms designed to strengthen safeguarding responses and improve coordination between institutions.

Integrated Safeguarding Systems

The report proposes the development of secure information-sharing systems enabling collaboration between police, healthcare providers, courts, housing authorities, and social services.

Such systems could help ensure that safeguarding decisions are based on a more complete understanding of abuse patterns.

Trauma-Informed Justice Procedures

The research recommends greater use of trauma-informed approaches within legal systems, including specialised training for judges, barristers, solicitors, and court staff.

Recognising the impact of trauma on survivors’ behaviour could help prevent misinterpretation of trauma responses within legal proceedings.

Financial Transparency in Legal Proceedings

The report also recommends strengthening financial disclosure mechanisms within family courts to address the risks of asset concealment and financial manipulation during separation proceedings.

Recognition of Suicide Risk

Improving safeguarding responses may also require greater recognition of mental health deterioration and suicide risk among domestic abuse survivors.

Incorporating mental health indicators into risk assessments could enable earlier intervention.

A Systemic Safeguarding Challenge

The author argues that domestic abuse policy has made important progress over the past decade, but that structural coordination between institutions remains limited.

Without greater integration between agencies, victims may continue to encounter fragmented systems while navigating complex legal, healthcare, and housing processes.

The report concludes that addressing domestic abuse effectively requires systemic safeguarding reforms rather than isolated institutional responses.