scholarly journals Generic personal safety applications: empowering victims of domestic violence and abuse? A practitioner lens

Author(s):  
Di Turgoose ◽  
Ruth McKie

Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have become a popular choice for strategic crime prevention projects by those in the criminal justice sector to achieve justice through digital means as part of the wider digital justice project. These PSAs have been heralded as tools for the protection, empowerment and resilience building of victims in DVA, despite limited independent evaluations. This article explores the use of a generic PSA, which the police have adopted for rollout to victims of DVA in one region of the United Kingdom. We undertook a thematic analysis of data taken from a roundtable and three follow up focus groups with practitioners from the police, criminal justice, DVA specialist sector and victim services, alongside the PSA development team. We found both some support for using this PSA and serious concerns regarding its use in DVA situations.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>There are limits to the use of generic personal safety applications in domestic violence and abuse support including, risks of entrapment through technological affiliated abuse, reinforcing victim stereotypes, and being financially inaccessible to victims of domestic violence and abuse.</li><br /><li>Independent evaluations are integral to avoid organisational responses where generic personal safety applications may be ineffectual, or escalate danger by failing to facilitate victim safety.</li></ul>

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Chopin ◽  
Marcelo F. Aebi

This article studies the process of attrition through a follow-up of all cases of domestic violence registered by the police forces of one Swiss canton in the first half of 2012 ( N = 592) as they pass to the prosecution and the court stage of criminal justice proceedings. The results show that the attrition rate found in Switzerland (80 percent) is lower than the rate usually found in the United Kingdom. This rate is explained by the fact that domestic violence is usually treated by academics as a homogeneous construct, but it is in fact composed of a large variety of offences and, in practice, the vast majority of those that are reported to the police would not entail a custodial sentence.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232199829
Author(s):  
Anna Dowrick ◽  
Gene Feder ◽  
Moira Kelly

Health care encounters are opportunities for primary care practitioners to identify women experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA). Increasing DVA support in primary care is a global policy priority but discussion about DVA during consultations remains rare. This article explores how primary care teams in the United Kingdom negotiate the boundaries of their responsibilities for providing DVA support. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 13 general practitioners (GPs) in two urban areas of the United Kingdom. Interviews were analyzed thematically. Analysis focused on the boundary practices participants undertook to establish their professional remit regarding abuse. GPs maintained permeable boundaries with specialist DVA support services. This enabled ongoing negotiation of the role played by clinicians in identifying DVA. This permeability was achieved by limiting the boundaries of the GP role in the care of patients with DVA to identification, with the work of providing support distributed to local specialist DVA agencies.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110041
Author(s):  
Roos Ruijne ◽  
Cornelis Mulder ◽  
Milan Zarchev ◽  
Kylee Trevillion ◽  
Roel van Est ◽  
...  

Despite increased prevalence of domestic violence and abuse (DVA), victimization through DVA often remains undetected in mental health care. To estimate the effectiveness of a system provider level training intervention by comparing the detection and referral rates of DVA of intervention community mental health (CMH) teams with rates in control CMH teams. We also aimed to determine whether improvements in knowledge, skills and attitudes to DVA were greater in clinicians working in intervention CMH teams than those working in control teams. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in two urban areas of the Netherlands. Detection and referral rates were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after the start of the intervention. DVA knowledge, skills and attitudes were assessed using a survey at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after start of the intervention. Electronic patient files were used to identify detected and referred cases of DVA. Outcomes were compared between the intervention and control teams using a generalized linear mixed model. During the 12-month follow-up, detection and referral rates did not differ between the intervention and control teams. However, improvements in knowledge, skills and attitude during that follow-up period were greater in intervention teams than in control teams: β 3.21 (95% CI 1.18-4.60). Our trial showed that a training program on DVA knowledge and skills in CMH teams can increase knowledge and attitude towards DVA. However, our intervention does not appear to increase the detection or referral rates of DVA in patients with a severe mental illness. A low detection rate of DVA remains a major problem. Interventions with more obligatory elements and a focus on improving communication between CMH teams and DVA services are recommended.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Aura Goldman ◽  
Misia Gervis

