Do schemes aimed at stopping domestic abusers from harming their partners work?

Ms Todd, who has worked in the domestic abuse sector for 27 years, noted perpetrator programmes are not centred around ‘keeping relationships together’ but are instead about making the victim safe

It should provide feelings of safety and comfort but, for victims of domestic abuse, “home” evokes the opposite.

With domestic abuse incidents soaring in lockdown, Rishi Sunak unveiled a £19 million package in his Budget on Wednesday to tackle the issue.

Some £15 million of the package will be spent on schemes that attempt to stop perpetrators of domestic abuse harming their victims. But such schemes — which vary widely in both how they are run and who they are cater for — are highly controversial. 

Many are vehemently sceptical and warn that so-called ‘perpetrator programmes’ can exacerbate abuse, and that there is a dearth of evidence for their effectiveness.

Jo Todd, the chief executive of Respect, a leading domestic abuse charity which helps deliver perpetrator programmes, told The Independent a “one size fits all” solution would never work for changing abuser’s behaviour.

The campaigner, whose charity also runs a phone line which provides confidential advice to domestic abusers, said perpetrator programmes were only suitable for men who are ready and willing to change their behaviour and know they have a problem. While research has found programmes can be successful at curbing physical and sexual violence, it is much harder to stop perpetrators abusing or controlling their partners, she said.

Ms Todd, whose charity accredits perpetrator programmes, added: “That is harder to shift. Often men who have been abusive and violent for a long time have a sense of entitlement about what the woman should or shouldn’t do for him or how she should behave. They may have embedded attitudes.

“The programmes are not promising to change a long-time abuser into a knight in shining armour. There are loads of men who are nowhere near ready to go on a programme or don’t care they have a problem so there is no point sending them on one.”

Ms Todd noted another reason men who are not ready for perpetrator programmes should not be sent on them is because it “sends the message” to both their victim and relatives and professional agencies, such as police and social services, that the abuser is changing their behaviour.

She said: “A badly run perpetrator programme can raise the risk the woman is in. Not all perpetrator programmes are accredited. Sometimes they are run by a private practice or a small charity. There was a course that took place over two days claiming a 100 per cent success rate.

“It was just crazy. They were promoting having mixed-sex groups where some of the female perpetrators were actually likely to be victims. Anyone who knows anything would know having mixed-sex groups is terrible.”

Ms Todd, who has worked in the domestic abuse sector for 27 years, said perpetrator programmes are not centred around “keeping relationships together” but are instead about making the victim safe. Programmes should be focused on the needs of victims and funds for such programmes should never be generated by taking money away from refuges, she added.

The campaigner said there are many male perpetrators who are highly dangerous that are not suitable for a programme. She noted that while she holds onto the “hope” all people are capable of change, she is “pragmatic” enough to know that not everyone will - adding that a criminal justice response is necessary for such situations.

Reflecting on the government's announcement, Kyla Kirkpatrick, director of Drive, which seeks to change perpetrators’ behaviour, said: “This is a really important step by the government, and we look forward to working with them on the detail.

“There are proven interventions to keep victims safer from domestic abuse but all too often they are not available, and victims are left at risk. We want to see quality interventions and responses for all perpetrators, including young people who use abuse in their relationships, across England and Wales. This funding should help get us closer to that vision. Domestic abuse is not inevitable.”

She said with the correct “strategy and funding”, it will be possible to “turn the tide” on domestic abuse as well as helping victims be “free to live their lives”.

A study, carried out by Durham and London Metropolitan universities back in 2015, found far fewer women reported being physically injured after their partner went to a programme, with 61 per cent beforehand in comparison to two per cent afterwards.

The report, which was the first of its kind to be done in Britain, only analysed programmes which men were not forced to attend by a criminal court and all the schemes had been accredited by Respect.

The two main types of perpetrator programmes in the UK are criminal justice schemes - often run by probation or prison staff - and voluntary programmes rooted within the community. The latter can take self-referrals as well as referrals from the family courts and other agencies.

Charlotte Kneer, chief executive of Reigate and Banstead Women’s Aid refuge in Surrey, told The Independent: “From a personal point of view I don’t believe perpetrator programmes work." 

Ms Kneer. a domestic abuse survivor whose violent partner was jailed for seven years in 2011, added: "Particularly if someone is court-ordered to do it. They might have a chance if they chose to do it and there is a willingness to do it. But if a programme is court-ordered, it is totally pointless and it could be counterproductive.

“After a violent incident, the court ordered my partner to do an anger management programme. He didn’t want to do it but while doing it he made all sorts of promises to me. He said he was going to change. There was no change whatsoever. I can remember feeling really nervous when he went on a session. I got no support.”