IDVA services: Assessing effectiveness

Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) are trained specialists who provide a service to domestic violence victims who are at high risk of harm from intimate partners, ex-partners or family members, with the aim of securing their safety and the safety of their children.

A report which demonstrates the effectiveness of IDVA services and which explores the findings of the Insights national data set will be published by CAADA this autumn.

The national data set consists of anonymised data collected through CAADA's Insights service. The data set consists of 2653 domestic abuse cases collected by 14 IDVA services between January and December 2011. The report explores common themes emerging from the data, with the aim of using these findings to make recommendations for future national policy and practice.

More information about IDVAs

Serving as a victim’s primary point of contact, IDVAs normally work with their clients from the point of crisis, to assess the level of risk, discuss the range of suitable options and develop safety plans. They are pro-active in implementing the plans, which address immediate safety, including practical steps to enable victims to protect themselves and their children, as well as longer-term solutions. IDVAs will represent their clients at the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and help implement safety plans which will include actions from the MARAC as well as sanctions and remedies available through the criminal and civil courts, housing options and services available through other organisations. IDVAs support and work over the short- to medium-term to put victims on the path to long-term safety.

Training
The CAADA IDVA course has been designed specifically to help build your skills, knowledge and confidence, enabling you to provide the best possible support to improve the lives of high risk victims of domestic abuse and their children.

It is the only specialist IDVA course in the UK and is accredited by the Open College Network at Level 3. Visit the CAADA website for more information.