Domestic Violence - DASH
In the UK there have been considerable changes in the ways that police and other
government agencies assess domestic violence and how they intervene in cases of concern.
Police records suggest that many cases of (fatal) violence include previous contact with the
police and that pregnancy, separation and change of custody arrangements are common
trigger points for violence. Richards et al (2008) provide a careful study of policing
domestic violence and suggest a checklist to identify risk to victims of domestic abuse.
Since 2009 UK police and partner agencies (for example social services) now use the
Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) Risk Identification,
Assessment and Management Model. Although it is aimed at adult victims of domestic
violence (women and men), the children who are living with and witnessing domestic
abuse are also at risk of suffering significant harm. Thus, in the DASH questionnaire the
details of children resident at the address must also be provided. To our knowledge, the
impact of the DASH approach has not been evaluated.