Content note: this blog includes references to domestic abuse and thoughts about the language used in the domestic abuse support sector.
Our review into the Empowerment Star began in November 2023. As part of our research (which you can read more about in our previous blog here) we have been having important conversations about the language used around domestic abuse and how this will impact the Empowerment Star.
In this blog, we share our learnings from these conversations and highlight the importance we place on our language choices in Star development.
The power of language
Language is always evolving. Language reflects the norms of society and can act as a powerful tool for enforcing or challenging those norms.
In relation to domestic abuse, language is particularly dynamic, supported by the vibrant research movement in the sector and reflecting its complex cultural, political, and criminal nature.
Within Outcomes Star development, language is vitally important. We know that getting it wrong could be alienating and disruptive to the support relationship (between someone being supported and someone providing support) in which Outcomes Stars are used.
But given the power and complexity of language, there often isn’t a ‘right answer’. Instead, we must make carefully considered choices. To inform these choices, our Research Analyst, Dr Anna Good, has conducted an Equality Impact Assessment to think about how we can make the language and resources as accessible and appropriate as possible.
In addition, our Product Lead, Harriet Wills, has worked closely with a number of experts and organisations to discuss the language choices in the Empowerment Star. She says:
“It has been so important to listen to as many voices as possible in the process of developing this Star to understand the history, meaning and implications of the language choices we make. As this Star is designed to be used not only in the UK, but also in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand), we also have the added layer of cultural differences between countries when discussing domestic abuse or family violence. But even within one culture, what feels right for one individual may feel labelling, minimising or uncomfortable for another.
Thankfully, because the Star is designed for use in one-to-one support relationships with skilled practitioners, we have the benefit of being able to trust their expertise in tailoring the language to suit the individual being supported. We are highlighting that even more in this Star such as including specific notes around language to help people being supported feel comfortable with the language used.”
"It has been so important to listen to many voices in the process of developing this Star to understand the history, meaning and implications of the language choices we make."
Exploring complex choices
One of the main areas we have been exploring is the choice of the language ‘victim’, ‘survivor’ or ‘person who has experienced domestic abuse’. This is a really individual choice for people who have experienced abuse, and we heard differing views on these words and phrases in our focus groups.
In the current version of the Empowerment Star (launched in 2011), we use the word ‘victim’, but the use of the word ‘survivor’ has become more widespread – such as in the Statutory Guidance for the Commissioning of Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Services in Wales.
The term can be seen as more person-centred and for some people it carries a lot of strength and power while also recognising what they have been through. Indeed, research has found that the term ‘survivor’ rather than victim may resonate more positively with men who have experienced abuse (Lysova and Dim 2020). On the other hand, we also heard feedback about ‘survivor’ potentially minimising the impact of being subjected to abuse, and masking the seriousness of the criminality involved. Some guidance and policy consultations use the term ‘victim’ – for example in Northern Ireland’s Draft Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2023-2030, which states:
‘Within this strategy we refer to those affected by domestic or sexual abuse as a ‘victim’ (typically of a crime but not always), while acknowledging that some prefer the term ‘survivor’ or ‘person with lived experience’.
Many people or organisations use the term ‘victim/survivor’ to cover two viewpoints, and this was recommended during training we completed with Safer Places. This term is also used in the Australia National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 and Scotland’s Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls (2023).
The risk with any of these choices is that, for people being supported, they can feel like a label or that their identity is defined by the abuse in a way that feels unhelpful to them. An alternative that we have seen used is the term ‘person who has experienced domestic abuse’ which has the benefit of recognising and separating the person from the abuse. However, it also isn’t perfect, as to some people who have experienced domestic abuse it can feel too passive a description of what they have been subjected to.
Our current thinking is that within the new Empowerment Star we will take the approach of making as much space for individual choice as possible and allowing people being supported to define themselves and their identities in a way that is right for them. We have used the language ‘person who has experienced abuse’ where absolutely necessary, but we have included clear notes to encourage discussions around language and to use the terms that are most helpful for each individual, enabling practitioners and their clients to tailor the Star in the way that works for them.
Exploring the term ‘perpetrator’
Another complex area we have been exploring is the language around the person who is subjecting another to domestic abuse. ‘Perpetrator’ is widely used by practitioners, domestic abuse organisations and the government, for example in the UK Government’s policy paper Tackling perpetrators which forms part of the Domestic Abuse Act, and Scotland’s Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls (2023).
The term ‘perpetrator’ is clear and conveys the severity of domestic abuse, which can be incredibly helpful and powerful for both practitioners and people who have experienced abuse. Yet some practitioners shared that they may not use the word ‘perpetrator’ directly with the people that they are supporting, often choosing to use their name or another term (such as ex-partner) instead.
This may feel more comfortable for people being supported, particularly if they are still in an intimate relationship with the person who is/was abusing them or if they share children with them. This is the kind of choice that practitioners will make day-to-day to support the crucial relationship with their clients and to build the rapport that is so important for Star conversations.
Additionally, from a strengths-based perspective, some practitioners advised that it can be more helpful to label the behaviour rather than the person – so for example ‘person using abuse’ instead of ‘perpetrator’. So rather than making using domestic abuse part of someone’s identity, we can instead describe it as something they do and therefore something they have the ability to change.
This approach may also be helpful in recognising that there are situations for people being supported where they remain in a relationship with the person who was the perpetrator because they do recognise and change their behaviour. For example, in our Equality Impact Assessment we noted that for some Aboriginal women there is almost no possibility for them to relocate to safe places (Putt et al., 2017) and Aboriginal communities in Australia have expressed a desire for practitioners and policymakers to focus on keeping families together (Blagg et al. 2020). Avoiding labelling someone as a perpetrator may be important for some members of these groups in particular.
With the above in mind, we recognise it is essential that we do not minimise or misrepresent the serious and criminal nature of domestic abuse in any way.
Encouraging individuals to define their own language
We know that the Star is an important tool in people’s journey, and we take that responsibility seriously. The Star helps people to understand what has happened to them and how they can build a life free from abuse. We have tried to get the language right and continue to support practitioners to use the Star in a way that is empowering for the people they support.
It is also crucial that the Star is able to make space for an individual and the person supporting them to use the language that feels appropriate and relevant to them. Harriet says, “Enabling people being supported to choose the language that feels right for them aligns perfectly with the journey to empowerment and choice that underpins this Star. We have included notes to encourage practitioners to have these conversations and within the text and have used language that we feel most allows people being supported to define their own identities and to choose language that works for them.”
Our next steps
We’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the issues raised in this blog as there is still time to feed into this review. We are in the final stages of redrafting this Star and plan to launch our new Empowerment Star in early 2025.
You can get in touch with us at info@triangleconsulting.co.uk
