Statutory Domestic Abuse Training: What Your Local Authority Must Get Right in 2026

Local authority professionals collaborating on a domestic abuse training plan

For local authorities, domestic abuse training is no longer something that can sit on the edge of a safeguarding programme. Housing teams, adult and children’s social care, customer services, community safety, HR and commissioning teams may all encounter people affected by domestic abuse.

In 2026, the key question is not simply, “Have staff completed a course?” It is:

Can your authority show that the right people have the right level of knowledge, can apply it safely in practice, and are supported by effective multi-agency procedures?

This article explains what local authorities should get right when planning statutory domestic abuse training, including frontline coverage, DASH risk assessment, MARAC referrals, commissioning and inspection evidence.

This article focuses mainly on local authorities in England. Duties and guidance differ across the UK, so always check the current requirements for your nation and local area.

Is domestic abuse training a statutory duty?

There is not one single law that requires every local authority employee to complete an identical domestic abuse training module. However, domestic abuse connects directly to several statutory responsibilities, including:

  • Safeguarding children and adults
  • Homelessness and housing
  • Public health
  • Community safety
  • The Domestic Abuse Act 2021
  • Information sharing and multi-agency risk management
  • Commissioning support in safe accommodation

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Tier 1 local authorities in England must assess local need for accommodation-based support, publish a strategy and monitor the effectiveness of support provided in relevant safe accommodation.

The statutory guidance on domestic abuse support within safe accommodation also makes clear that local authorities need appropriate expertise when planning, commissioning and monitoring services.

There are specific expectations for housing staff, too. The Homelessness Code of Guidance, Chapter 21 strongly encourages authorities to provide risk assessment training for staff and managers assessing applications from people experiencing domestic abuse.

So, while the law may not prescribe one universal course, a local authority must be able to demonstrate that its workforce is suitably skilled and knowledgeable for the responsibilities it carries.

That is the practical meaning of domestic abuse training local authority leaders need to focus on in 2026.

1. Build a clear training framework

A strong training offer starts with governance. Domestic abuse training should be linked to your:

  • Domestic abuse or violence against women and girls strategy
  • Safeguarding adults and children’s training strategies
  • Housing and homelessness procedures
  • Safe accommodation strategy
  • Workforce and commissioning plans
  • Local MARAC arrangements

Your framework should explain which staff need which level of training. A simple structure might include:

Awareness level

For all staff, including new starters and corporate teams. This should cover:

  • What domestic abuse is
  • Coercive and controlling behaviour
  • Economic, emotional, physical and sexual abuse
  • Stalking and ‘honour’-based abuse
  • Barriers to disclosure
  • How to respond to a concern or disclosure
  • Local referral and support routes

Practitioner level

For staff who regularly work with residents, families or people at risk. This may include housing officers, social workers, customer contact staff, early help teams, adult social care practitioners and community safety professionals.

This level should include safe enquiry, professional curiosity, risk identification, safety planning, safeguarding thresholds and local referral pathways.

Specialist level

For staff who complete DASH assessments, attend MARAC, coordinate risk management or lead domestic abuse services. This should include advanced risk assessment, information sharing, MARAC processes, perpetrator risk and complex case supervision.

The important point is that training should be role-based, rather than treating every employee in the same way.

2. Cover frontline teams, not only corporate staff

One of the most common weaknesses in local authority training is focusing on staff who already work in safeguarding while missing the teams most likely to receive an early disclosure.

A resident may first mention domestic abuse to:

  • A housing options officer
  • A repairs or allocations team member
  • A benefits or welfare officer
  • A social worker
  • A school or family support professional
  • A customer contact centre adviser
  • A homelessness prevention officer
  • A staff member in a commissioned service
  • An HR or occupational health professional

Frontline staff do not all need to become domestic abuse specialists. They do need to know how to recognise concerns, respond without judgement, record information safely and connect a person with appropriate support.

Training should also reflect the different ways domestic abuse can affect children, disabled people, older people, people with insecure immigration status and people facing financial hardship or housing insecurity.

3. Make DASH and MARAC competence practical

DASH is not simply a form to complete. The SafeLives DASH resources describe it as part of a wider risk and safety pathway.

Staff who use DASH need to understand:

  • When it is appropriate to use the checklist
  • How to ask questions safely and sensitively
  • What different answers may indicate
  • How to record information accurately
  • When immediate action is needed
  • How the assessment connects to safety planning and referrals
  • Why professional judgement remains essential

A numerical score should never replace professional curiosity. The commonly used threshold of 14 or more “yes” answers may support a MARAC referral, but serious concerns can justify escalation even when the score is lower.

Training should help practitioners identify circumstances such as:

  • Escalation in abuse
  • Threats to kill
  • Strangulation or choking
  • Stalking
  • Separation or attempted separation
  • Pregnancy or recent birth
  • Abuse involving weapons
  • Perpetrator access to children
  • Honour-based abuse
  • Multiple agencies already involved

MARAC training should go beyond explaining meeting arrangements. It should clarify the responsibilities of each agency, how information is shared lawfully, how actions are recorded and how safety planning is followed up.

