Introduction

This course, introduced in the video above, uses a research-inspired teaching framework to translate evidence on domestic violence and abuse (DVA) into education. It is intended for health professionals working with individuals subjected to DVA, in particular, during pregnancy, childbirth and in post-natal care settings.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognise the signs and symptoms of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) during pregnancy and in the postpartum period
• Understand and communicate about risk as well as appreciate the impacts of DVA in several domains such as pregnancy, childbirth, maternal health, infant health, long-term outcomes and parenting
• Demonstrate awareness of the research evidence underpinning interventions for DVA during pregnancy, including screening for DVA and healthcare responses
• Apply skills for screening, including knowing the questions to ask, when and how to ask them and creating the conditions for safe disclosure
• Reflect on and improve supportive responses, referral options and follow-up
• Identify and solve challenges and barriers to the provision of care to pregnant individuals experiencing DVA, as well as reflect on own experiences of abuse as a barrier or facilitator to the provision of best-practice care for survivors or those at risk.

Meet the team

This course was co-created by academics from Coventry University and other experts such as those with lived experience, midwives, safeguarding experts, researchers and professionals. We are particularly grateful for the contributions of Coventry Haven Women’s Aid to the development of this programme.

Dr Lorna O’Doherty

Lorna is an associate professor of violence and health research at the Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, Coventry University. She leads the national NIHR-funded Multi-disciplinary Evaluation of Sexual Assault Referral Centres for better Health (MESARCH) project, a national evaluation of sexual assault and abuse services and a groundbreaking cohort study looking at long-term health, wellbeing and cost outcomes for adult and young survivors of sexual assault, rape and abuse.

Over the past 10 years, Lorna’s research has involved designing and evaluating interventions for domestic violence and abuse in primary care and other settings, including the WEAVE trial (Australia) published in The Lancet in 2013. Lorna has also produced several Cochrane Reviews in the area, including a review of screening for domestic violence and abuse published in 2015.

Lorna is passionate about alleviating the burden of intimate partner violence and recognises a key role for healthcare professionals in achieving this.

Dr Sally Pezaro

Dr Sally Pezaro is a registered midwife with experience working as a midwife clinically in the UK, the Gambia and Ethiopia. She is an editorial board member of the British Journal of Midwifery, the Midwives Information & Resource Service (MIDIRS) Midwifery Digest and Evidence-based Midwifery, the International Journal of Childbirth, and the CPQ Women and Child Health Journal. She is also a member of the Mary Seacole Awards steering group funded by Health Education England, and a panellist on the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee. She is also ‘The Academic Midwife’ on Facebook.

Reflecting on her own experiences, Sally has developed a passion for supporting the psychological wellbeing of health care professionals and has worked with the Royal College of Midwives in producing their report and recommendations on workplace support for midwives experiencing domestic abuse.

Dr Pezaro has been honoured with a first prize award from the Royal Society of Medicine in ‘Leading and inspiring excellence in maternity care’ and was also first runner-up for the British Journal of Midwifery’s ‘Midwife of the Year’ 2019. The overriding vision for Sally’s ongoing research is to secure a psychologically safe professional journey for midwives and excellence in maternity care.

You can follow Sally on Twitter at @SallyPezaro.

Dr Elizabeth Bailey

Liz began working as a clinical midwife after qualifying in 2004 and became interested in data and improvement through supporting audit and project work, both in hospital and community midwifery settings.

Liz’s first midwifery project alongside clinical practice was based in the community and looked at complex social factors and aimed to provide individualised and community-linked support to women with several issues in pregnancy. From this, Liz moved into clinical research roles recruiting into clinical trials for preterm labour.

During this time, Liz became interested in the physiology of contractions and preterm birth and was successful in securing a PhD Fellowship. The study of this topic evolved from a motivation to support the women experiencing preterm labour, and the emotional burden that comes with preterm birth, a condition which is not declining, and which is subject to ongoing health inequalities. Following her PhD studies, Liz moved into a Midwife Research Fellow posts at Imperial College Healthcare Trust, then University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire/Coventry University and continues to explore a wide range of pregnancy-related research.

You can follow Liz on Twitter at @Liz8ailey.

Samantha Nightingale

Sam Nightingale has worked as a nurse and midwife for over 30 years and has a breadth of clinical experience and a special interest in the care of vulnerable women in pregnancy.

Sam set up and ran the Coventry (UK) pathway for teenage pregnancy in a seconded public health role. She was also awarded the NIHR/HEE funded Masters by Research (MRes) programme, and the Wellbeing of Women funded Entry Level Research Scholarship for Midwives.

Sam’s area of research interest has been around the care of vulnerable women and safeguarding. For example, she has undertaken research related to human trafficking and pregnancy, maternal mental health and improving women’s preparation for induction of labour, as well as this current work which aims to better equip midwives regarding their responses to domestic violence and abuse.

You can follow Sam on Twitter @mwsamnight.

Co-creation team

Contributing to discussions

Where you choose to contribute in the open areas, we ask that you keep in mind that someone else participating in the course may have experienced or witnessed domestic violence and abuse.

Throughout the course, we are mindful about our use of language, that we respect the views of others, that we exercise compassion towards others and ourselves. Where feminine pronouns are used, they are not intended to exclude those who identify with other genders or no gender at all.

If you have any concerns about your experiences throughout the course, you are welcome to contact the course director Dr Sally Pezaro via email (sally.pezaro@coventry.ac.uk).