Pan-Lancashire Gap Analysis and Strategic Mapping: Domestic Abuse Perpetrators 

The Task

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire (PCC), in partnership with Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackpool Council and the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, secured Home Office funding to launch and develop the Pan- Lancashire Inter-Generational Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Model. As part of the implementation of this, TONIC was commissioned to undertake a mapping exercise to support the organisations involved in the sector to gain a greater understanding of what already exists, in both the statutory and voluntary sector, and how existing pathways and support can be built upon to generate the best outcomes for perpetrators and victims. This aim of the exercise was to highlight the areas the model needs to link with as well as those which need developing. 

TONIC’s Approach 

In order to undertake the work, TONIC undertook interviews with 34 key stakeholders in the area. This included those directly delivering interventions to perpetrators of domestic abuse, but also those who may be working on other issues (e.g. health and substance misuse). TONIC also distributed a ‘mapping tool’ which asked about resourcing, funding and provision as well as some qualitative questions about gaps and proposed solutions. This was also circulated by local authorities to community safety partnerships. Finally, TONIC looked at data on prevalence of domestic abuse pan-Lancashire to get a sense of scale, demand and need.  

The Outcome 

TONIC produced a report which mapped the specific pathways for perpetrators of domestic abuse pan-Lancashire, including statutory provision (local authority and criminal justice), third sector provision and broader community initiatives. This report highlighted the pros and cons of specific interventions being delivered and included an overarching SWOT on the current provision. This highlighted what was working well locally, where there were gaps and, importantly, opportunities. As a result, TONIC produced a list of 12 recommendations for commissioners and partners to work to and presented the findings to relevant stakeholders.