All-Party Parliamentary Group on Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse (11 March 2021)
This APPG meeting focused on DAPOs
Our most recent APPG focused on DAPOs – the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders that are created by the DA Bill - and on the bit within them that allows judges to put positive requirements on DA perpetrators.
The meeting discussed the key risks and the important opportunities that these orders pose. Done well, they will provide an important opportunity to change perpetrator behaviour and keep victims safer for the long-term. However, this will require a clear focus on victim outcomes, quality-assured interventions, multiagency working, and sustainable, strategic funding. Done badly, they could be an ineffective waste of money - or worse, dangerous.
The meeting heard from:
- Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
- Baroness Armstrong
- Lord Bishop James of Carlisle
- Lord Lytton
- Lady Finlay
- Huw Merriman MP
- Jo Todd, CEO, Respect - Positive requirements and their practical implications: behaviour change programmes, substance misuse programmes, and mental health assessments
- Olive Craig, Senior Legal Officer, Rights of Women - Key issues on DA Protection Orders
- Maria Cripps, Business Development Manager Domestic Abuse Services, Cranstoun - Specialist interventions for perpetrators of domestic abuse with additional needs
- Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner - Next steps
The government will soon start planning a two-year pilot of DAPOs, and we hope the outcomes of this meeting will feed into their thinking.
The paper below was developed in advance of the meeting by the key speakers. This lays out some of the key concerns and potential solutions. We welcome further thoughts on this paper and how we can best make DAPOs work for victims.
APPG DAPOs positive requirement paper March 21
