Source: Ofsted published on this website Thursday 22 January 2026 by Jill Powell
The 4 inspectorates jointly carried out inspections across 6 local authority areas to look at the response to children who are at risk from, or are victims of, domestic abuse. Inspectors considered icti children as victims of domestic abuse if they have seen, heard or experienced the effect of the abuse. But today’s report finds that practice across police, health and social care services in some local areas remains focused on adults’ needs and risks, and is insufficiently focused on the needs and risks of children.
Read the full report: The multi-agency response to children who are victims of domestic abuse
The report also warns of significant variation in how well children’s experiences are captured and how clearly the risk posed by perpetrators of domestic abuse is understood and managed by children’s services, police and probation services. In some local areas, there is insufficient training for professionals, such as the police and social workers, on domestic abuse and its impact on children, and the understanding of coercive control is particularly limited. This means children do not always get the right help and protection at the right time.
Information held by different agencies about children, adult victims and perpetrators is not always systematically shared or drawn together by the network of professionals involved with children. Concerningly, this limits professionals’ ability to form a complete picture of the risks posed to children.
The inspectorates also found examples of excellent practice in some local areas and by individual practitioners. The report highlights strong practice in relation to unborn babies, with midwives demonstrating professional curiosity, awareness and knowledge of the potential risk of domestic abuse. Schools and early years providers were also found to play a critical role in supporting and protecting children.
The report states that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, with its increased focus on early help, stronger multi-agency responses to child protection, and better information sharing across agencies, is an opportunity to make systemic improvements to protect children.
