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Abstract

One in three women in England experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) (Office for National Statistics, 2024), with devastating impacts on safety, wellbeing, and long-term outcomes for victim-survivors. Refuge services offer both immediate physical safety and a space for recovery. In England, 270 refuge services provide 4,380 bedspaces for women victim-survivors, used by over 10,000 women annually (Women's Aid, 2023). Despite their significance, refuges have received limited academic attention. Few studies have used quantitative methods to examine barriers to accessing refuges, wellbeing changes during refuge stays, and outcomes at the point of exit.

With unique access to Women's Aid's administrative datasets, covering 2016-2022, this thesis addresses this gap using fixed and mixed effects regression models, logistic regression, t-tests and descriptive statistics across three interconnected studies analysing a sample of 44,607 referrals, 12,754 wellbeing assessments (POWeR forms), and 8,276 exit records from 83 refuge services. Using multilevel modelling, the first study demonstrates that despite an overall referral success rate of 38.67%, alcohol use support needs (OR = 0.741, p<0.01) and offending support needs (OR=0.652, p<0.01) present considerable barriers, with victim-survivors facing multiple needs experiencing compounded barriers. Disabled victim-survivors were 26.45% less likely to have successful referral outcomes, pregnant women 9.59% less likely, and those referred during COVID lockdowns 20.33% less likely. Access to public funds was a barrier for Black and minoritised women (OR=0.830, p<0.01).

The second study found wellbeing improvements across all seven measures of the POWeR form (all, p<0.01), with feeling safe showing the largest improvement and mental health support needs most strongly associated with lower wellbeing (OR=0.558, p<0.001). The third study found unplanned departures were strongly correlated with returning to perpetrators (r=0.33, p<0.01). Mental health (OR=1.319, p<0.001)), drug use (OR=1.717, p<0.001), and alcohol use (OR=1.536, p<0.001) support needs significantly increased unplanned departure likelihood.

These findings highlight the complexity of women's journeys to safety and refuge’s transformative potential as sites of turning points (Boxall & Lawler, 2021; Laub & Sampson, 1993). They emphasise the critical importance of designing and funding refuge services that meet diverse, intersecting needs of victim-survivors. The results expose significant challenges facing refuge services in responding to structural inequalities with limited resources, highlighting the need for improved move-on accommodation, and addressing wider societal problems. However, funder emphasis on value-for-money and gender-neutral services has contributed to a depoliticization of refuge services, undermining their capacity to advocate for the fundamental changes necessary to address DVA and VAWG.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs > School of Policy & Global Affairs Doctoral Theses School of Policy & Global Affairs > Violence and Society Centre Doctoral Theses

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