‘Baffling’ teaching fails social workers, says abuse commissioner

The domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales has described our findings as “baffling” and has called for mandatory levels of coercive-control training for all social workers.

“Sadly we have two homicides every week that relate to domestic abuse. We have to get this right from the start, not learning on the job,” says Nicole Jacobs.

More than 43,000 coercive control offences, external were recorded by police in England and Wales in the year to March 2023 – the highest number since it became a crime nearly a decade ago.

While men are affected too, research suggests women are more likely to be victims of coercive control.

Amelia (not her real name) says she was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship for years. She can’t be identified as it would put her and her children in danger, but the BBC has seen written evidence of abuse allegations made to authorities.

When Amelia turned to social workers for help, she says they failed to see through her ex-partner’s deception.

“He had fed the social workers with lies. I wasn’t listened to. I wasn’t believed,” she says.

Amelia likens his controlling abuse to a dripping tap, slowly intensifying over time.

Initially he monitored who she saw and where she went, she says. He started calling her “useless” and “fat”. Occasionally he would slap her.