Centre researchers, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, have been awarded a £1million grant by the Home Office to conduct a trial of an app to support Domestic Abuse survivors.

WEPROTECT is a mobile app which can be accessed by frontline police officers as they attend Domestic Abuse incidents, enabling them to gather basic crucial details from the survivor, securing help and support within 24-36 hours. Without the app, the referral process can take up to two weeks.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, support services were required to deliver interventions remotely despite limited evidence to show that this is effective. Although restrictions have been lifted, remote service delivery appears to have been beneficial in terms of supporting those unable to usually attend face-to-face services. Remote delivery has also been creative in addressing historic barriers in domestic abuse services, such as slow navigation through the legal system. These difficulties in negotiating the UK legal system, straight after such a traumatic experience, can leave survivors in a vulnerable position with higher chances of re-victimisation. Mobile applications such as WEPROTECT (developed by the Domestic Abuse Alliance) provide free and immediate legal assistance to support survivors at the earliest point. 

Domestic abuse affects not only the immediate victim’s physical and mental health but also their wider family and social networks. This funding will enable researchers to investigate whether using the WEPROTECT app reduces victimisation rates and improves the physical and mental health burden on survivors.