Drive
Drive is an intensive intervention that works with high-harm and serial perpetrators to challenge behaviour and prevent abuse.
Each year more than 100,000 people in the UK are at high and imminent risk of being murdered or seriously injured as a result of domestic abuse. Services rightly focus on meeting the needs of victims but too often perpetrators are not held to account, and their abusive behaviour continues. Only 1% of perpetrators get a specialist intervention that might prevent future abusive behaviour and as a result there is a high level of repeat perpetration.
We know that 1 in 4 perpetrators are repeat offenders and that some have as many as six different victims. We want long-term solutions to tackle domestic abuse: to reduce the number of victims – we must challenge perpetrators to stop.
Drive works with perpetrators of domestic abuse to reduce and prevent abuse and increase victim and survivors’ safety.
Drive employs a whole-system approach using an intensive case management system alongside a coordinated multi-agency response. The intervention is individually tailored and can be composed of support work, behaviour change, and disruption actions.
We aim to make adult and child victims and survivors safer.
81% of survivors said they thought perpetrator programmes are a good idea. Only 2.5% of survivors told us their abusive partner went on a perpetrator programme – SafeLives Every Story Matters
Respect UK
If you are worried about your own behaviour, please contact Respect’s free phoneline at 0808 802 4040
Perpetrator strategy
Together with over 70+ organisations and individuals, Drive is calling on the Government to publish a perpetrator strategy.
Response to the Domestic Abuse Bill
As part of Drive’s consultation response to the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, Drive has developed six recommendations to guide the UK’s response to perpetrators of domestic abuse, ensuring they are challenged and held to account.
Multi-Agency Forums
Every police force establishing a forum to coordinate multi-agency responses to perpetrators.
Tailored Responses
Availability of suitable high-quality perpetrator provision, matched to the needs and harm level of each perpetrator.
Improved Police Response
Training on disruption of abuse and consistency in the use of civil powers.
Data Collection & Sharing
Creation of a sophisticated and systematic national perpetrator dataset.
Oversight & Quality Assurance
Domestic Abuse Commissioner to oversee perpetrators with a national approach to best practice.
Sustainable Commissioning
Development of a sustainable national funding and commissioning model.
“Despite what I’ve been through, I don’t wish [the perpetrator] harm. I would like for them to get help and for something to be put in place to protect other women.”
Victim/Survivor
SafeLives: Every Story Matters
“Without this work, we know that domestic abuse perpetrators will continue to enter new relationships, create more victims, and expose more children to harmful abusive behaviours. It’s about ending abuse for the victims of today – but also the victims of tomorrow.”
Drive Case Manager