Safe not soft: Trauma- and violence-informed practice with perpetrators as a means of increasing safety

Abstract

Trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) has become a key framework for guiding health and social services, emphasising an understanding of trauma and its impacts, including the structural aspects of victimisation. TVIC prioritises emotionally and physically safe environments, opportunities for service user choice, collaboration and connection, and strengths-based, capacity-building approaches. While most literature on TVIC focuses on its application to services for survivors of trauma and abuse, this article argues that a modified trauma- and violence-informed approach can enhance work with men who perpetrate violence in interpersonal relationships. Without this lens, important opportunities to enhance the safety of potential victims may be missed. Using examples from practice, the article explores how TVIC principles can improve service providers’ ability to recognise and respond to high-risk situations, ultimately improving perpetrator interventions and increasing victim safety.