DASA
Adam and Nicky’s story
Adam was referred to Hampton Trust after couples counselling revealed some unhealthy behaviours in his relationship w...
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We work with stakeholders to invest in preventative work, enlist academic institutions to evaluate our programmes to provide an evidence base, and forge strategic partnerships with commissioners and local providers to replicate our evidence-based interventions across the UK.
Alongside this, we work with sector partners to inform and influence policy change to allow individuals to get the right support at the right time, when they need it.
Getting a perpetrator to engage requires persistence and a regular sustained point of contact. The intervention and engagement take up was lower before the practitioners came on board. Part of this was because the perpetrator did not want to engage with police officers – this is a real barrier even if the officers do their best to reassure them everything is independent.
Project Foundation was initially set up as a government-funded pilot in 2021, focusing on providing a multi-agency response to repeat and serial domestic abuse perpetrators in family settings in the areas of Southampton and Eastleigh.
In partnership with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Hampton Trust analysed existing crime data across all risk levels to identify a rolling monthly cohort of perpetrators for management by district-based High Harm Policing Teams and provided specialist guidance and support to frontline police officers in developing risk management plans for high-harm perpetrators.
Following the success of the pilot, Project Foundation has now been rolled out across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The shift towards a perpetrator intervention focus in policing initially led to a high number of referrals that were lacking in information or commitment from the perpetrator, resulting in high drop-out rates.
As a result, we recruited and co-located three Foundation Practitioners into Police Priority Crime Teams. From a monthly list of approximately 150 potential Foundation nominals, practitioners analyse existing crime data and use a risk assessment tool to identify a cohort of high-harm perpetrators suitable for Foundation. They also support police during perpetrator engagement visits and provide informal training to improve the quality of referrals into the service. This partnership-led approach between police and Hampton Trust is showing early signs of success in the engagement and enforcement of serial and repeat perpetrators.
To find out more about Project Foundation, please email [email protected].
CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse) is an innovative, award-winning early intervention for domestic abuse offenders who have received a Conditional Caution.
CARA has been designed to increase not only awareness of domestic abuse but also self-awareness and the motivation to address behaviours and make changes. It supports offenders in understanding what domestic abuse is, the harm their actions have caused, the impact this has had on their partners, children and relationships, and how to make different choices going forward and prevent these harmful behaviours from becoming more entrenched. The workshops offer support relevant to the needs of the participants and signpost to further specialist help, including comprehensive behaviour change programmes.
CARA was first trialled in 2011 under experimental conditions in partnership with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Hampton Trust and Cambridge University resulting in the first UK policing strategy to be evaluated under randomised control trial conditions. Conditional Cautions for domestic abuse had not previously been used and until 2024 remained subject to special Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) dispensation in select police forces. Since August 2024, all police forces have been given special dispensation to use Conditional Cautions for standard-risk domestic abuse cases, provided that the intervention follows CARA principles.
Hampton Trust has been delivering CARA since 2011 in eight police force regions. This experience has informed the development of a new model: Delivery in partnership with local providers.
In 2020 Hampton Trust partnered with Restorative Solutions CIC to deliver CARA in West Yorkshire, the first partnership delivery of CARA. Restorative Solutions CIC were awarded a contract by the West Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner (since transferred to the Mayor of West Yorkshire) and provide Project CARA under licence.
From the start of the partnership, Restorative Solutions CIC received support and guidance from Hampton Trust for recruitment, mobilisation, and service delivery. Hampton Trust delivers CARA facilitator training and provides course materials as well as quality assurance and supervision. Data for CARA in West Yorkshire is submitted to Hampton Trust and contributes to a national CARA performance picture.
Since 2023, several more police regions have adopted this delivery model and offer CARA in partnership with Hampton Trust and a trusted local provider.
Government funding and investment is frequently directed to Police and Crime Commissioners. We work in partnership with commissioners to design and pilot interventions, training and partnership arrangements.
When commissioning our services, you can feel assured that:
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