National domestic abuse intervention organisation launches project in Thames Valley

A national domestic abuse intervention organisation is now operating across the Thames Valley.

The Drive Project is now providing its services across the policing area supplying intervention for high-harm, high-risk, and serial perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Launch events have been set up in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire this week, allowing residents to learn more about the group’s new project.

Its aims are to reduce abuse and increase the long-term safety of adult and child survivors by disrupting, challenging, and changing the behaviour of those who are causing harm.

The office for the Police and Crime Commissioner, which secured funding for the scheme via the Government, says the Drive Project uses an intensive case management approach that challenges service users to change and works with partner agencies to disrupt abuse, while always ensuring ongoing risk and safety assessment for victim-survivors by working closely with Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) and victim-survivor services throughout the intervention.

Three domestic abuse support organisations formed the Drive Project: Respect, SafeLives, Social Finance. A spokesperson for the partnership said: “In every area where we work, we partner with local specialist domestic abuse organisations to design and deliver a programme tailored for the locality. We also depend on strong working relationships with statutory partners such as the police, health and children’s social care.”

Commissioner Barber said: “I am pleased to see the Drive Project operating across the Thames Valley and the positive engagement from partners in its delivery.

“Prevention plays an important part in tackling crime, including domestic abuse. The Drive Project is centred on increasing the safety and freedom of victim-survivors by targeting the underlying causes of domestic abuse to reduce the number of new and repeat victims. By addressing the behaviour of those who cause harm, we can break the cycle of domestic abuse and improve outcomes for child and adult victim-survivors of abuse across the Thames Valley.

“The Drive Project has proven to be successful across its service delivery areas, and I look forward to seeing its impact here over the coming year.”