Summary of the impact

National and international policy on domestic violence has been strongly influenced since 2008 by a series of studies on domestic violence conducted at the University of Bristol, resulting for example in the piloting of a national disclosure scheme. The studies have also had a positive impact on the practical ways in which agencies such as the police respond to domestic violence as well as influencing the development of a European Police handbook on domestic violence. The criminal justice system, practitioners and victims have benefited from the studies' insights into the `attrition' that can occur between the reporting of an act of domestic violence to the police and the final outcome in court. They have also gained from Bristol's work on the profiles of perpetrators and the behavioural differences between male and female perpetrators.

Summary of the impact

The impact of the research has been firstly, in informing the creation of a new kind of domestic violence court and secondly, in alerting domestic and European policy-makers to the problem of women rough sleepers which was previously effectively "invisible."

Short summary of the case study

The case study emerged from research conducted by the Central Institute for the Study of Public Protection and its predecessors (Policy Research Institute and Regional Research Institute). It informed the development of specialist domestic violence courts in the UK and brought to the attention of European and domestic policy-makers the plight of victims of domestic violence many of whom find themselves compelled to sleep rough, but do so in ways that result in them remaining invisible to the authorities.

Summary of the impact

Research on combating interpersonal violence carried out by Dr Erica Bowen (Reader in the Psychology of Intimate Partner Violence) has resulted in:

• Impact on Public Policy and Services (UK): a literature review commissioned by the Ministry of Justice has been used to develop a new prison and community domestic violence offender rehabilitation policy. In addition, Wiltshire Probation Trust funded the development of an innovative sentencing framework incorporating assessment and intervention packages for violent offenders which are now being rolled out across Wiltshire and Dorset. Beneficiaries: Ministry of Justice, National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Wiltshire Probation Trust, offenders and associated staff, and victims.
• Impact on Public Policy and Services (Europe): a research-based serious-game intervention has changed attitudes towards both violence in adolescent relationships and the use of serious-game technology in education across Europe. Beneficiaries: Adolescents, Secondary School and College Teachers, Youth Services, Local Government Agencies, European and UN Policy Leaders, and Community Safety Organisations.

Summary of the impact

A series of inter-related research projects, conducted over the last decade by Amanda Robinson, has contributed to significant changes in the services afforded to victims of domestic and sexual violence. Dr. Robinson's research has produced identifiable national and international policy impacts as organizations and governments have used findings from her work to inform their decision-making about the development, implementation and funding of services for these victims of crime. Consequently, service delivery for victims of domestic and sexual violence is becoming more holistic, efficient, and effective, both in the UK and beyond.

Summary of the impact

This case study focuses on two related areas: the issue of violence against female students and how this is framed by `lad culture' in higher education (HE). It documents five areas where Alison Phipps' research has either directly led or indirectly contributed to change:

• work with the National Union of Students (NUS) which has informed their policies and interventions;
• improved public and policy understanding of the issues of violence against female students and `lad culture' in UK HE;
• Students' Unions and other groups adopting `zero-tolerance' policies in relation to sexual harassment and abuse and attempting to tackle aspects of `lad culture';
• institutions developing procedural frameworks around reporting and addressing violence against female students; and
• governmental, public and third-sector organisations including students as a key demographic in their policies and initiatives around violence against women.

Summary of the impact

Stanley's national study of police and children's services responses to children and families experiencing domestic violence has contributed to: a practice shift towards including perpetrators in interventions; piloting in England and Wales of protection orders and relaxing time restrictions on social work assessment as recommended by the Munro Review.

Associated studies include research informing a social marketing campaign for perpetrators of domestic violence and an evaluation of the service developed from that campaign; this initiative was disseminated by the Department of Health. Stanley's research review on children experiencing domestic violence informed the redesign and commissioning of local authority children's services.

Summary of the impact

Research conducted in the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol from 2006 inspired the Government to commission a series of carefully targeted awareness campaigns on sexual coercion and violence in teenage relationships. These campaigns ran between 2010 and 2013 and reached millions of young people. The research has also underpinned developments in government policy as well as a range of practical interventions by agencies in England and Scotland. In addition, the extensive media coverage of the research has substantially increased public awareness of teenage partner violence and related issues.

Summary of the impact

Domestic violence is a significant public health issue costing the UK £3.8billion for criminal and civil legal services, healthcare, social services, and housing. King's College London (KCL) research established the high prevalence of being a victim of domestic violence in people with mental disorders, which is under-detected by health professionals. This led to commissioning guidelines in England on identification of domestic violence in those with mental health problems, and care pathways for those who have experienced domestic violence. These recommendations are supported by undergraduate and postgraduate training materials for healthcare professionals based on KCL research and national and international guidance.