A survey and stakeholder consultation of Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) programmes in English maternity services

TY - JOUR

T1 - A survey and stakeholder consultation of Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) programmes in English maternity services

AU - Forbes, Camilla

AU - Alderson, Hayley

AU - Domoney, Jill

AU - Papamichail, Alexandra

AU - Berry, Vashti

AU - McGovern, Ruth

AU - Sevdalis, Nick

AU - Rankin, Judith

AU - Newburn, Mary

AU - Healey, Andy

AU - Easter, Abigail

AU - Heslin, Margaret

AU - Feder, Gene

AU - Hudson, Kristian

AU - Wilson, Claire A.

AU - Melendez-Torres, G. J.

AU - Howard, Louise M.

AU - Trevillion, Kylee

N1 - Funding Information: This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations South West Peninsula, Yorkshire and Humber and North East and North Cumbria as part of the Child Health and Maternity and Prevention with Behavioural Risk Factors National Priority Programmes. NS’ research is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NS is a member of King’s Improvement Science, which offers co-funding to the NIHR ARC South London and is funded by King’s Health Partners (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust), and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).

PY - 2023/6/1

Y1 - 2023/6/1

N2 - Background: Healthcare-based Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (hIDVA) are evidence-based programmes that provide emotional and practical support to service users experiencing domestic abuse. hIDVA programmes are found to improve health outcomes for service users and are increasingly delivered across a range of healthcare settings. However, it is unclear how hIDVA programmes are implemented across maternity services and the key facilitators and barriers to their implementation. The aim of this study was to identify; how many English National Health Service (NHS) Trusts with maternity services have a hIDVA programme; which departments within the Trust they operate in; what format, content, and variation in hIDVA programmes exist; and key facilitators and barriers of implementation in maternity services. Methods: A national survey of safeguarding midwives (Midwives whose role specifically tasks them to protect pregnant women from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect) within all maternity services across England; descriptive statistics were used to summarise responses. A World Café event (a participatory method, which aims to create a café atmosphere to facilitate informal conversation) with 38 national key stakeholders to examine barriers and facilitators to hIDVA programme implementation. Results: 86/124 Trusts (69%) with a maternity service responded to the survey; 59(69%) of respondents reported that they had a hIDVA programme, and 47(55%) of the hIDVA programmes operated within maternity services. Key facilitators to implementation of hIDVA programmes included training of NHS staff about the hIDVA role and regular communication between Trust staff and hIDVA staff; hIDVA staff working directly from the Trust; co-creation of hIDVA programmes with experts by experience; governance and middle- and senior-management support. Key barriers included hIDVA staff having a lack of access to a private space for their work, insecure funding for hIDVA programmes and issues with recruitment and retention of hIDVA staff. Conclusions: Despite hIDVA programmes role in improving the health outcomes of service users experiencing domestic abuse, increased funding and staff training is needed to successfully implement hIDVA staff in maternity services. Integrated Care Board commissioning of acute and mental health trust services would benefit from ensuring hIDVA programmes and clinician DVA training are prioritised.

AB - Background: Healthcare-based Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (hIDVA) are evidence-based programmes that provide emotional and practical support to service users experiencing domestic abuse. hIDVA programmes are found to improve health outcomes for service users and are increasingly delivered across a range of healthcare settings. However, it is unclear how hIDVA programmes are implemented across maternity services and the key facilitators and barriers to their implementation. The aim of this study was to identify; how many English National Health Service (NHS) Trusts with maternity services have a hIDVA programme; which departments within the Trust they operate in; what format, content, and variation in hIDVA programmes exist; and key facilitators and barriers of implementation in maternity services. Methods: A national survey of safeguarding midwives (Midwives whose role specifically tasks them to protect pregnant women from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect) within all maternity services across England; descriptive statistics were used to summarise responses. A World Café event (a participatory method, which aims to create a café atmosphere to facilitate informal conversation) with 38 national key stakeholders to examine barriers and facilitators to hIDVA programme implementation. Results: 86/124 Trusts (69%) with a maternity service responded to the survey; 59(69%) of respondents reported that they had a hIDVA programme, and 47(55%) of the hIDVA programmes operated within maternity services. Key facilitators to implementation of hIDVA programmes included training of NHS staff about the hIDVA role and regular communication between Trust staff and hIDVA staff; hIDVA staff working directly from the Trust; co-creation of hIDVA programmes with experts by experience; governance and middle- and senior-management support. Key barriers included hIDVA staff having a lack of access to a private space for their work, insecure funding for hIDVA programmes and issues with recruitment and retention of hIDVA staff. Conclusions: Despite hIDVA programmes role in improving the health outcomes of service users experiencing domestic abuse, increased funding and staff training is needed to successfully implement hIDVA staff in maternity services. Integrated Care Board commissioning of acute and mental health trust services would benefit from ensuring hIDVA programmes and clinician DVA training are prioritised.

KW - Domestic violence

KW - Health

KW - hIDVA

KW - Implementation

KW - Maternity services

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85160934203&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1186/s12884-023-05731-1

DO - 10.1186/s12884-023-05731-1

M3 - Article

C2 - 37264300

AN - SCOPUS:85160934203

SN - 1471-2393

VL - 23

JO - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

JF - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

IS - 1

M1 - 404

ER -