26 June 2026 – Conference: From Survival to Systemic Change
Market Hall, Duke Street, Devonport, Plymouth PL1 4PS
An exploration of approaches to domestic abuse and the justice system through research, policy, and systemic change.
From Survival to Systemic Change is an interdisciplinary conference exploring institutional responses to domestic abuse and the need for systemic change across safeguarding, family justice, health, education, and public services.
Bringing together researchers, practitioners, policy contributors, and lived experience perspectives, the conference will examine how domestic abuse is understood, responded to, and too often minimised within professional systems.
The programme includes contributions from leading voices across research, safeguarding, policy, lived experience, and domestic abuse advocacy, with discussions spanning trauma-informed practice, domestic homicide reviews, family court reform, violence against women and girls, and institutional responses to abuse.
Themes across the day include:
- Domestic abuse and family court reform
- Trauma-informed practice
- Safeguarding and institutional response
- Domestic abuse homicide and missed opportunities for intervention
- Violence against women and girls
- The long-term impact of systemic failures on women and children
- Lived experience as a catalyst for professional learning and change
This event is intended for professionals and organisations working within or alongside:
- Social care
- Education
- Health and mental health services
- Domestic abuse services
- Family justice
- Policing
- Safeguarding
- Community and advocacy sectors
The day also includes opportunities for discussion, networking, and reflection alongside access to In My Shoes, an exhibition created by survivors of domestic abuse.
Please note: discussions will include themes relating to domestic abuse, coercive control, trauma, and domestic abuse homicide. Some content may be emotionally challenging.
17 – 27 June – In My Shoes: an Exhibition of Domestic Abuse Survivor Voices
Market Hall, Duke Street, Devonport, Plymouth PL1 4PS
In My Shoes is an exhibition created by survivors of domestic abuse, offering a reflective space for engagement with lived experience beyond traditional professional and academic frameworks.
Through image, symbolism, colour, and visual narrative, the exhibition explores themes including trauma, coercive control, identity, survival, silencing, recovery, and the long-term impact of navigating systems intended to offer protection and justice. The works invite viewers to consider not only the experience of abuse itself, but also the complexities of being seen, heard, interpreted, and responded to within institutional settings.
Rather than presenting lived experience as case study or statistic, In My Shoes creates space for emotional and human realities that are often difficult to communicate within formal processes and professional language. The exhibition forms part of the conference “From Survival to Systemic Change” and it’s wider exploration of how systems understand trauma, credibility, voice, and harm, and how deeper engagement with lived experience may contribute to more informed and compassionate responses across safeguarding and justice contexts.