About us

Respect is the UK charity stopping perpetrators of domestic abuse.

The charity was founded to focus on perpetrators, and this, including our vital work with young people who cause harm, is our key priority. We are also known for our specialist work with male victims of domestic abuse, which continues as a distinct project.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

This year, we have continued our work to deliver true equity, diversity and inclusion at Respect. This includes our commitment to being an actively anti-racist organisation.

A shift in how we work

We have made a fundamental change to how we approach inclusion. We are still working to improve the diversity of our team, but we are also focusing on building a culture of inclusion and belonging for those who already work at Respect. We’ve started by changing our policies and processes to reflect that the experience of being a part of the Respect team is as important as the activities we undertake.

We are committed to creating opportunities for staff to have conversations with peers and managers about EDI, their experiences and what matters to them. We have overhauled the data we collect to ensure that we capture data and feedback that is meaningful to us, holds us accountable for our work, and ensures we continue on our path to inclusion.

All of our teams have a commitment to improving EDI in our services and activities. There is exciting work developing culturally competent perpetrator work, understanding the needs of LGBT+ communities, working with neurodivergent young people and supporting disabled people to access our services.

Understanding where we are

This year we’ve developed a new internal EDI Survey. We know that to improve, we need to know our baseline, so we’ll be working to build a picture of the Respect staff team, the opportunities they have for growth and development, and whether they feel they can bring their authentic selves to work.

Sector support

Respect offers a sector support programme that engages directly with the perpetrator sector to ensure it has the support it needs to respond to challenges and opportunities.

Sector support:

Membership

Respect’s Membership programme offers a range of benefits to develop practitioners’ knowledge and skills, helping them improve their practice and giving them the opportunity to be part of a network of organisations sharing similar challenges.

This year...

Expert advice for members

This year we started to offer drop-in sessions for accredited members, designed to give them 1-1 support on specific issues or concerns related to their work with either perpetrators or male victims. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the team has provided over 70 1-1 sessions.

“Having someone from Respect to be able to speak to is very useful and Emma is helpful, supportive and thorough in her responses.” - Respect Accredited Member

Sector support:

Training

We’re committed to providing front-line workers with the skills and knowledge they need to support service users safely and effectively.

To achieve this, we deliver a professional development function offering high quality courses and practice development days, as well as other events, such as webinars.

This year we...

"This training has been very informative and allowed me to gain new techniques for working with people around domestic abuse. It has also increased my confidence for practice- around strategies. Katy was very clear and easy to listen to and provided good examples that makes it relevant to practice"

- Attendee from Working with Perpetrators Towards Change

Creating quality training

Our training team launched six courses this year:

• Sexual respect: confident and effective facilitation
  

• Dealing with dual allegations
  

• Integrated Support Service Worker - essential training
  

• Service Managers’ training (developed in partnership with Safe Lives)
  

• Engaging with homeless perpetrators
  

• Risk management in domestic violence perpetrator programmes (this existing training was reviewed and refreshed)
  

Sector support:

Accreditation

Respect’s quality and safety assurance work includes:

• Setting the standards for the delivery of safe and effective services, using the Respect Standard for work with perpetrators and the Respect Male Victims’ Standard for work with male victims.
  

• Assessing services against these standards through a comprehensive and robust assessment process.
  

Setting the Standard

This year we published the fourth edition of the Respect Standard. We thoroughly reviewed both the content of the standards and the overall accreditation process.

With this edition we reaffirm the importance of supporting survivors as part of any work with perpetrators; we streamlined the assessment process, so it’s easier for services to understand the requirements and more efficient to assess, whilst retaining its robust nature; and we aligned our standards with the Home Office Perpetrator Standards for Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Interventions.

The new Standard has been endorsed by a number of key voices across the sector.

"The Respect Standard is the go-to guidelines for DA Perpetrator Programmes" - DCC Maggie Blyth, NPCC coordinator for tackling VAWG

“The Standard is vital in the fight against domestic abuse, and I welcome this updated edition which has been broadened to cover more types of perpetrator interventions.” - Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner

Accrediting quality services

This year, seven services achieved Respect accreditation.

