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Abstract

This research was conducted to discover the differences in services for Domestic Violence (DV) victims provided by multiple organisations locally throughout England, in order to understand how the distribution of services may impact the recovery experience for survivors, and what improvements need to be made to overcome this. Five cities were chosen through random sampling, using a random number generator. In total, 41 websites were studied, with 19 websites over all cities fitting the inclusion/exclusion criteria to be analysed. Through content analysis of DV websites, the organisations were assessed for the range of services they provide, compared against Sullivan’s Conceptual Model, a fully developed model that outlines the components necessary to recover from DV, and lastly, the type of victim that the organisations help and their procedures through the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis unearthed multiple improvements that could be made to improve the recovery experience for victims and survivors in the areas Worcestershire, Manchester, Lancaster, Truro, and Southampton.
Overall, it was found that only 36% of organisations had a COVID-19 update, men were supported by 57% of organisations, and LGBTQIA+ victims were supported by 36% of organisations. In comparison with Sullivan’s Model, only 57% of organisations placed importance on reporting crimes and supporting victims in the criminal justice system, 57% offered workshops to build skills, and 63% of organisations had defined DV on their website with ways to recognise it. On the flip side, 68% offered support groups and opportunity to widen community connections, 84% of organisations showed empathetic and supportive values on their website, and 84% provided counselling services or connections to counselling services.
This leads to a call for introduction of more local organisations that support male and LGBTQIA+ victims, more workshops that build skills for survivors, in conjunction with community connections such as support groups. Websites need to have a domestic violence definition and advice on how to recognise abuse, to ensure the appropriate help is being reached. There is also need for greater emphasis on social justice and reporting crimes, longer support plans for survivors to fully recover and rebuild their lives, and update their websites regularly, particularly their mission on how they will support victims through the Coronavirus pandemic. This is essential, especially in this uncertain time facing COVID-19 restrictions, so victims must feel assured, safe, and supported.

Course: Sociology - BSc (Hons) - C0315

Date Deposited: 2022-06-06

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13911.html