28th July 2017

Understanding domestic abuse: findings from On Track

Women’s Aid has released new data from ‘Understanding domestic abuse: findings from On Track’. On Track is a comprehensive case management and outcomes monitoring programme created by Women’s Aid for specialist support services including refuge providers in England to provide vital insight into the domestic abuse sector and evidence of the value and impact of their services. The data from the first year provides a snapshot of the experiences of domestic abuse survivors and their children between 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. This data – a sample of wider data sets – paints for the first time a national picture of domestic abuse enabling us to see clearly what is working, and where urgent changes need to happen.

Key findings:

• Less than one in ten incidents reported to the police ended with the perpetrator receiving a custodial sentence.


• Less than 12% of survivors reported abuse to the police.


• 80% of survivors experienced domestic abuse for over a year, with over one third of survivors experiencing abuse for 10 years or more.


• 35% of survivors had mental health support needs, while 33% of survivors accessing an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) needed support with immigration status.