'Making the invisible visible’: identifying and responding to unpaid carers who experience domestic abuse

University of Southampton

University of Bristol

In England and Wales, one in five adults have experienced domestic abuse. This is more than 2.4 million people. Many people at end of life, or living with a life-limiting illness, depend on a family member to support them with day-to-day living. These people are known as unpaid carers and there are at least half a million of them in England. When unpaid carers are abused by the person they care for, we call them “carer-survivors”.

Health and social care professionals are well placed to support carers experiencing domestic abuse. However, they often lack an understanding of domestic abuse and the confidence to ask about or respond to it when they come across it in practice. As far as we know, health and social care professionals receive no training or guidance about domestic abuse in the end of life context. We also know little about carers’ experiences and needs as survivors of domestic abuse. As a result, carer-survivors are not receiving the support they need.

This study aims to understand the experiences of carer-survivors. We will gather evidence from published research and learn more about carer-survivors’ experiences through interviews with them. The findings will be used to develop guidance for health and social care professionals and those working in organisations that support people experiencing domestic abuse. The guidance will provide professionals with a framework for recognising carers who are experiencing, or at risk, of domestic abuse and providing them with the best support.

This research was developed with carer-survivors. They will continue working with us throughout the project, helping us to interpret the findings and share them with professionals.