“Going through the Respect accreditation process as a team and service has enabled us to grow and develop. The support along the way has been invaluable. It is motivating to feel part of a wider, national system building on safe and effective work with perpetrators” - Foundation, Respect Accredited Member

“Accreditation has benefitted our agency in multiple ways. As a direct consequence of holding accreditation, we were eligible to a substantial funding stream” - FICS, Respect Accredited Member

Sector support:

Research

We work in partnership with academic institutions to grow the evidence base around the perpetration of domestic abuse.

‘Tech-abuse’ – University College London research project

Respect has partnered with the Gender and Tech research group at University College London’s Department of Computer Science.

The research project will study tech abuse perpetrators and use the findings to:

• improve the design of digital technologies
• future-proof UK policies to address this new risk landscape

The aim is to pre-emptively stop perpetrators from abusing through digital systems, rather than placing the responsibility on victims/survivors to adjust their behaviour reactively.

Reprovide

Respect is a partner in the Reprovide research project, funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and led by the University of Bristol.

The project is testing the effectiveness of a group work intervention for perpetrators via a randomised control trial and concludes in 2023-24.

What’s next for Sector Support?

• Since this reporting year ended, we have launched a new audit service to support members planning to apply for accreditation.
  

• 14 services are currently undergoing accreditation, and we look forward to working closely with them to grow our network of accredited services.
  

• We’re continuing our programme of work to have all our training courses CPD or OCN accredited. We aim to have all our courses accredited by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.
  

• We’ll be supporting practitioners at our accredited member services to develop their practice at six professional development days, and we will launch practice development days for non-accredited members.
  

Our influence

Our Influence team continues to gain momentum, developing relationships with key changemakers and pushing for much-needed change.

Our partnerships remain key to this work, and we continue to work with key figures and organisations from across the domestic abuse sector.

This year we...

• continued to provide the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse
  

• met with the policy team at 10 Downing Street for the first time, to introduce them to perpetrator issues and flag the need for an enhanced cross government approach
  

• met with the Safeguarding Minister to highlight our policy asks and discuss delivery of the Domestic Abuse Plan
  

• worked to influence the Victims and Prisoners Bill, both through our membership of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Community Based Services Coalition, and in our own right. We have ensured that perpetrator interventions are kept on the agenda, specifically in conversations about the “duty to collaborate” in the Bill
  

• continued our work to influence the Ministry of Justice to restore a domestic abuse perpetrator programme (DAPP) pathway through the family courts since its dissolution in 2022. We sit on the MoJ-led DAPP Steering Group as part of this work, as well as engaging directly with Ministry of Justice officials
  

Telling our story

In 2022/23 we increased our press coverage by 144%, working with more journalists and publications than ever before to raise awareness of Respect and our work with perpetrators, male victims and young people using harm.

Two highlights were articles by Anna Moore at the Guardian changing perceptions about perpetrator interventions, and Alina Martin at Third Sector giving an insight into CEO Jo Todd’s career journey and her hopes for the sector.

Our helplines

Respect runs two helplines: the Men's Advice Line for male victims of domestic abuse and the Respect Phoneline for perpetrators of abuse.

Both helplines also support affected family and friends, as well as front-line workers.

To ensure anyone who needs us can access support, we offer an interpreter service and Relay UK compatibility – for anyone who is unable to hear or speak.

Respect Phoneline

The Respect Phoneline is the UK’s only helpline, email, and webchat service for perpetrators of domestic abuse and those supporting them.

Our expert Advisors help perpetrators take the first step towards accountability and change, to prevent further harm and make survivors safer.

We offer confidential advice and information to anyone concerned about their behaviour, and we signpost to Respect-accredited perpetrator programmes.

from perpetrators, concerned family, friends and front-line workers.

Supporting front-line workers

We are responding to more calls from front-line workers than ever before. Many of them are working with perpetrators, but don’t have access to expert advice or information.

Our team helps colleagues to understand power and control within relationships, and the concept of violent and abusive responses being a choice. We also help them explore appropriate tools, resources and interventions to support their work.

