Research project
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme Project: Information Sharing and Domestic Abuse
- Start date: 30 March 2026
- End date: 30 March 2028
- Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Value: £332,299.96
- Primary investigator: Dr Charlotte Barlow
- External co-investigators: Dr Ellen Reeves
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme Project seeks to examine the effectiveness of Clare's Law as a method of information sharing and the implications for broader domestic abuse policy and practice.
The project will:
- examine the strengths and weaknesses of DVDS as a method of information sharing and the implications this has for broader domestic abuse policy and practice
- explore how, when, and in what circumstances police forces in England and Wales share information via Clare's Law
- examine the role of partner organisations in Clare’s Law and how information is shared between those agencies
- explore formal and informal processes of information sharing engaged in by victim-survivors and the implications this might have
- discover how and if perpetrator accountability is incorporated into the DVDS; establish how DVDS data is collected and stored by forces and partners
- consider the implications of information sharing within the context of Clare’s Law for international jurisdictions.
To achieve our project aims, will employ quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine information sharing at three levels:
- police force/partnership level;
- domestic abuse frontline/delivery level; and
- victim-survivor level.
The project will be undertaken in 4 phases as outlined below:
Phase 1
Literature review and policy analysis of how DVDS have been implemented internationally and how these schemes are situated within broader information sharing practices.
Phase 2
We will complete a quantitative analysis of DVDS data from all 43 police forces in England and Wales from 2019-2025.
Phase 3
Interviews will be conducted with professionals tasked with implementing DVDS to explore how information is shared/ disclosed. Interviews will take place across seven police force areas (including associated partners) in England and Wales.
Interviews will also be victim-survivors who have experience with the DVDS or have views on the scheme.
Phase 4
The final stage of the project will focus on knowledge exchange. We will host a series of online and in person events sharing the findings of the study with police constabularies, policy makers and other key stakeholders.