Domestic violence is not a new issue but the conditions and limitations created by the pandemic have contributed to a spike in the issue. With this context as a key focus, but also considering the broader landscape, we worked with the Home Office to understand the journey for getting help, from the point of view of both victims and survivors themselves and families and friends with the potential to support them.

We spoke to a wide range of expert stakeholders from support charities, including those working with both women and men, specific ethnic minority communities, LGBTQI+ and perpetrators, to understand their perspective. We then undertook a series of sensitive interviews with survivors of domestic abuse, and with families and friends. Providing deeper understanding of the landscape and the opportunities to influence victims and those who support them to seek help, our findings also highlighted both priorities and principles for communicating to the different audiences.