Multi-agency professionals working through a domestic abuse risk assessment and MARAC pathway

4. Treat multi-agency learning as essential

Domestic abuse risk rarely sits within one service. A housing team may hold information that is important to social care. A health professional may identify injuries or repeated appointments. Police may have information about previous incidents. A specialist domestic abuse service may understand the survivor’s current safety concerns.

Effective safeguarding domestic abuse training should therefore include opportunities for agencies to learn together.

This could involve:

  • Joint DASH and MARAC sessions
  • Multi-agency case workshops
  • Safeguarding and domestic homicide review learning
  • Practice forums with specialist domestic abuse services
  • Joint training for housing, social care, police, health and probation
  • Reflective supervision for staff managing complex cases

Joint learning can expose gaps that are difficult to see within one organisation. It also helps partners develop a shared understanding of thresholds, terminology, referral routes and information-sharing responsibilities.

5. Commission training with the same care as services

Commissioners should not select a training provider based only on price or the number of certificates issued.

When commissioning domestic abuse training courses, ask:

  • Does the provider understand local authority practice?
  • Is the content based on current UK law and domestic abuse guidance?
  • Does the training cover coercive control, economic abuse, stalking and intersectionality?
  • Is there specific content for housing, social care and safeguarding teams?
  • Does it teach DASH and MARAC in the context of professional judgement?
  • Are trainers experienced in the domestic abuse sector?
  • Can the course be adapted for local referral pathways?
  • Is there an evaluation plan beyond participant satisfaction?
  • Are refresher sessions and post-training support available?

Training should be trauma-informed and survivor-centred. It should not rely on fear, blame or unrealistic expectations of frontline workers.

A good provider will also help you identify where training fits within your wider safeguarding and workforce arrangements.

Commissioning and quality assurance team reviewing a domestic abuse service pathway

6. Measure competence, not just attendance

A completion figure is useful, but it does not prove that learning has changed practice.

A stronger quality assurance approach combines:

Quantitative evidence

  • Completion rates by service and staff group
  • Attendance at specialist DASH and MARAC sessions
  • Induction and refresher records
  • Completion rates for commissioned providers
  • Number of staff overdue for training

Qualitative evidence

  • Pre- and post-training confidence measures
  • Participant feedback
  • Case file audits
  • Quality of DASH assessments
  • Appropriateness and timeliness of MARAC referrals
  • Supervision records
  • Feedback from partner agencies
  • Learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews

The CQC local authority assessment framework highlights the importance of staff being suitably skilled and knowledgeable, with training available, monitored and completed consistently.

For local authorities, this means being able to show not only that training was offered, but that it supports safer decisions and better outcomes.

7. Prepare an inspection-ready evidence file

If your authority was asked to evidence its approach tomorrow, could you find the information quickly?

Your evidence file should include:

  • Domestic abuse and safeguarding strategies
  • A training framework or matrix
  • Role-specific learning requirements
  • Training policies and course outlines
  • Completion and refresher data
  • DASH and MARAC procedures
  • Information-sharing guidance
  • Commissioning specifications
  • Trainer credentials and quality checks
  • Evaluation findings
  • Case audit results
  • Multi-agency attendance records
  • Evidence of learning from reviews and complaints
  • Action plans for any gaps

Avoid presenting training as a collection of disconnected courses. Show the full pathway: governance, workforce coverage, learning, supervision, practice, audit and improvement.

Local authority managers reviewing organised domestic abuse training records and quality assurance evidence

A practical 2026 checklist

Use these questions to test your current position:

  • Is domestic abuse training clearly linked to your statutory safeguarding, housing and public health responsibilities?
  • Do all staff receive appropriate awareness training?
  • Are frontline housing, social care and customer-facing teams included?
  • Are role-specific requirements documented?
  • Can staff complete DASH safely and understand its limitations?
  • Do MARAC representatives understand their responsibilities?
  • Are professional judgement and immediate safety planning covered?
  • Do partner agencies receive opportunities for joint learning?
  • Can you evidence training quality, not just attendance?
  • Are learning needs reviewed after audits, serious incidents and domestic homicide reviews?
  • Can managers access reliable completion data?
  • Is the training content current for 2026?

Final thoughts

Good statutory domestic abuse training is not about creating more compliance paperwork. It is about making sure that a person affected by domestic abuse receives a safe, informed and consistent response, wherever they first ask for help.

For local authorities, the strongest approach is joined-up. Training should connect policy to frontline practice, DASH to professional judgement, MARAC to meaningful action, and completion data to measurable improvement.

Serene Futures supports local authority teams with specialist domestic abuse training UK organisations can apply in real settings. To discuss a training programme for your housing, social care, safeguarding or commissioning teams, contact Serene Futures.