Victims of domestic abuse to be protected under a £53 million drive to target most dangerous offenders in England and Wales
Thousands more women and children will be better protected from domestic abuse through the direct targeting of perpetrators, the Home Secretary has announced.
Backed by a £53 million investment over the next 4 years, domestic abuse perpetrators who pose the highest risk will be forced to change their behaviour and stop their offending as more police and agencies roll out tactics shown to reduce abuse.
It will form a central part of the government’s Plan for Change and pledge to tackle the epidemic of domestic abuse, which sees the police record a domestic abuse-related crime every 30 seconds.
The Drive Project has been piloted since 2016 to address the root causes of abuse through intensive one-to-one case management for up to 12 months. This includes using protection orders to keep offenders away from victims, alongside work to address drug misuse and alcohol dependency. A dedicated independent domestic violence advisor (IDVA) supports the victim in parallel, ensuring their safety and needs are prioritised at every stage.
The results have seen percentages of perpetrators using physical abuse cut by 82%, sexual abuse by 88%, stalking behaviours by 75% and jealous and controlling behaviours by 73%.
The multi-million pound investment will see up to 15 new areas going live by March 2026, with full roll-out across England and Wales to follow.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The roll out of these new programmes means the relentless pursuit of perpetrators who pose a risk to women and girls whether they operate at home or on the streets – and intervening early to prevent further harm.
“Through our mission to make our streets safer, we will take every opportunity to challenge and change dangerous behaviours, intensively monitor and manage perpetrators who pose a risk, and give victims the support they need to take back their lives.”
The Drive Partnership, a consortium of 3 organisations – Respect, SafeLives, and Social Finance – is working to end domestic abuse and protect victim-survivors. The Drive Project is their flagship intervention working with those causing harm in their relationships to prevent abusive behaviour.
Rolling out The Drive Project demonstrates that the government is committed to doing things differently, working closely with civil society and bringing experts into policy development to improve the lives of working people. Today’s announcement comes ahead of the Civil Society Summit being held on Thursday 17 July, where the Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips will join a violence against women and girls panel with Beyond Equality, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and Minister Davies-Jones.
Alongside tackling domestic abuse, the government is also funding 3 police forces to step up efforts to prevent predatory behaviour in public spaces and night time economy venues through Project Vigilant.
Currently being trialled by Thames Valley Police, alongside several other forces across the country, specially trained plain-clothed officers are patrolling nightlife hotspots to hunt down predatory behaviour, with uniformed officers then stepping in to keep the public safe.
A further £230,000 will enable specialist deployments in 3 police forces, support the trial of new tools – including sniffer dogs trained to detect drugs commonly used in spiking – and help to gather evidence on how the approach works in different settings.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips said: “Through bold initiatives like the Drive Project and Project Vigilant, we’re going after perpetrators wherever they pose a threat.
“We are shifting the focus onto those who cause harm, challenging dangerous behaviours and making it clear that the responsibility for ending abuse lies with perpetrators, not those who suffer from it.
Through our mission to make our streets safer, every penny we invest in holding perpetrators to account is a step towards a better and safer future for every victim.”
The Drive Project will be delivered in partnership with police and crime commissioners, police forces, domestic abuse services and the Drive Partnership, and supported by national training and resources.
Case managers work closely with high-risk perpetrators for up to 12 months, building their capacity to manage emotions and relationships differently, removing opportunities for abuse through close monitoring and disruption tactics and ensuring dedicated support for victims.
Interventions are tailored to each perpetrator’s risk level and pattern of abuse and can include:
- disruption tactics such as police intervention and the use of protection orders
- engagement with social services to safeguard families and children
- alternative accommodation to prevent perpetrators from returning to victims’ homes
- addressing drug and alcohol dependencies that can fuel abusive behaviour
- behaviour change to address patterns of control and violence
- monitoring and accountability to prevent reoffending
- dedicated support for victims to help them rebuild their lives and move on
The Drive Partnership welcomes today’s Home Office announcement of a £53 million investment over four years to expand the Drive Project to increase the safety of victim-survivors of domestic abuse, in all communities, by putting the focus on the perpetrators.
This is the result of ten years of working in partnership across specialist domestic abuse services and statutory agencies, and would not be possible without the collaboration of a wide range of both statutory and non-statutory partners, and the ongoing support of a range of funders, including the National Lottery Community Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and Treebeard Trust.
The Drive Project is the Drive Partnership’s flagship intervention for high-risk, high-harm, perpetrators of domestic abuse. This investment will see local service providers working together with the Drive Partnership and across all agencies to deliver the Drive Project throughout England and Wales.
The Drive Partnership and its Board are pleased that the Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade. Alongside the need for well-funded local support and recovery services for victim-survivors, targeting perpetrators to address the root causes of violence and abuse will be essential.
The Drive Project is an evidence-based service, delivered by specialist local service providers, that increases the safety of adult and child victim-survivors of domestic abuse and helps prevent future victims by targeting perpetrators and using multi-agency working to disrupt and stop abuse. It always includes dedicated support for victim-survivors and families.
