Research and development consultancy services

Tender description

The Home Office is seeking to award funding to support research into domestic abuse perpetrators in order to inform future policy making. We are looking for bids from organisations who have experience in and wish to conduct research into the trigger points of domestic abuse. The Home Office is seeking to award up to a total of GBP 500 000 to support short term research projects into domestic abuse perpetrators, in order to inform future policy making. The primary aim of this fund is to develop our understanding of the perpetrators of domestic abuse, and to strengthen the evidence base for ‘what works’ in addressing their behaviour. We are looking for bids from organisations who have expertise in this area. We welcome bids for joint projects from multiple organisations, however the proposed ways of working must be set out in the application and agreement must be received from all parties before the application is submitted. Bids should cover a 3-month period of delivery between January 2020 and 31 March 2021. Should you wish to conduct a larger project that goes beyond 31 March 2021, then we will consider bids that offer match-funding to continue to the project in the next financial year. The match-funding can be a financial or an ‘in kind’ contribution of resources. We expect the research to be completed by 31 March 2021, however the final report may be submitted up to 30 April 2021. Specifically, we would like to invite research proposals which will build our knowledge around the following areas. Research questions 1) Causes, drivers, and aggravating factors of domestic abuse: We are interested in research which increases our understanding of the long-term ‘causes’ of domestic abuse, for example the societal factors or experiences that may lead an individual to become abusive, the shorter term drivers or aggravating factors, or the more immediate triggers of abuse. 2) Identifying perpetrators of domestic abuse While intervention to identify domestic abuse is commonly aimed at empowering victims to report, we are interested in research which builds our understanding of who perpetrators of abuse are, and early signs or behaviours that may indicate someone is abusive, or at risk of becoming abusive, to enable early, effective, targeted intervention with these individuals. We would also be interested in bespoke research on high harm/ high risk perpetrators. 3) Methods of abuse We would be interested in research looking into current or potential future ‘methods’ of abuse used by DA perpetrators, where these may have evolved or changed over time, for example during Covid-19 restrictions, or in response to changing technological capabilities. 4) What works for preventing offending We are interested in research which expands our understanding of ‘what works’ for preventing abuse at different stages of victimisation. This can relate to early interventions, or interventions that seek to prevent re-offending. We are interested in both court and out-of-court interventions, as well as innovative approaches to tackling offending and re-offending. 5) Under-researched groups While data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggests that domestic abuse is more prevalent among certain groups, for example among those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, those from black or mixed ethnicities, and those with disabilities, the evidence in these areas is limited. We would welcome research proposals that focus on perpetrators of abuse against these groups, as well as other under-researched areas such as female or adolescent perpetrators of abuse. As above, we are interested in the drivers of these crimes, to methods of abuse, or what works for intervention. 6) Feasibility studies Alternatively, we would welcome feasibility project(s) designed to develop or test potential methodologies that would ultimately help the longer-term goal of filling these evidence gaps.