Response to BBC investigation on coercive control training for social workers

The BBC’s recent findings on social worker training underscore the urgent need for a systemic overhaul in how domestic abuse is understood and addressed within Children’s Social Care.

Our own work with children’s social care professionals strongly aligns with these concerns.

They are such a hugely important part of the picture for addressing domestic abuse in families, yet training in this area remains lacking.

After our Whole Picture cultural change programme, funded several years ago by the Home Office, 90% of learners felt they had a good understanding of the different forms of abuse including coercive control, stalking and harassment, and economic abuse. Yet shockingly, less than half of respondents (43%) said they had this knowledge before training.

It is clear from the BBC research, a significant gap remains in the depth of this understanding among social care professionals.

Our ‘ Whole Picture’ training programme demonstrated that 74% of social care professionals believed the training would positively impact their role, and 75% felt it would enable them to respond more effectively to victims.

Too many social workers are still entering the field without the essential skills needed to identify and appropriately respond to coercive control, leading to devastating consequences for victims and their families.

It is critical that mandatory, comprehensive training on coercive control is implemented across all social work education programmes. SafeLives remains committed to advocating for this change and supporting Children’s Social Care professionals in gaining the knowledge and tools they need to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

The time to act is now, and we call on policymakers and educational institutions to ensure that every social worker is fully equipped to recognise and respond to all forms of domestic abuse.