The Home Office’s investment into the expansion of the Drive Project aligns with the Drive Partnership’s 2024 Call for Further Action recommendation for consistent and evidence-informed multi-agency responses to high-risk, high-harm perpetrators across all areas.
This Call for Further Action, supported by over 100 organisations, was developed with the input of the Action on Perpetrators Network, the Drive Partnership delivery and co-production partners, and SafeLives Pioneers.
It also calls for recognition across government that domestic abuse is everyone’s business. It is not solely a criminal justice issue, but requires cross-departmental investment. This is a priority that the Network will continue to pursue.
The Drive Partnership has been working to end domestic abuse and protect victim-survivors in all communities for over a decade; marking 10-years of disrupting, challenging, and changing the behaviour of those who are causing harm, using a consistently evidence-informed approach.
The Drive Partnership looks forward to expanding this work to protect victim-survivors, in close collaboration with specialist domestic abuse organisations and statutory partners, and would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone involved.
Shana Begum, SafeLives Pioneer & lived experience expert, said, “Perpetrator interventions are vital to breaking the cycle of domestic abuse – as a SafeLives Pioneer, I strongly believe that we have to stop asking “Why doesn’t she leave?”, and start asking “Why doesn’t he stop?”, and that is what the Drive Partnership puts into action.
“After working closely with the Drive Partnership for a number of years, I’m pleased to see this expansion across all areas in England and Wales so that the responsibility of domestic abuse is placed firmly on those causing harm.”
Kyla Kirkpatrick, Director of the Drive Partnership, said, “We welcome this investment from the Home Office into the expansion of the Drive Project across England and Wales because victim-survivors tell us that as well as more support for themselves, they want and need better responses to the people causing harm in their lives.
“They need them to be seen, held to account and stopped. The Drive Project does that and with ten years of delivery, development and evaluation behind us we know that it works.
!This work can only happen if the focus is absolutely on the safety and wellbeing of the victim-survivors. This investment will see the vast majority of funding flow directly to local domestic abuse perpetrator services and victim-survivor support services, and we will be working in partnership with local services to ensure that the Drive Project is tailored to meet the needs of local communities.
“We look forward to the forthcoming VAWG strategy to support victim-survivor services with much-needed investment and cross-departmental commitment.”
Rosie Jarvis, Deputy Director of the Drive Partnership, said, “We warmly welcome the Home Office’s investment in the expansion of the Drive Project, which we know through its evidence base has a significant impact on harm and risk reduction in perpetrators and increased safety for victim-survivors.
“This investment and expansion will be a significant step towards addressing the postcode lottery of responses to high-risk, high-harm, and serial perpetrators and breaking the costly cycle of domestic abuse.”
Jess Asato MP, said, “Too often we ask why domestic abuse victims don’t leave, instead of asking why perpetrators don’t stop their abuse – so this landmark investment by the Government is incredibly welcome.
“was proud to work on the early stages of the Drive Partnership which, through its innovative, evidence-driven approach, has proven that we can make victims safer and change perpetrator behaviour.
“This investment will be one important step towards achieving the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls.”
Detective Superintendent Jon Capps, Head of Rape and Sexual Offences and Project Vigilant at Thames Valley Police, said: “We welcome funding which supports vital proactive initiatives to disrupt those who behave in a predatory manner and offend against women and girls.
“Our Project Vigilant officers are specially trained to spot predatory behaviour, intervening and preventing it escalating into an offence.
“This year we have conducted 50 Vigilant deployments across the Thames Valley, all of which highlight our commitment to keep people safe, specifically in the night time economy and increasingly with large public events.
“Our aim is to take a suspect-focused approach, creating safer public spaces and building trust and confidence in our policing response.”
Michael Kill, CEO, Night Time Industries Association: “We welcome today’s announcement and fully support the government’s £53 million package to target the most dangerous domestic abuse perpetrators. A perpetrator-focused approach is essential – accountability must lie with those who commit these crimes, not the women who endure them.
“We understand that predatory behaviour is a pervasive issue within society and must be addressed wherever it occurs – across communities, public spaces, and institutions. Over recent years, the industry has worked hard to drive awareness and put robust mitigations in place – through staff training, use of CCTV, awareness campaigns and strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders and policing.
“Today’s announcement – particularly the expansion of the Drive Project and Project Vigilant, as well as the introduction of specially-trained officers to address predatory behaviour – is a vital step toward tackling the root causes of abuse. It will provide greater protection for women and support operators in disrupting harmful behaviours early.
“The NTIA is committed to supporting the government’s Plan for Change and its goal to halve violence against women within a decade. We will continue working closely with government, policing, and local authorities to embed a perpetrator-focused culture of safety and accountability throughout the night time economy.”
This investment comes after the government announced a boost of nearly £20 million in support for victims of abuse, including £6 million for helplines which can offer life-saving support.
A relentless pursuit of perpetrators will form a central part of the government’s upcoming strategy on violence against women and girls, shifting the burden of safety away from victims and onto the perpetrators responsible for these devastating crimes. The strategy will also set out action to transform the system’s response to VAWG, including on prevention, early intervention, enforcement and victim support.
