24 Hour Domestic Violence Help-line

This agreement aims to enable agencies to work in an integrated and co-ordinated way to improve the safety of domestic violence survivors and their children and to hold perpetrators accountable. Each agency, whilst maintaining its independence, is also committed to liaise closely with other member agencies, sharing relevant information and providing the best possible service to survivors and their families within the role, responsibility and resources of individual agencies and ensuring that any gaps in service are identified and addressed.

The Service Level Agreement aims to provide operational guidance to all criminal justice agencies and partners involved in Nottingham Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC). The Agreement should be read in conjunction with the Specialist Domestic Violence Court Good Practice Guide.

Specialist Domestic Violence Courts and Fast Track Systems Research indicates notable and positive benefits of SDVC’s and FTS placing the victim at the heart of the process Clustering and fast tracking enhances the effectiveness of the court and support services to victims SDVC and FTS make advocacy and information sharing easier to accomplish Victim participation and satisfaction is improved and thus public confidence in CJS is increased

This resource manual is for use in those areas that are developing a specialist domestic violence (DV) court system as part of the Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC) Programme. It is referred to as a system because, although it has the court processes at its heart, it also refers to early identification of DV incidents particularly policing, health and social care interventions, through to specialised and generic victim support. In essence, the specialist court programme is a co-ordinated community response to DV which combines both criminal justice and non-criminal justice interventions and forms a multi-agency response that creates greater victim safety and brings perpetrators to account.

'Specialist domestic violence courts have been operating at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court since May 2006. The courts, held on Wednesday mornings each week, promote a co-ordinated approach to tackling domestic violence. Criminal justice agencies work together with voluntary specialist support services and strategic partnerships to provide better services for victims and more effective treatment of offenders.' This leaflet gives more details.

AN evaluation of specialist domestic violence courts by Leicester University, Cardiff University and the University of Wolverhampton.