The Domestic Abuse Act -Compliance for Charities

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 marked a significant advancement in acknowledging domestic abuse as a complex issue. It requires coordinated, specialist responses from support services.

For organisations providing domestic abuse (DA) support, compliance goes beyond mere record-keeping. It involves safeguarding victims, facilitating informed risk assessments, enabling effective multi-agency collaboration, and demonstrating meaningful outcomes to commissioners.

Having the right case management system is crucial. It helps services fulfil these responsibilities effectively.

Supporting consistent risk assessment

Effective safeguarding starts with consistent risk identification and response. OASIS for Domestic Abuse includes integrated domestic abuse risk assessment tools within everyday workflows. This integration helps practitioners complete structured, auditable assessments as part of routine case management. It supports informed decision-making regarding the level of risk and whether a case meets the threshold for referral to a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC).

Embedding risk assessment directly into case recording helps maintain consistency across teams. It also creates a clear audit trail to evidence professional decision-making.

Supporting the risk assessment tools used across the Domestic Abuse sector

The domestic abuse sector is undergoing significant changes. Following recommendations from the College of Policing, many police forces are adopting the Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment (DARA) for frontline officers. However, DARA was designed specifically for first responders and has not been evaluated for specialist domestic abuse services or wider safeguarding partners. Consequently, many independent domestic abuse services, IDVAs, MARAC partners, and commissioned providers continue to use the DASH Risk Identification Checklist (DASH RIC) as their primary assessment tool.

Services may also utilise regional or local risk assessments or design custom assessments tailored to their client base. OASIS reflects the realities of frontline practice. Our Account Management teams regularly check in with OASIS clients to understand their evolving needs. OASIS supports organisations using DASH in their daily workflows while recognising that services often collaborate with police partners using DARA. Some OASIS services also use Merit risk assessment or other tools alongside DASH or in its place.

OASIS enables organisations to maintain consistent risk assessment processes, support effective multi-agency collaboration, and adapt as national guidance and local commissioning arrangements evolve.

Enabling effective multi-agency working

The Domestic Abuse Act emphasises the importance of partnership working among local authorities, health services, police, and specialist support organisations. OASIS has been developed specifically to support these complex, multi-agency environments.

The system provides proven functionality for managing MARAC and Daily Risk Assessment Management Meetings (DRAMMs). It allows organisations to securely record referrals, actions, and outcomes while maintaining a complete history of multi-agency involvement.

Secure information sharing facilitates collaborative work while ensuring appropriate controls over sensitive information.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children as victims in their own right

One of the most crucial changes introduced by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is the legal recognition that children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right when they see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse and are related to either the victim or perpetrator.

Children do not need to be physically assaulted to suffer harm. Witnessing abuse, overhearing incidents, living with coercive control, or experiencing the ongoing effects of domestic abuse can profoundly affect their wellbeing, development, and future outcomes.

For domestic abuse services, capturing information about children is no longer supplementary. It is essential for understanding the full impact of domestic abuse on families and ensuring appropriate safeguarding and support.

OASIS enables organisations to securely record and manage child-specific information alongside adult cases when appropriate. Services can capture details about children affected by domestic abuse, record safeguarding concerns, monitor interventions, and report on the support provided to both children and adults.

This comprehensive approach helps organisations demonstrate the full impact of their work while ensuring compliance with the expectations of the Domestic Abuse Act.

Aligning with national standards

For services in England, OASIS for Domestic Abuse can be enhanced with Women's Aid's On Track module. This module, developed in partnership with the Women's Aid Federation of England, supports nationally recognised data collection and outcome reporting.

This integration allows organisations to collect consistent information, demonstrate outcomes, and contribute anonymised data to national reporting on domestic abuse. By using OASIS in their daily work with survivors, organisations can streamline their processes.

Using recognised data standards also aids commissioners in comparing outcomes across services and understanding the impact of domestic abuse provisions within their local areas.

Find out more about OASIS with On Track at: Women's Aid On Track

Protecting Highly Sensitive Information

Domestic abuse services handle some of the most sensitive information in the health and social care sector.

OASIS is designed with security at its core. The platform is approved to store Official Sensitive information and is securely hosted within Microsoft Azure UK data centres. This setup provides resilience, business continuity, and high levels of data protection.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), role-based permissions, and granular access controls ensure that staff only access the information necessary for their roles. This helps organisations protect survivors and reduce the risk of unauthorised access.

Demonstrating impact to commissioners

Commissioners increasingly expect services to demonstrate not only activity but also outcomes.

OASIS transforms case data into meaningful reports that help organisations evidence demand, safeguarding activity, intervention outcomes, and service impact. Instead of spending valuable time manually collating information, teams can generate reports that support contract monitoring, funding applications, inspections, and service evaluations.

This efficiency allows frontline organisations to focus more on supporting survivors while giving commissioners confidence that services deliver measurable impact.

More than a case management system

Meeting the requirements of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires more than simply storing information. It necessitates systems that support good safeguarding practices, informed decision-making, secure partnership working, and meaningful outcome reporting.

Designed specifically for charities, local authorities, and specialist frontline services, OASIS for DA provides the tools organisations need to meet these challenges. It helps practitioners focus on what matters most: supporting adults and children affected by domestic abuse safely, effectively, and with confidence.

Affordable Case Management Solutions for Domestic Abuse Charities in the UK

Domestic abuse services operate in a landscape of increasing demand, more complex needs and limited resources. Investing in a case management system is a big decision for charities of all sizes.

OASIS is not a one-size-fits-all solution, or a generic system bent to fit domestic abuse services. We work with services to determine what they need and what they don't need and deliver systems that will scale as needs and requirements change.

Final thoughts

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has set a new standard for how support services operate. By implementing systems like OASIS, organisations can ensure they meet compliance requirements while delivering effective support to those in need. The integration of risk assessment tools, multi-agency collaboration, and child-specific information management are just a few ways OASIS empowers services to make a meaningful impact.

As we move forward, it is essential to continue adapting to the evolving landscape of domestic abuse support. By prioritising the needs of victims and their families, we can create a safer environment for everyone.

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