In this blog, Dr Emma Howarth, Associate Professor in Child and Family Mental Health at the University of Sussex unpacks the findings of our new research on domestic abuse outcome measures, explaining why this is a step forward in ensuring effective support for children & families experiencing domestic abuse.

When it comes to supporting children and families affected by domestic abuse, there are many different types of programmes out there. From counselling to group support, to family therapy, lots of different approaches are being used in practice — and that’s a good thing. But here’s the catch: how do we know what actually works best?

That’s not a simple question to answer. And one of the reasons it can be tricky is that different programmes often measure different outcomes in different ways. Outcomes are what we measure to understand what has changed for someone who has used a programme. One programme might track changes in self-esteem, while another looks at safety awareness or emotional wellbeing. It’s like comparing apples and oranges — helpful in their own right, but not easy to line up side by side.

We noticed this hodge podge of outcomes was causing a problem for people trying to work out what works best and for whom. So we designed a project that brought together researchers, service providers, commissioners and survivors to create something called a core outcome set (or DVA-COS, if you’re into acronyms). Think of it as a shortlist of key outcomes that everyone agree are important to measure, no matter what kind of programme you’re running. It’s not about limiting what you can measure — it’s about making sure we’re all speaking at least some of the same language when it comes to evaluating impact.

Deciding on what to measure however, is only part of the picture. This project aimed to figure out how to measure three of the five core outcomes: family relationships, feelings of safety, and freedom to go about daily life. We also set out to evaluate the fit of a well-known tool – the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale – for measuring the wellbeing of people – children and adults  who’ve experienced domestic abuse.

So, what did we find?

First, the good news: a tool called the CAFADA Wellbeing and Safety Scale came out on top as a good way to measure both family relationships and feelings of safety. It was seen as reliable and made sense to people using it. However, when it came to measuring that crucial sense of freedom — the ability to live life on your own terms after abuse — there wasn’t a clear winner yet. More work needs to be done there.

We also found that two wellbeing scales — the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) for young people aged 11+ and the full WEMWBS for adults — are both solid options for tracking emotional wellbeing in this context. They’re not perfect, and may need a few tweaks, but they’re a good starting point.

Why does all this matter?

Being able to compare different programmes fairly can help decision-makers fund the ones that really make a difference. Survivors and families can also make better choices about what kind of support might be most helpful for them. Ultimately, it means we’re all working towards the same goal — not just supporting families affected by domestic abuse but doing it in ways that truly help them heal and thrive.

There’s still more to do. We need a reliable way to measure freedom in everyday life after abuse. We also need tools that work for younger children. And we need clear, trauma-informed guidance to help everyone — from researchers to frontline workers — use these tools in a way that’s sensitive and supportive.

But this project laid an important foundation. It’s one more step toward ensuring that support for families experiencing domestic abuse isn’t just well-intentioned — it’s genuinely effective.