Abstract

Trauma-informed approaches (TIAs) have evolved from an individualised clinical intervention model to address the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to a psycho-social educational empowerment approach into a new holistic paradigm for service delivery. TIAs are increasingly being adopted by UK domestic violence service provision. Much of the existing literature on the implementation of trauma informed approaches in domestic abuse service provision does not include survivor perspectives, and very few studies include survivor and practitioner perspectives. Consequently, much of the existing research offers little understanding of how practitioners and survivors conceptualise and utilise a trauma-informed approach or provide insight into operational and contextual barriers for the domestic abuse sector in harnessing a trauma-informed approach. This study aims to redress this balance by adopting an ecological case study approach focusing on two domestic abuse service provisions in the Northeast of England.

This study is influenced by elements of feminist theory, ecological and systemic theory as well as neurobiological research on psychological trauma and distress, acknowledging the socially constructed conceptualisation of trauma as well as the physiological and psychological experiences of trauma survivors. Data collection took place in two domestic abuse services in the north of England, each offering a range of service provision including refuge provision, advocacy, and counselling. It involved semi structured interviews with 15 domestic abuse practitioners and six domestic abuse survivors.

Originality resides in the ecological adapted case study approach and the inclusion of UK based domestic abuse survivors as well as practitioners. The domestic abuse survivor's Meso-system includes any interaction between professionals that she is engaged with (interactions not involving the survivor directly), which has previously been overlooked in any other study using the ecological framework to examine domestic abuse in the UK. Recommendations include a revised ecological framework that can be used by other domestic abuse researchers who are focussing on service delivery.

Two distinct trauma-informed service delivery models were being harnessed by domestic abuse practitioners across the two services included within the study.

Trauma-informed practice was cited as instrumental in bolstering the legitimacy and credibility of domestic abuse survivors and domestic abuse services. Practitioners also spoke about psychologically distancing themselves by situating challenging behaviours exhibited by survivors in the context of trauma responses.

While the experience level of the practitioner seems to correspond with more nuanced and reflective approach to trauma-informed practice, all practitioners said that a trauma-informed approach helps them to better understand domestic abuse survivors. Practitioners also offer caution about some of the potential barriers to harnessing trauma informed practice in the context of the domestic abuse service provision.

Survivors in this study highlighted the re-traumatising effects of being stigmatised or disbelieved by statutory services and the transformational impact of trauma. While survivors' views on best practice align with some of the principles of trauma-informed practice, they placed the greatest emphasis on being believed and cared for by professionals they work with emphasising the value of the relational component of domestic abuse interventions.