Coaction Hub’s new research report launch: Rethinking Risk Beyond the Checklist – The Need for a Holistic and Inclusive Framework

The fifth issue of ‘Evidence Bits’ draws from the findings of a study conducted by Coaction Hub on how risk assessment structures and tools such as the DASH Risk Identification Checklist (RIC)—used by state agencies and domestic abuse services reflect the lived experiences of Black and minoritised victim-survivors.

The study seeks to encourage further dialogue about risk-based systems and practices that are used by agencies in their responses to domestic abuse, specifically in relation to their applicability for Black and minoritised victim-survivors. The learning should be used to encourage system and practice improvements to safeguard and support Black and minoritised victim-survivors.

The study found that the current risk-led model is insufficient. A shift is needed toward approaches that centre both risk and need, addressing not just physical harm but long-term safety, housing, mental health, immigration status, and systemic oppression.

This research highlights that many Black and minoritised women feel unable or unsafe to disclose abuse particularly in cases involving sexual violence, coercive control, or harmful practices due to limitations within the DASH tools, which lacks the intersectional framing needed to reflect their lived realities.