Whole Lives Scotland reports and recommendations

Improving the response to domestic abuse

Our Whole Lives Scotland report, released in 2017, pointed to inconsistencies in the response to domestic abuse across Scotland, creating a ‘postcode lottery’ for victims, survivors and whole families.

From 2018 to 2021 we continued our Whole Lives Scotland work, thanks to funding from the National Community Fund Scotland. We worked with local authorities including Renfrewshire, Stirling and Aberdeen City, to improve the responses for groups of victims and survivors across Scotland who often remain ‘hidden’ from identification and the support they need.

This work has looked at the access and barriers to support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, strengths and gaps in local service provision and any differences in the response for people who have children.

Practitioner, victim and survivor insight and voices are incorporated throughout our research and recommendations.

Read the Whole Lives Scotland report for full findings and recommendations.

Key findings

4 years
is the average duration of abuse

before effective help is sought
12,480
children in Scotland are living with the highest-risk abuse
More than 20%
of all operational police time

is spent responding to domestic incidents
14%
of adults report experiencing physical or psychological abuse

from a partner since the age of 16 (18.5% of women and 9.2% of men)

In our rural community there is a lack of specialist support services e.g. to support LGBT+, Black, Asian and racially minoritised clients.

Domestic abuse practitioner

Area reports

Beginning in 2018 and running until 2021, we worked with local authorities, including Renfrewshire, Stirling and Aberdeen City, to improve the responses for groups of victims and survivors across Scotland who often remain ‘hidden’ from identification and the support they need. The reports examine the strengths and gaps in local provision and make recommendations for practice.

Renfrewshire: mental health
We focused on victims and survivors with mental health needs in Renfrewshire, including those with multiple needs.
Stirling: learning disabilities
We focused on victims and survivors with learning disabilities in Stirling, encompassing mild to complex levels of need. The research included people with and without a clinical diagnosis. We also developed an easy read version of the recommendations, working with People First Scotland.
Aberdeen City: younger victims and survivors
We focused on victims and survivors aged 16-25, considering whether they face additional barriers to support.

Whole Lives Scotland reports and recommendations

Key findings

is the average duration of abuse

children in Scotland are living with the highest-risk abuse

of all operational police time

of adults report experiencing physical or psychological abuse

Area reports

Whole Lives Scotland

SafeLives Scotland

Whole Lives Scotland survivor survey