Domestic violence and abuse can have serious consequences for women and children, including during pregnancy. Yet for women experiencing abuse, accessing specialist support can be difficult. Pregnancy offers an important opportunity to identify domestic abuse. Women have regular contact with maternity services and may be more likely to disclose their experiences to a trusted healthcare professional. But maternity teams need the right support and expertise to respond safely and effectively.
Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) are specialist professionals who support people experiencing domestic abuse. They can help women assess risk, develop safety plans, access services and navigate the wider health, social care and criminal justice systems.
The RIVA project – evaluating models of health-based IDVA provision in maternity services – was developed to understand how this specialist support can work effectively within maternity care.
The research brought together evidence and learning from different approaches to understand what helps IDVAs become successfully embedded within maternity services, and how they can provide effective, joined-up support for women and their children.
The project is helping to address an important gap in the evidence about how IDVA services should be delivered within maternity settings. By examining different models of provision, RIVA aims to identify what works, for whom and in what circumstances. This includes understanding how maternity staff and specialist domestic abuse services can work together to identify abuse, respond to women’s needs and provide appropriate support.
The findings can help maternity services and commissioners make informed decisions about how specialist domestic abuse support is designed and integrated into care.
Ultimately, the research aims to support a maternity system where women experiencing domestic abuse are more likely to be identified, listened to and connected with the specialist help they need – helping improve safety and wellbeing for women and their children.