The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales tasked with ending the postcode lottery of services is launching a survey into survivors’ experiences of accessing support in Southwark.
Nicole Jacobs has opened pilot surveys today in three areas – including Southwark.
An estimated 2.3 million people experienced domestic abuse last year, 1.6 million women and almost 800,000 men. On average, two women are killed every week by their abusers.
Ms Jacobs said: “We know that too many victims of domestic abuse are let down by the services that should be there to help and protect them. In some cases, this can lead to the victim being killed by the perpetrator.
“All victims across England and Wales equally deserve access to the services that they need to keep them safe, and to bring perpetrators to justice,” she added.
It is essential that all domestic abuse services are mapped in each area so that the Commissioner can identify gaps in provision and make recommendations for improvements.
The survey is being run by Natcen, it is confidential and open until February 25 for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
Ms Jacobs said: “We have just finished surveying domestic abuse service providers in Southwark. We now want to hear from survivors who have tried to access these services, and whether that was a positive experience or not.
“This could include helplines, community-based services (such as domestic abuse caseworkers), or accommodation (such as refuges).
“Using this research, I will advise the government and local authorities on what they need to do to improve their response to domestic abuse.
“The experiences and feedback provided in response to this survey will be a critical part of the research and I hope as many people as possible will fill it in. We are especially keen to hear from Black and minoritized survivors, LGBT+, as well as deaf and disabled survivors,” she added.
The survey is available at: https://survey.natcen.ac.uk/DASU