As a lifelong campaigner against domestic abuse against women and girls, Jess gives her thoughts on the current situation and what more needs to be done.

• An insight into how the Domestic Abuse Act is being delivered locally, and the changes needed to ensure it meets the needs of women and children escaping abuse
• The impact of COVID 19 on survivors of domestic abuse and the specialist support services they need to escape and recover, including on mental health and trauma
• Implications for government policy and spending – the Domestic Abuse Strategy and Comprehensive Spending Review

• A lifeline for male victims: the Men’s Advice Line support service
• Spotlight on the public story about domestic abuse
• Coercive control and male victims
• Hard to reach?
• Rewrite the narrative

• The Black Church Domestic Abuse Forum (BCDAF) www.bcdaf.org.uk works primarily with Black Majority churches (BMCs) on improving responses to reports of domestic abuse. BMCs are churches of any denomination where congregants are mostly people of African or Caribbean heritage with more than 100-year history, from their origins in Southwark in 1906. BMCs are essential as spaces of safety, solace, education, employment and immigration support, fellowship, family, belonging and spiritual uplift.
• BMCs are under-researched within the UK and while there have been a few studies on domestic abuse, BMCs are less represented here.
• In this session we present preliminary findings from current research with Black Majority church leaders and churchgoers on experiences of supporting or reporting domestic abuse. The research is funded by a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant SRG2021\210837.

• The sub-study which examined police referrals to a specialist domestic abuse service in Wales, UK before and during the first lockdown, and during the second lockdown in late 2020 into late 2021. We analysed referral data to monitor changes in referral rates and the profile/nature of those referrals.
• We found little increase in overall volume of police referrals during lockdown, but saw significant changes in relation to risk levels, reporting parties and the types of abuse reported.
• Our findings highlight the unmet need and evidence the help-seeking behaviours of families experiencing domestic abuse during lockdown periods and school closures to help inform interventions focused on recovery.