Britons ‘unsure how to help abuse victims’

FEWER THAN half of adults in Britain are confident in how to help a victim of domestic abuse, according to research which also found evidence of an “unfair” lottery in access to support.

A survey by the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) found that 42 per cent of respondents would be confident knowing where to go or who to speak to in order to help someone they know who is a domestic abuse victim.

One in eight said they felt “very confident” they would know what to do, according to the survey of 1,725 adults in March.

Almost three quarters (71 per cent) of respondents said there should be more support for abuse victims, with 61 per cent thinking that the Government should do more.

The research also identified “significant gaps” in support, such as therapeutic services for children dealing with trauma, support for very young children and babies, prevention services that work with perpetrators, and targeted interventions for minority groups.

It said uncertainty and constraints on local authority funding are posing a “major challenge” to local services.

Many services are provided by the voluntary sector and receive “piecemeal, short-term funding” from a variety of sources, and too often referrals are made based on availability, creating an “unfair lottery” for victims, the research suggested.

The EIF also said very few common approaches to providing support, especially to children, are being evaluated to assess if they are helping victims improve their lives. It is calling on the Government to provide a long-term fund to improve the knowledge of what approaches work by enabling evaluation and ensure children are provided with the right support at the right time.