Gloucestershire initiative aims to tackle teenage relationship abuse
Research seeks to fill gaps in understanding and prevention efforts
Gloucestershire is set to play a pivotal role in understanding and tackling teenage relationship abuse through newly secured funding aimed at preventive strategies.
The Police STAR Fund project, managed by the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, will delve into Gloucestershire's data, among others, over a 10-year span to assess abuse prevalence among teenagers and develop tools for better identification and prevention.
Deputy Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint has been working with Dr Ruth Weir, Deputy Director of the Violence & Society Centre at City St George’s, University of London, on teenage relationship abuse, and they will co-lead this initiative with assistance from the domestic abuse charity SafeLives.
DCC Barrow-Grint, highlighting the local concern, said: "We need to overlay a domestic abuse lens on offences such as stalking, strangulation and sexual offences when teenagers are involved to make sure victims receive the right support, and so that prevention and intervention can be put in place. After doing a dip sample here in Gloucestershire, we believe around 4% of our strangulation cases involve 13 to 15 year olds."
Despite increased reports of teenage domestic violence offences across the UK, teenagers under 16 involved in abusive peer relationships often fall outside the remit of current laws, leaving gaps in support systems.
DCC Barrow-Grint emphasised the collaborative efforts within the area: "There's a knowledge gap across multiple agencies in this area both locally and nationally, such as in education, youth services, health services, social care and policing, and we are all working together in Gloucestershire to improve this."
The Police STAR Fund, through its annual innovation call, encourages collaboration to address science and technology challenges within policing, and Gloucestershire has responded robustly to this call.
Academics and institutional partners in the project include Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucestershire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, contributing to a thorough analysis of regional data to refine strategies for better identification and response to teenage relationship abuse.
Dr Ruth Weir stressed the importance of developing tailored guidelines: "We want to give those working with young people something they currently don't have: a clear picture of what risk and harm looks like in teenage relationships. Without this understanding, young victims might slip through the cracks of systems designed for adults."
Efforts in the county have included hosting expert round tables and engaging local services, all of which report to the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board in alignment with the County Tackling Domestic Abuse Strategy.
The project is positioned to inform national policies through its findings, changing how teenage relationship abuse is addressed across the UK.