James

Great to be partnering with @wearsidewin.bsky.social Domestic Abuse Services to deliver the event as part of the ESRC #FestivalofSocialScience 2/2

A rather early start for a Saturday but for a good reason. I’m off to Sunderland this morning to the Stadium of Light to run a Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA) event with Prof. Catherine Donovan exploring Violence, Abuse and Control in LGBT+ 🏳️‍🌈 Relationships. 1/2

Check out the information below with more details, and the deadline is 30th September👇 3/3

We are inviting abstracts that specifically address domestic/family violence death reviews, and are keen to hear from a wide range of perspectives, from conceptual and theoretical work, ethics and methodology, widening participation, and the future of these kinds of initiatives. 2/3

⚠️ Just under a week to go to respond to the call for contributions for the Palgrave Handbook on Domestic Homicides and Death Reviews, edited by Myrna Dawson and myself. 1/3

Pleased to have worked with Professor Catherine Donovan, & with input from members of the LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Practice Network & Briony Anderson & Holly McSpadden, to develop guidance for researching domestic abuse in LGBT+ communities. Find out more.👇 lnkd.in/evXAsqk2

Pleased to be joining @sarahdangar.bsky.social to talk about 'Addressing Domestic Abuse-Related Deaths by Suicide and Paths to Learning' for a Practice Development Webinar run by #MakingResearchCount

Our focus is on dialogues that shape ethical decision-making and reflect on the complexities of researching violence and abuse. In a nice bit of timing, its publication comes just before the 2025 European Conference on Domestic Violence hashtag#ECDV, the conference where we first met two years ago.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

@martindimarco.bsky.social and I have just had a new article published in the @ijqmonline.bsky.social in which we explore ethics in domestic abuse-related deaths and perpetrator studies👇https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/16094069251374613

The ECHO Project is a longitudinal study on relationships and mental health in LGBTQIA+ communities. All LGBTQIA+ adults (18+) living in the UK or Ireland can take part. Participants receive a One4All voucher. Learn more & sign up: echoproject-research.com/join-study

My chapter ‘Domestic Abuse-Related Death Reviews in England and Wales: Implications for Femicide Prevention’ thinks through reviews’ contribution to femicide measurement & prevention, arguing for more thinking about how they are established & run, their doing, and the change we want to see.

Really pleased to have a chapter in @katefitzgibbon.bsky.social & Sandra Walklate’s new book, 'Femicide: Problems, Possibilities, and Prevention', which brings together leading international scholars to critically examine how femicide is defined, understood, and prevented across diverse contexts.

Let’s hope the upcoming VAWG strategy maximises the start that the previous Conservative government made on review reform, which was a start but didn’t go anywhere near far enough.

Although, I’d note the framing of this as about Labour. Since it was implemented, the review system has mostly been overseen by a Home Office led by a Conservative politician. So, the reality is that these problems have been building for some time, and mostly not under Labour’s watch.

Labour not learning lessons from deaths of domestic abuse victims, report finds Exclusive: ‘Deeply concerning’ oversight as government fails to act on recommendations made after victim’s death

The weakness of oversight of recommendations from domestic homicide/abuse-related death reviews is something I’ve highlighted in my research. It’s a shocking gap. So, good to see @commissionerda.bsky.social pushing to ensure we learn & act after these deaths.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Quote reads: ‘‘I want to remember Ellen Pence, an activist from the US who many of you will know, who was one of the founders of the Duluth model. I met her a few times, and she was such a joy to be around and a great storyteller! Half activist, half stand-up comedian. Our movement was built on the shoulders of lesbians and bi women, many of whom have been forgotten, but thankfully Ellen's memory and legacy live on. It's so important to tell our stories and celebrate the people who helped build what we now have.’’

🧵1/5

For Pride this year colleagues have been sharing their LGBT+ icons and to conclude what has been a month of learning, celebrating and remembering we wanted to share our last icon - Ellen Pence!

Jo Todd, CEO at Respect, shared why Ellen is one of her icons…

They shared why specialist, tailored responses to domestic abuse are so important, and their hopes for a safer, more inclusive future.

Read more below ↓
drivepartnership.org.uk/publication/...

@womencentre.bsky.social

The Potential and Peril of Reviewing Domestic Abuse-Related Deaths Considering the potential and peril of Domestic Abuse-Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) in England and Wales as a way of learning from domestic abuserelated deaths, this book examines what DARDRs – first...

Thank you, too, for the opportunity to talk about my new book and to discuss my findings with colleagues on the call. Find out more about my book - The Potential and Peril of Reviewing Domestic Abuse Related Deaths - below👇. www.routledge.com/The-Potentia...

Thank you #AAFDA for the chance to join the DHR Forum today. As a practitioner & researcher, it's great to have spaces where we can come together, share best practices, work through common challenges, and think about what it means to do this difficult work well.

Ultimately, we know that reviews can make a difference, from telling a victim's story to promoting accountability and driving change. What is urgently required now is a commitment to get them right and, in doing so, without, as this BBC story shows, causing more harm to families. 6/6

Yet, a year after the consultation on the revised statutory guidance, we are still waiting for news from the Home Office, & I am far from convinced that the reform plans we have seen go far enough, either in terms of the Home Office’s role or ensuring that local areas are properly supported. 5/6

So, it's good to see the response from Jess Phillips about more “effective and timely” reviews, including highlighting changes to the Quality Assurance (QA) process. But it’s still not clear how & if these changes will work & there remain numerous other challenges with the review system. 4/6

But the concerns raised by the families here are a heartbreaking call to action. What's most frustrating about these concerns is that they are not new. The challenges with the review system are well known, with plentiful evidence of what is & is not working. 3/6

Inevitably, reviews are a challenging & complex process, particularly if we want to engage all stakeholders (including family) well, keep victims central, & generate meaningful learning. The reality is, the original 6-month timeline was always unrealistic, something my research has also shown. 2/6

Domestic abuse review delays are 'hell', bereaved families say The reviews aim to prevent future attacks but just 1% are completed on time, BBC research suggests.

This BBC news report powerfully highlights family experiences of #domestichomiciderewiews #domesticabuserelateddeathreviews, not least in terms of the impact of the length of time they can take & confidence in whether they bring about change. 👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 1/6

So, if you are a local partnership, please keep an eye out for the request, which is being shared via the @local.gov.uk. If you haven't had a request, do drop me a DM.

The research, which I am conducting with Elizabeth Cook, will help us build a better picture of case profiles and decision-making (including which cases are or are not reviewed), and the kind of issues local areas are wrestling with when commissioning.

Today is an important milestone as requests are going to local #communitysafetypartnerships for data about the deaths they receive notifications for and what they then commission in terms of #DomesticHomicideReviews #DomesticAbuseRelatedDeathReviews.

If you would like an informal conversation, please do get in touch. The deadline is June 6th, and more information here: durham.taleo.net/careersectio...

I'm currently recruiting for a 6-month Research Assistant/Associate post, nominally one day a week, with flexibility in terms of actual working times. The research is looking at the commissioning of domestic homicide / suicide-related death reviews.