Domestic abuse: The work undertaken by Community Rehabilitation Companies
| Date | 01 March 2019 |
| Published date | 01 March 2019 |
| Author | Caroline Bald |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550518825053 |
| Subject Matter | Research & reports |
Research & reports
Research & reports
Domestic abuse: The work undertaken by Community
Rehabilitation Companies
This HM Inspector of Probation thematic inspection was the culmination of policy
and practice review across five Local Delivery Units across England and Wales
between March and May 2018, reporting findings and recommendations in
September 2018. Pre-fieldwork took the form of policy review at national level,
along with surveying Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) regarding
local work with perpetrators and survivors of domestic abuse, with 10 of the 21
areas responding. Following an overview, part two involved fieldwork in the five
areas. Assessing 112 cases in total, inspectors met with management at divi-
sional and local level as well as practitioners individually and in focus groups.
Inspectors met with the service users in the sample, though not survivors in person
or partner/provider agencies. The perpetrator sample was 96 per cent male (five
female), 81 per cent between the ages of 26 and 55, 81 per cent white, 52 per
cent on a community order, with the most common offence being assault (66),
followed by stalking and harassment (14). While the findings are clear and
robust, they were depressing and, unfortunately, not unfamiliar from previous
reviews.
Helpful, good, and poor practice examples run throughout the inspection,
broken down into four themes (policy, strategy and leadership, work to
reduce reoffending, protecting victims and children, and working in partner-
ship). Each example offers a summary of the case and what worked well or
was lacking. Examples include; highlighting local practitioners’ research
being used across the CRCs as a ‘typology’ approach (p. 20), practitioner
struggles accessing social care updates (p. 27) and limitations of no home
visits (p. 31).
Key findings and recommendations from the Thematic Inspection are as follows:
There is currently no overarching MoJ or HMPPS strategy guiding CRC
domestic abuse practice.
There is a lack of a strategic approach locally, with contractual deadlines
prioritised above safe quality practice.
Local CRC innovation is not strategically managed or monitored.
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2019, Vol. 66(1) 138–142
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0264550518825053
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