Why Extending Measurements of 'Success' in Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes Matters for Social Work

Ever since domestic violence gained prominence on the social policy agenda, the focus of interventions has been on victims. A range of studies on social work/social welfare note the invisibility and/or lack of interventions aimed at domestic violence perpetrators. The exception has been perpetrator programmes (known in the USA as batterer intervention programmes, or BIPs), which increasingly receive referrals from social workers. However, there remains ongoing disagreement internationally about their effectiveness. Part of this disagreement stems from the failure to consider a broad range of potential outcomes, with most research focusing on an overly narrow understanding of what 'success' means (as no subsequent police callouts or incidents of physical violence). A total of seventy-three interviews with men on programmes, their partners/ex-partners, programme staff, and funders and commissioners were undertaken to explore what 'success' meant from their perspectives. Findings reveal that success needs to be redefined and connected not just to criminal justice, but also to health and social care agendas.