Risk Pathways and the Use of DASH - STADA Statement
At Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, we believe that one life lost to domestic abuse is one too many. Risk pathways can save lives, but only when they are resourced, survivor-centred, and part of a wider Coordinated Community Response.
We support the call to the government to:
Lead a government-led, survivor co-created review and update of the entire risk response, with independent oversight.
Resource the system: workforce training and supervision, protected time for practitioners, MARAC capacity, data standards and safe information-sharing.
Roll out nationally an updated, inclusive approach that works across identities and contexts and recognises children as survivors in their own right.
From our work across the UK, we know many survivors have been appropriately supported by the proper use of DASH. But a risk checklist alone does not provide safety, it must always be the starting point of a wider process. That process requires professional judgement, perpetrator management, and multi-agency working that includes ‘By and For’ services to ensure survivors facing multiple barriers receive culturally competent support.
DASH should never be a tick-box exercise. When applied correctly, it helps practitioners use professional judgement to align risk mitigation with survivors’ needs. But DASH must now evolve, with sustainable funding, survivor voice, and consultation with sector partners, so that risk assessment is embedded in practice everywhere and consistently delivers safety.
Domestic abuse is at epidemic levels. If the government is serious about halving violence against women and girls within a decade, strengthening risk pathways and embedding them in a coordinated response must be at the heart of its strategy.