Domestic Abuse Care Pathway Analysis

As defined in “Establishing A Domestic Abuse Care Pathway”, domestic violence is “Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those… who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass… psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or emotional [abuse].” Domestic violence is common, with around 1 in 4 women experiencing it at some point in their lives, and there are many things that need to be fixed about the handling of domestic abuse cases. (Bradbury-Jones) Our society should fix how we deal with abusers, set up an improved care pathway to deal with domestic abuse, and in this pathway improve the response to

As Christopher Barber explains in “Domestic Violence Against Men”, “It is a taboo subject that is often ignored or trivialised by society, which means that the extent of the problem remains unknown. As a result, male victims of domestic violence may not have their health and social care needs met by healthcare professionals.” It is clear that the response to male victim cases needs vast improvement. In police response to domestic abuse, 47% of male victims were threatened with arrest and 35% were ignored by police, with only 3% of cases ending in the abusive female partner being arrested. (Barber) Police and nurses should be more adequately trained in dealing with male victim cases of domestic abuse. “Nurses are often the first health professional with whom male victims of domestic violence come into contact,” according to Barber, “It is important to listen to the victim and offer reassurance rather than ignoring or dismissing the problem… Healthcare professionals also need to be supportive, non-judgemental and address issues of dignity, privacy and confidentiality.” Since many domestic violence groups, such as shelters and support groups, are exclusive to women, men should have some way of getting help as