“Calling the service provided me with space and support to think about my client. I was able to clarify the current situation, which is complex. I left the call with a clear idea of how to move forwards. I felt the advisor took time to really understand the situation. I valued her expertise and guidance.” - A professional caller to the Respect Phoneline

Praise for the Respect Phoneline

The helpline has consistently received positive feedback from callers this year, with perpetrators talking about the difference it has made to their empathy, and their sense of responsibility.

Service user feedback showed 87% of callers understood the next steps to change abusive behaviours and 88% said they would recommend the service to others.

“It was important to hear someone essentially remove any doubt from the equation and make me accountable for my abuse. It made me aware of my actions, how impactful they are, and what I should be doing to prevent a repeat” - A perpetrator calling the Respect Phoneline

“The advisor helped me take responsibility for my actions instead of saying I lost control. She has enabled me to have a conversation with my partner today about my responsibility. Thank you” - A perpetrator calling the Respect Phoneline

“I was deeply embarrassed and confused after an incident occurred last week and I was struggling to come to terms with it. I was given this number by a police officer and decided to call just to have someone listen. I felt much better after the call and have clarity in my mind on next steps” - A male victim calling the Men's Advice Line

“I was at breaking point after the last incident. Things have been getting progressively worse over the years but who's going to believe you that your young daughter would be so violent. The call handler was exactly who I needed to speak to at that exact moment. I was so lucky to find the website!” - A male victim calling the Men's Advice Line

“It was wonderful to speak to a kind and caring person, who understands my fears for my son. I have some tools now to help the whole family deal with the situation and more importantly, support my son” - A parent calling the Men's Advice Line

“I rang about my son who we are extremely worried about. The advisor made me feel that there is a way out of his situation and how we can support him with this. It was so reassuring to know that we are not alone” - A parent calling the Men's Advice Line

The cost-of-living crisis deepens

Financial worries have now become one of the top concerns for male victims calling the helpline. In January-March 2023, we saw a 142% increase in reports of financial abuse compared to the same period in 2022. Male victims have reported impacts including:

• increased levels of domestic abuse
• deterioration of their mental health
• rising debt and financial hardship
• a lack of means to leave their abusive relationship
• employment issues

“Some men have said they don’t dare leave and get a place to stay (which was undoubtedly the safest option) because they would still have to pay their share of the household bills where the children are and can only see costs going up and up.” - Helplines Advisor on the Men’s Advice Line

Improving the service for male victims

We’re always striving to improve and grow our service for male victims. This year we’ve:

• used insights from research to improve engagement and accessibility on the helpline’s website
  

• launched a new Information Hub to help male victims access support whenever they need it
  

• worked with Victim Support and Solace Women’s Aid to improve signposting support and referral pathways for male victims in London
  

• networked with European colleagues who deliver helplines for male victims to share learning and best practice
  

• agreed a referral pathway with Victim Support’s Ashraya Project, which supports male victims in London who are affected by immigration control, and male victims facing homelessness
  

• been accredited by the Helplines Partnership with the Helplines Standard certification for a further three years

What’s next for the helplines?

• We’re working in partnership with Refuge to deliver a project funded by the Vision Foundation, which will help improve our response to blind and visually impaired male victims contacting the Men’s Advice Line.
  

• Our team of expert advisors are receiving training to better support neurodivergent callers across both helplines.
  

• We have seen an increase in the number of callers self-defining their gender identity. To strengthen our understanding and ensure we are responding with appropriate support, we plan to hold a training session for the team on this subject.

• We are taking steps to improve our data capture and recording to ensure we learn more about the needs of our users.
  

Our work with young people

We know that to end domestic abuse, we need to intervene early. That’s why the Respect Young People's Service focuses on young people using behaviours that harm, whether that’s in a family setting, or in their intimate relationships.

We want to effect change at every level: making life better for young people and families, but also shaping national conversations, influencing decision makers and developing the evidence needed to ensure these young people’s needs and experiences are heard and understood.

