Building an evidence base to support Polish women victims of domestic violence in the UK.

Project Information

DV SUPPORT

Grant agreement ID: 842854

DOI

10.3030/842854

Project closed

EC signature date 7 November 2019

Start date 17 August 2020

End date 16 May 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 186 317,04

EU contribution

€ 186 317,04

Coordinated by

EDAN LINCS
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DV SUPPORT (Building an evidence base to support Polish women victims of domestic violence in the UK.)

Reporting period: 2020-08-17 to 2022-05-16

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

This is the first study of domestic violence and abuse amongst Polish migrant women living in the UK or any EU country. The need for this study arose from a realisation that despite the high numbers of Polish migrants in the UK (approx. 800,000), the numbers of Polish women who were seeking the support of domestic violence services seem to be low. There was no research which could help us understand Polish women’s experiences of domestic violence and abuse in the UK, the barriers they may face in seeking support and their experience of receiving such support. The research took place in the context of the 2016 Brexit vote and withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU.

This MSCA Fellowship aimed to: 1) understand the nature of domestic violence experienced by Polish women in the UK; 2) identify barriers to help-seeking, leaving and recovering from abusive relationships; 3) make recommendations about how domestic violence services can better respond to the specific needs of Polish migrant women.

The project results showed how migration increases the risk of domestic abuse and reduces access to support by Polish women living in the UK. Factors that can block or increase support include: language; the role of friends, family and the wider Polish community; employment and financial situation; understanding of available services; and a lack of awareness of domestic abuse as a problem. Fear of having their children taken into state care by social services is a major obstacle for women who have children.

The project’s findings are contained in a final report of over 100 pages available on the project website.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Publications:

Final report:
ZIELINSKA I., Sundari A., Kane R., Rasell M.; Polish women’s Experiences of domestic violence and abuse in the United Kingdom, EDAN Lincs, Lincoln 2022, available online:
https://dvsupport.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/project-report/

Organisation of a Conference – 1

End of the project conference, "Understanding Polish Women’s Experiences of Domestic Violence in the UK: Implications for Practice and Policy",16 June 2022, Manchester

Organisation of workshops - 2

Workshop 1: How to maximise your effectiveness with Polish, June 2022.
Workshop 2 : “I am scared that social services will take my children” – Polish clients' experiences of working with social services, June 2022.

Non-scientific and non-peer-reviewed publication (popularised publications) – 3

1.ZIELINSKA I. Tylko nie mów, że ma odejść [Eng. Don’t tell her to leave], Zwierciadło, May 2020
2.Chodakowska A., ZIELINSKA I., Za zamkniętymi drzwiami. O przemocy domowej w polskich rodzinach w UK [Eng. Behind closed door. On domestic abuse in Polish families in the UK], Londynek.net July 2022
3.Szczerbiak A. Przemoc w Polskich domach [Eng. Domestic abuse in Polish homes in the UK], „Polityka”, June 2022

Trainings – 10

1. Induction course provided by EDAN
2. Domestic Abuse Controlling, Coercive Behaviour and Stalking – Prerequisite by EDAN
3. Conducting Life history interviews
4. Introduction to EndNote
5. Trans Awareness: the basic: Workshop delivered by the University of Lincoln
6. Developing External Networks
7. Sociology and Policy Research Seminar: How the Ruby service is supporting domestic abuse survivors through Covid19
8. The Perpetration of Domestic Abuse by those within Minoritised Communities,
9. Public Religions in the COVID-19 World: A Conversation with José Casanova
10. The use of the Court Orders in domestic abuse and violence in the UK

Social Media – 112

Over 70 posts related to the project and domestic abuse issues were published on Facebook, and over 40 on Twitter

Website - 1

One project website was set up, presenting the research, the people involved and the findings

Communication Campaign (e.g. Radio, TV) – 3

One podcast – an interview with the researcher about violence against women and domestic abuse
Two radio interviews in Polish scheduled for September and October 2022 about the project and the results

Participation to a conference - 6

• Gender and sexuality in the Neoliberal University Conference, May 2021
• 4th European conference on Domestic Violence, Ljubljana, September 2021.
• ‘Tell someone about it’. ART Foundation conference, November 2021.
• Understanding and responding to Polish women’s experiences of domestic violence and abuse in the UK, Manchester, June 2022.
• Methodologies in researching abuse, Center for Women’s and Gender Research, Warsaw University, February 2022.
• 18th Sociological Congress, Warsaw, Poland, September 2022

Participation to a workshop – 8

1. Introduction to Nvivio 12 Pro
2. Converting to Online Qualitative research
3. Engaging with Policy Makers
4. Institutional Ethnography
5. Conducting Deliverables online
6. Public engagement course with audiences.
7. Time management
8. Getting more done. Planning and time management in Online work

Participation to an Event other than a Conference or a Workshop – 5

• Making Research Count event, a national collaborative research dissemination initiative.
• 2 trainings/ presentations for practitioners (one for EDAN Lincs & Lincolnshire Safeguarding, Public Protection and Mental Capacity Team)
• Presentation of the project results at a monthly research seminar organised by School of Social and Political studies, University of Lincoln
• End-of-project presentation of results to Trustees of EDAN Lincs.

Video/Film – 2

Video from the end of the project conference, presenting the results of the project
Video (in making) addressed at UK practitioners, with information on how to support Polish women

Other – 3

Joining a research network for Women and Girl at the University of Lincoln
Joining a research network for migrants and migrations at the University of Lincoln
Setting up a research network for domestic abuse in Poland, at Polish Sociology Association

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project provided unique data on experiences of domestic abuse among Polish migrant women in the UK and barriers as well as enablers in seeking help. The final report from the study highlights vulnerabilities associated with being an EU migrant and presents recommendations for research, policy and practice awareness about the issue in the UK and across the EU.

The end-of-the-project conference resulted in heightened interest in the project and findings from domestic abuse charity organisations, social services and the police. In the weeks following the end of the project, the Fellow has been invited to meetings with specialists at the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Stoppers, who were interested in applying the research results into policy changes regarding the reduction of violence against women and girls.

During the MSCA project, the Fellow founded a research network among scholars and researchers in Poland dedicated to promoting interest in studying domestic abuse and violence to impact social awareness and change. The network is to be officially launched in September 2022 during the Polish Sociology Congress, one of the largest social research events in Poland.

The Fellow presenting at the final project conference in Manchester 2022