Though sexism has been recognized as problematic in sport, its impact on female sport psychologists in the United Kingdom has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of sexism and its influence on practice. Four semistructured focus groups were conducted, comprising 11 sport psychologists who worked in the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis revealed four general themes: the environment, privileging masculinity, acts of sexism, and the feminine. Participants’ discourse suggests that female sport psychologists are impacted by sexism in their workplaces. Gendered power differentials, coupled with the low status of sport psychology within sport, exacerbated the challenges faced by female sport psychologists. This study contributes to making up for the dearth of research on the impact of sexism on sport psychologists. Suggestions are made with regard to implications for practice.


ORL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sunil Dutt Sharma ◽  
Ahmad Hariri ◽  
Ravi Kumar Lingam ◽  
Arvind Singh

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Non-echoplanar diffusion-weighted MRI (DWMRI) has a role in the surgical planning for cholesteatoma. <b><i>Aims/Objectives:</i></b> The aim of the study was to assess the use of DWMRI in the management of cholesteatoma across the UK, and measure clinicians’ confidence in the use of DWMRI. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> Telephone survey in 139 Otolaryngology Departments in the United Kingdom between March 2017 and July 2017, and asking radiology delegates at the British Society of Head and Neck Imaging 2017 meeting. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The response rate was 101 out of 139 Trusts (73%). Of those respondents who did have DWMRI available, 68/88 respondents (77%) use it for cholesteatoma. The mean confidence (±standard deviation) of the respondents with DWMRI in identifying cholesteatoma presence was 7.3 ± 2.1, in identifying volume of cholesteatoma was 6.8 ± 1.8, and in identifying subsites of cholesteatoma was 4.6 ± 2.1. <b><i>Conclusions and Significance:</i></b> DWMRI has a well-defined role in the follow-up of patients after cholesteatoma surgery, and those primary cases of cholesteatoma where the diagnosis is in question. The use of DWMRI for cholesteatoma is variable across the UK, but there are certain clinical scenarios where there is not enough awareness regarding the benefits of imaging (such as petrous apex cases of cholesteatoma).


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 311-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Braun

Abstract Since 2011, the conflict in Syria and Iraq has seen unprecedented numbers of Westerners travelling to the region to support jihadist terror organisations, so-called Foreign Terrorist Fighters (‘FTFs’). However, since 2015, with Islamic State’s financial and territorial losses, the numbers of Western FTFs are dwindling and many are returning to their countries of origin. As a consequence, numerous countries are grappling with how to best manage potential security threats arising from returning FTFs. This article critically analyses legal and criminal justice strategies to address this phenomenon implemented in three Western countries from which a significant number of FTFs originate: Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia. It focuses on prosecution, prevention of re-entry and rehabilitation of returning FTFs. It suggests that a holistic approach focusing on punitive but also on de-radicalising and reintegrating measures is best suited to address the security risks FTFs pose long term.


Author(s):  
Jacky J. Forsyth ◽  
Lorna Makay ◽  
Victoria Riley

The purpose of the current study was to explore, via interview, how and why women felt their physical activity levels and active lifestyles had been affected by COVID-19. Telephone interviews were conducted with 23 women, aged between 28 and 52 years from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds in the United Kingdom. Based on reflexive thematic analysis, the perceived reduction in exercise and the increase in sedentary behavior that many of these women experienced were felt to be a result of the physical restrictions imposed through gym and leisure-facility closure, the change in circumstance (both work and home life), the perceived risks associated with exercising during a pandemic, as well as a lack of peer support. In contrast, some women experienced increased opportunity and time to exercise, which they felt benefited their health. For any future pandemic-related restrictions, exercise practitioners should consider promoting exercise with others in a safe environment in order to ensure that women’s healthy exercise and lifestyle behaviors are maintained.


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