Addressing child/adolescent to parent violence/abuse (CAPVA)

Child or adolescent to parent violence or abuse (CAPVA) is a hidden harm: it’s still misunderstood and underreported, and families experiencing it can struggle to access support.

Our Respect Young People’s Programme (RYPP) works with young people and their families to stop the abuse and establish respectful ways of managing conflict, difficulty, and intimacy.

This year...

• the RYPP was delivered in five police districts and in 14 local authorities by 14 voluntary and community organisations

• 201 front-line professionals were trained to deliver the RYPP
  

Building our evidence base

We published impressive early results from the Respect Young People’s Programme, delivered in Cambridge by YMCA Trinity Group. The study found there was a 100% cessation in ‘reported missing’ incidents for the young people who had completed the programme.

A hub for professionals

We created a bespoke website for practitioners working with young people using harm in their close relationships. Since its launch in May, over 1700 practitioners have accessed the website.

Increasing awareness, growing understanding

We know the RYPP is only one part of addressing CAPVA, so we have built a suite of learning tools providing training to a range of professionals who need a strong understanding of CAPVA e.g. police and professionals from the health, housing and social care sectors.

As part of this work we have delivered CAPVA training to 31 teachers. 100% of those who completed feedback forms said they would recommend the training to other schools.

Raising awareness of CAPVA

• On Child to Parent Abuse Awareness Day, we took to X (formally known as Twitter) to raise awareness of CAPVA and the support available. Our thread reached over 5000 people.
  

• Our team shared their expertise around neurodiverse provision on ADHD Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Day, showing how the RYPP can be adapted for young neurodivergent people.
  

Challenging teenage relationship abuse

Our programme, the Dating Detox, challenges abuse and promotes respect in young people’s intimate relationships. This year we developed an improved and updated edition of the toolkit, which is now available on the RYPS website so practitioners have on-demand access to the resources.

“Great area for the boys in our care. Issues have arisen in discussion previously- I now feel better equipped to deal with the subject”– A Dating Detox training participant

What's next for the Young People's Service?

• We want to ensure that lived experience and young people’s voices are central to service development, so we’re establishing a young people’s co-production group to formalise this work.

• We are engaging with the Department for Education to influence statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education resources, so young people can learn about CAPVA at school.
  

• We'll be developing online delivery for the Dating Detox, ensuring we can reach as many young people as possible.
  

• We’re working with colleagues in Durham to create an animation to raise awareness of CAPVA and the support available to families.
  

• We are delighted to be part of a new Home Office funded project to address CAPVA in Norfolk.
  

Make a Change is a community-wide, early response to people using harmful behaviour in relationships. It provides expert support for people who are concerned about their behaviour, and their partners and/or ex-partners, as well as training for professionals and support for the wider community.

35%

“You gave us a safe place to heal and constant support for every problem we encountered along the way.” - Survivor

“This course was truly transformative for me and it meant I didn't jump into a relationship once I accepted my marriage was over” – Make a Change Service User

The Drive Partnership

The Drive Partnership is formed of three organisations: Respect, SafeLives and Social Finance. It was initially set up to deliver a three-year pilot intervention working with high harm, serial perpetrators, and has since received funding to expand this work and extend its remit to include public affairs and national systems change work.

Exploring and addressing systemic gaps

Whilst there is a growing evidence base around perpetrator interventions, there is still a gap when it comes to culturally appropriate responses for people from racialised communities.

To better understand these gaps, we commissioned colleagues at HOPE Training and Consultancy and the University of Suffolk to undertake research to explore responses to family and intimate relationship harm within Black and minority ethnic communities.

The Sector Leaders Course was designed to equip sector leaders to address the issues faced by Black and minoritised staff in relation to professional development and progression within their organisation.

• 85 leaders attended the course

• 99% said the programme was beneficial to them as a VAWG sector leader

“It opened my eyes about how to engage and become a better, more inclusive leader”- Attendee of the Sector Leaders course

The 12-week Leadership Programme supported Black and minoritised staff to build the skills and knowledge to help them increase their confidence in leadership, acknowledge their existing skills, and take effective practice back to their workplace. Four Respect staff members took part in the programme.

