Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence, Jess Phillips, has launched a powerful critique against the UK's primary tool for assessing domestic abuse risk, labelling it 'not fit for purpose' and demanding an immediate government review.
The current system, known as the DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Honour-Based Violence) risk assessment checklist, is used by police and other agencies to determine the threat level to a victim. However, Phillips argues that its reliance on a simplistic tick-box approach is failing to identify those at the highest risk of murder or serious harm.
A System Failing the Most Vulnerable
Phillips's intervention comes after a series of high-profile cases where victims deemed 'medium risk' were later killed by their partners. She contends that the tool creates a dangerous false sense of security, allowing perpetrators to slip through the net while victims are left without the urgent, intensive support they desperately need.
'We are effectively using a tool that is over a decade old to combat a crime that evolves constantly,' Phillips stated. 'The complexities of coercive control, digital stalking, and the specific patterns that lead to homicide are simply not captured by a form.'
Call for an Evidence-Based Replacement
The MP for Birmingham Yardley is pushing for the development of a new, dynamic risk assessment framework. Her proposal emphasises the need for:
- Professional judgement: Empowering trained specialists to interpret answers beyond a simple scoring system.
- Serial perpetrator tracking: Focusing resources on offenders with known histories of abuse across different relationships.
- Integration of new research: Incorporating up-to-date data on the predictors of extreme violence and fatality.
This new model would aim to move beyond a bureaucratic exercise and become a genuine life-saving intervention, ensuring those in the gravest danger receive a coordinated multi-agency response.
Government Under Pressure to Act
The campaign places significant pressure on the government to acknowledge the system's shortcomings and invest in a modernised approach. With domestic violence rates remaining stubbornly high, the call for an evidence-based, victim-centric risk assessment tool is gaining momentum amongst charities and safeguarding experts.
Phillips has vowed to continue raising the issue in Parliament, stating that 'tinkering around the edges is not enough; we need a wholesale replacement to stop the endless tragedies.'
