New report reveals scale of domestic abuse in Merseyside

And it reveals the scale of demand on “overstretched” domestic abuse services across Merseyside and the urgent need for more stable, long-term funding to support victim-survivors.

Of the abuse victims, approximately 10,000 victim-survivors a year are supported by 20 independent organisations working in the region and three local authorities currently providing in-house support, with some of those organisations reporting they are operating beyond a safe capacity.

The review highlights significant challenges, including short-term and fragmented funding, which leads to high staff turnover, and long waiting lists – particularly for therapeutic services.

In turn, this often means victim-survivors miss out on having a single case worker with whom they can build trust. It also identifies gaps in provision for children and young people, and for marginalised groups such as black and minoritised women and disabled people.

Commissioned by Merseyside police and crime commissioner (PCC) Emily Spurrell, the report was produced by national charity Women’s Aid and Liverpool John Moore University.

Drawing on the voices of frontline professionals, specialist service providers and commissioners, it provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of domestic abuse service provision and funding across the region.

The report makes 20 recommendations to improve the oversight and coordination of domestic abuse funding, strengthen multi-agency working, and to ensure available resources are maximised and available to all communities.

The study stresses the importance of having specialist gender-specific services, the need for greater support for children and young people and for marginalised groups.

Ms Spurrell says the findings will help to inform how she works with partners to improve and streamline funding for domestic abuse support in the future to make sure services are sustainable, and that support is available to all victim-survivors across the region, removing any barriers people face when trying to access help.

“This report provides a sobering but vital insight into the pressures facing our domestic abuse services,” Ms Spurrell said.

“It’s clear that demand far outstrips current provision, and that the system is being held together by the dedication of overstretched professionals.

“We need a more stable, joined-up and long-term funding model – one that gives services the security they need to plan for the future and ensures that every victim-survivor can access the right support at the right time.

“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to this review for their honesty and collaboration – their input will guide our next steps.

“I am focused on using their insights to push for a coordinated approach to tackling domestic abuse, ensuring our limited resources are allocated efficiently and effectively, and we maximise every penny.

“We will now study the 20 recommendations closely and use them to inform how we fund services going forward. While there are no quick fixes or easy solutions, this report gives us a strong foundation to work from. We owe it to every survivor to build a future where domestic abuse is not tolerated in our society.”

Women’s Aid’s chief executive officer Farah Nazeer said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner and Liverpool John Moores University to produce the first comprehensive review of spending on domestic abuse across Merseyside.

“We are grateful to the service providers, commissioners and stakeholders who took the time to participate in the review. Their insights combined with data produced by Women’s Aid and Liverpool John Moores University provided an in-depth understanding of the region’s response to victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

“The review found that in 2023/24, an allocation of around £6.5 million from central government departments was being spent on a range of service types supporting over 10,000 victim-survivors across Merseyside.

“With over 100,000 adults and children estimated to be experiencing domestic abuse each year, however, and with the area having one of the highest rates of femicide in the country, there is an urgent need for a systematic, coordinated response that addresses key gaps in provision for children and young people as victim-survivors, black and minoritised women and other marginalised groups.

“There is a need for greater recognition of the specialism held by independent providers, including those run by and for Black and minoritised women, and transparent and streamlined systems for data collection and reporting, including a centralised source of data relating to domestic abuse funding and spend.

“We would like to thank the PCC for her support in championing this work and hope that the findings will provide useful insight for the strategic response to domestic abuse in and beyond Merseyside.”

Senior researcher for the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Violence Prevention (PHI) Nadia Butler said the review adds to a “broader body of work across Merseyside that aims to strengthen an evidenced based and public health approach to preventing all forms of violence”.

“The focus on domestic abuse is critical as we know from local and national evidence that such violence has huge impacts not only on victims and survivors but on the wider community, and increased investment is vital to prevent and respond to domestic abuse more effectively,” she added.

“This review provides a foundation for enhancing and sustaining adequate commissioning of domestic abuse services across Merseyside, and it’s recommendations should be considered not just by the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner, but by wider policy makers and practitioners to ensure a multi-agency approach.”

Producing the report was a key action set out in the PCC’s ‘Working in partnership to tackle violence against women and girls across Merseyside’ delivery plan launched in November 2022 and supported by more than 50 partners across Merseyside. It is designed to ensure all agencies and organisations across the region have a clearer understanding of the local landscape to inform the collective efforts to improve support for victim-survivors.

Women’s Aid and Liverpool John Moores University were chosen to carry out this research study following an open quotation process. The study included surveys with partners, stakeholder workshops, analysis of data and wider policy and literature.