“I used to struggle with the concept of leadership out of concern about not being good enough and the idea of putting myself above others, but the trainers and speakers helped me see that it shouldn’t be about perfection or superiority, and that leadership can actually be about community, challenging yourself, and supporting each other.”

– Karima Rahman, Senior Communications and Policy Officer for Make a Change, Respect

Restart

Restart is a Drive Partnership pilot working to improve responses to perpetrators of domestic abuse in families supported by Children's Social Care. Restart changes the way domestic abuse is dealt with so that the person who has used abuse is held accountable for the abuse and may be offered accommodation away from the family home.

"Restart has made me re-learn life the proper way. I feel like I've been given a new perspective and more control over my emotions. I would recommend the programme to people I know in similar situations." – Restart service user

"For us, it's about focusing on enabling survivors to be able to stay safe within their own home and put the responsibility of leaving on perpetrators." – Partner organisation

The pilot has seen strong results in 2022/23:

• 129 perpetrators, with 229 related children, were referred to Restart from Children’s Social Care teams.
  

• 30 service users have accessed the housing pathway, which offers accommodation for the person who has used abuse to ensure the family can stay in their house if safe to do so.
  

• The collaboration between Restart and Respect’s Safe & Together team has gone from strength to strength, with the Safe & Together team training over 400 children’s social care professionals as part of the Restart project.
  

What’s next for the Drive Partnership?

• We’ve received funding from the Home Office to deliver and expand the Drive Project in Lancashire, Avon and Somerset, Thames Valley and London. We are also expanding in West Mercia to Shropshire and Telford.
  

• We’re working with partners to implement our in-prison model of the Drive Project, which brings together South Wales OPCC, His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Swansea, Probation Service Wales, and Safer Merthyr Tydfil (SMT) to deliver an intervention for high-risk, high-harm perpetrators serving short custodial sentences at HMP Swansea.
  

• We will piloting an embedded case management model within Childrens Social Care in Cheshire East based on learning from the high harm/high risk intervention.
  

• With support from a new lottery grant, we will be working with by and for organisations to design culturally competent perpetrator interventions and pilot these.
  

• We have received funding to develop new models focused on LGBT+ perpetrators of abuse. We will be working with LGBT+ specialists and by and for organisations to help develop this area of our work, design and pilot interventions.
  

• We are developing an updated ‘Call to Action’ policy publication, to reflect the significant progress made over recent years in the response to perpetrators, but highlighting the need for ongoing cross-sector leadership and collaboration to hold perpetrators to account.
  

• Since the reporting period ended, Restart have launched their evaluation for the first year of the project, and continued funding has been confirmed.
  

145%

increase in CLEAR referrals

1167

professionals attended events to learn about CLEAR & other available interventions

38%

increase in referrals to survivor support

62%

of the men who started CLEAR completed it

23%

of them moved onto a Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme

Thank you

We are grateful for the continued support of our trustees, supporters and funders, without whom this vital and lifechanging work would not be possible. A special thank you to:

• Police Crime Commissioners: Cambridgeshire, Durham, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, MOPAC
  
• National Lottery Community Fund
  
• London Boroughs of: Camden, Croydon Waltham Forest, Hackney, Havering, MOPAC, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Sutton, Waltham Forest, Westminster
  
• Councils: London Councils, Lincolnshire County Council
  
• Home Office
  
• Esmee Fairbairn Trust, Guinness Trust
  
• Scottish Government
  
• Scottish Women’s Aid
  
• Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner South Wales
  
• Northern Ireland Dept. of Justice
  
• University of Bristol
  
• South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  
• Royal Sun Alliance and corporate partners
  

We would also like to thank all of our individual donors and those who purchase our training which provides vital support for our ongoing funding.

@RespectUK

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@respect_uk

www.respect.uk.net

info@respect.org.uk

Respect is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1141636, in Scotland, number SC051284 and a company, number 7582438. Registered address: VAI Second Floor, 200a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP