New resource about domestic abuse for mental health services

Over the past year, the Section of Women’s Mental Health at King’s College London have been developing an online online resource about domestic abuse for mental health professionals and services. This resource, dubbed “LARA-VP”, has now been published online and is available to download for free using the link on the left click here

The LARA-VP resource is an update of a resource developed for the original LARA domestic abuse intervention for mental health services. It has been informed by recent evidence and clinical guidelines, as well as feedback from relevant stakeholders including academics, clinicians, survivors, and third sector professionals. It contains content on how to identify and respond to survivors, perpetrators, and any children affected by domestic abuse.

Now that it is published, we would be grateful if you could all share this resource widely within your networks: it is licensed for unrestricted use in non-profit and healthcare settings, and contains editable boxes to add in details about local services and contacts.

If any of you have any questions or feedback about this resource, please don’t hesitate to contact Emma Yapp at: emma.yapp@kcl.ac.uk.

Findings published from the first phase of the ADVANCE Research Programme

We are pleased to share with you that the findings from the first phase of the ADVANCE research programme have been published. We conducted a synthesis of 26 existing qualitative studies to explore how substance use features in survivors’ and perpetrators’ accounts of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration to help us better understand the relationship between IPV and substance use.  We found a complex interplay between substance use and IPV perpetration in the context of intoxication, withdrawal and addiction, impact on relationship and the wider dynamics of power and control and psychological vulnerabilities; and that the contribution of these factors are perceived differently by perpetrators and survivors. Survivors were more likely than perpetrators to identify abuse in relation to the impact of substance use on their relationship and the dynamics of power and control.  These findings have been used to inform the development of the ADVANCE intervention.

To download the paper please click here