Frontline Responses to Domestic Abuse in Scotland

Scotland's progress in tackling domestic abuse is recognised for the gendered analysis which underpins it. This gendered analysis recognises structural gender inequalities as the context in which domestic abuse occurs, enabling more effective targeting of resources for prevention and response. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, described as a 'gold standard' in legislation to tackle domestic abuse, draws on the gendered concept of coercive control. The Act seeks to recognise in law the nature of domestic abuse not as isolated incidents but rather as an ongoing exercise of power and control by the perpetrator, using various tactics. In this chapter, we describe what is known about domestic abuse in Scotland, the strengths and weaknesses of different data sources in capturing the gendered nature of domestic abuse and the reality of how victimsurvivors experience it. We consider the multi-agency structures, in particular Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences and Multi-Agency Tasking and Coordinating groups, which support Scotland's partnership approach in the front-line response to domestic abuse, recognising the crucial role of feminist third sector agencies alongside statutory agencies such as police, health, social work, and housing.