The Domestic Violence Development Team (Community Safety) are in the process of drawing up a training programme with the DAAT to raise awareness of these links and detail on practice issues related to DV/SM links. A report (WORD 40kb) is available to download. Please download here.

Feedback regarding what format such a training programme/delivery would best suit professionals/practitioners would be greatly appreciated. Please send all feedback to Guy Pace

Introduction

Drug and alcohol use has long been associated with domestic violence. Many people believe that substance use can cause violent behaviour or justifies the use of violence. Indeed many of these beliefs have been expressed to members of the Domestic violence Development Team whilst conducting training, and attending meetings with agency professionals. Unfortunately these views often infiltrate all aspects of society, including the community sector.

In order to help inform the debate on this important issue surrounding the effect, impact and key messages/recommendations for policy and service development in West Sussex, the following paper aims to provide a literature overview of the available research, presenting the arguments and exploring the nature of the relationship between alcohol/drug abuse and domestic violence

• 1 in 4 women in the county, 81,788 women, are likely to have experienced domestic violence during their lives.
• 32,715 women in the county (1 in 10) are likely to have experienced domestic violence in the last 12 months.
• No other type of crime has a rate of repeat victimisation as high. Over 25% of reported violent crime is made up of domestic violence incidents.
• There were 6,579 domestic violence incidents recorded in West Sussex by the police in 202/3.
• 78% of victims of domestic violence incidents recorded by police between 2001-2003 were female, 21% were male (Sussex Police data).