Participants' Views About the Survivor Contact Element of IPV Perpetrator Programs: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Advocacy services, for victims and survivors, are at the core of our response to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The survivor contact element of IPV perpetrator programs is recognized as a necessary safety measure for their operation. Within the context of equivocal evaluations of these programs, and the impetus to find opportunities to enhance their effectiveness, this study report explores the service user perspective on survivor contact work. In-depth semi-structured interviews were completed with 18 perpetrators and 18 survivors involved in three Irish-based programs, and findings were analyzed using grounded theory principles. Almost without exception, survivors were positive about their engagement with an outreach service. There was evidence to suggest that perpetrator program outreach services do reach survivors who may not ordinarily make contact with an advocacy service. In general terms, survivors felt validated as survivors, they felt supported, they learned about abusive behaviors and some saw the service as a monitor of what their partner was saying during group work. However, some survivors described their fear that any reports of ongoing abuse, which they offered, would attract reprisals from their partner or the attentions of child protection services. More determined application of criminal justice measures, and enhanced resourcing of the survivor contact element of these programs, should be considered.