Domestic Abuse In The UK

The government defines domestic abuse as: ‘Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender and sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to, the following types of abuse: - Psychological - Physical - Sexual - Financial - Emotional’ (Home Office, 2013). According to Women’s Aid (2016), domestic abuse is very common and, in the majority of cases, is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men. Moreover, women are more likely to experience multiple incidents of abuse as well as different types of abuse such as emotional, psychological, financial, physical and sexual abuse regardless of age, race, class, disability, sexuality, class, ethnic or religious group. One in four women will have an experience of domestic abuse and three to five children per average school class will witness domestic violence at home (Greater Manchester Police, 2016). According to the Office for National Statistics (2015), two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner every week in England and Wales. Additionally, domestic abuse costs society an estimated £15.73 billion a year in terms of costs to services, economic output, human and emotional costs (Walby, 2009). As a result, domestic abuse is a priority outlined in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Policing Plan and a number one priority within Greater Manchester Police. According to Women’s Aid, nearly all victims of domestic abuse will come in to contact with the NHS or other health professionals at some point in their life. Hence, counsellors are amongst the frontline workers dealing with clients presenting with domestic abuse or with a history of abuse related issues. Nevertheless, specialised training is limited and depended on the individual organisation. Very often, training is informal and does not follow a nationally standardised form. Many organisations employ trainee counsellors who have had very limited to none experience in dealing with domestic abuse issues. Furthermore, due to the high demand but limited funding, counselling spaces are limited and current waiting list times are around 5-6 months. Generally, counselling clients with a history of domestic abuse will also present with a variety of issues, including but not limited to post-traumatic stress, anxiety, phobias, depression and drug and alcohol dependency. This highlights the need for adequate funding for the domestic abuse as well as the general mental health services to provide the necessary care by adequately trained professionals. Most victims are supported by charities such as Victim Support, Women's Aid as well as a large number of independent charities such as the Salford Women's Centre. These organisations are struggling to survive as a direct result of the government's continual funding cuts.

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