Referral pathways

For all patients whether they are low, medium or high risk, it’s very important that you refer them to a designated domestic violence agency or to an independent domestic violence advisor that will be attached to your health institution. And this is something that’s optional, so you’ll discuss this with the patient and refer them for an appointment and it would be very much upto them whether they would like to follow that through, but you should support them through that decision. In the UK there are variety of agencies that work with domestic violence, so it really depends on your local area as to what services are available.

So, as a health care worker its one of your duties to ensure that you look into the local agencies that are working with patients who suffer from domestic violence. Examples of agencies in the UK that work with domestic violence include ‘Women’s Aid’ who offer shelters as well as psychosocial support and legal aid. The police also work through the multi agency risk assessment conference (MARAC), they work to support victims of domestic violence. Then there are also other services such as domestic violence helplines and rape crisis for example that also provide support.

If somebody who has been suffering from domestic violence has been experiencing sexual assault within their relationship or between them and their former partner, then there are organizations like ‘The Haven’ who provide specific services for sexual assault cases. And those are just some of the many examples of agencies that work with domestic violence in the UK.