Abstract
There is a growing body of work exploring domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in relation to primary and secondary healthcare settings and fields of practice. This is unsurprising as it has become increasingly apparent that it is practitioners in health services (from health visitors and midwives to emergency and ambulance staff) who are often the very first point of contact for people experiencing DVA. Additionally, it is frequently reported by victim-survivors that healthcare practitioners are those professionals that they would be most likely to speak to about their experiences. This chapter explores some of the clinical settings where DVA may be encountered by healthcare practitioners. It reflects the view that training and resources need to be consistent across healthcare settings in order to equip practitioners with the skills to effectively recognise and respond to DVA by using the appropriate pathways to support for victims-survivors.
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NICE (2014) Domestic violence and abuse: multi-agency working. https://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/PH50
Department of Health (2017) Responding to domestic abuse A resource for health professionals. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-a-resource-for-health-professionals
Department of Education (2018) Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/779401/Working_Together_to_Safeguard-Children.pdf
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Rogers, M. (2020). Clinical Settings Where Domestic Violence and Abuse May Be Encountered. In: Ali, P., McGarry, J. (eds) Domestic Violence in Health Contexts: A Guide for Healthcare Professions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29361-1_4
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