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An overview of the literature on substance use and domestic violence is provided, highlighting the problems with inter-agency working in this area. Five themes, which include cultural differences and lack of knowledge and training across substance use and domestic violence, are being chosen to highlight both the generality and the particularity of inter-agency working in the area.

This paper argues that ‘readiness to change’ is not a concept which should only be used to understand an individual's motivation to change. In the complex field of domestic violence intervention, organisations and workers are as important in the change process as the women and children with whom they work. An action research project was undertaken to explore changes to practice which needed to occur if a model of individualised intervention for women and children shifted to a focus on strengthening their relationship in the aftermath of domestic violence. ‘The Talking to My Mum’ project developed activities to support the change process and found that organisations and workers needed to be ‘ready’ and motivated to embrace the change to the work focus if the entrenched divisions between services for children and services for women in domestic violence intervention were to be overcome. Creative processes were needed to support women and children if they were to feel safe and supported in strengthening their relationship in the aftermath of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on the first ever national study in the UK of the needs of disabled women experiencing domestic violence and of the services available to meet these needs. The study found that, in general, support services frequently overlook or respond inappropriately to disabled women in this situation. The overall findings of the research were very wide-ranging, as were the resultant recommendations for statutory agencies, disability organisations, domestic violence services and wider strategic and commissioning frameworks. In this paper, the general findings are discussed briefly, followed by a discussion of abuse by paid carers/personal assistants in the context of the personalisation agenda, with a focus on issues for adult care services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]