Who are DVACT-PAI?

DVACT-PAI are an established team of experts that have worked together for many years, helping to keep children safe from domestic abuse. Read more to find out about our aims, where we came from and who we are.

DVACT-PAI

Where we came from

At DVACT-PAI we are passionate about our organisation and the ideals behind it. We take a principled stance with the welfare of women and children at the centre of our concerns and place a high value on professionalism, producing reports within tight timeframes and providing clarity on questions of risk management for children in court proceedings.

DV-ACT was formed in 2018 by Tracey Boylan and Claire Verney, former members of the pioneering family court team at London charity DVIP. The family court team within DVIP was a small group of specialists that developed out of the need to advise the court on matters of risk posed by domestic abuse. When DVIP was absorbed into a mental health charity the majority of the family courts team felt that the time was right to develop and advance our assessment model using the most up to date research. Our independence meant that we now had the flexibility to refer to the most suitable interventions, to find creative and realistic means of managing risk and to devise bespoke treatment packages. 

Recognising the risks posed by the COVID lockdowns the DV-ACT team grew rapidly in 2020 to ensure that we could continue to provide essential expert services and advice to social services at this time and for the child safeguarding difficulties that were likely to follow. In 2022 DV-ACTION programmes was launched to meet the demand for tailored treatment programmes and in particular the need for work with vulnerable mothers to enable them to break their attachment to abusive partners and protect their child from further exposure to domestic abuse.

In 2023 we announced DV-ACT's merge with Partner Abuse Interventions (PAI) to become DVACT-PAI. PAI was a pioneer in developing and delivering risk assessment and risk management interventions in family cases for over 15 years and shared DV-ACT's core aims to provide clarity and treatment options to social workers and the family courts whilst putting children at the heart of domestic abuse practice. The new organisation increased and enhanced our team with a greater capacity to provide expert assessments in a range of areas.

Our commitment to excellence, professionalism, high standards and specialist knowledge led to the publication of the only UK register for Expert Domestic Abuse Risk Assessors. To uphold pubic confidence in the register DVACT-PAI submitted an application to the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) in 2026 to gain external accreditation for the register.

Our experts have provided assessments and programmes for courts and local authorities nationwide and in over 50 different Local Authorities. We have provided training to multiple social work and organisational teams as well as mentoring, consultation and supervision services.

Who we are

DVACT-PAI comprises expert assessors and specialist treatment workers with decades of experience in undertaking domestic abuse assessments and child protection interventions.

The day to day running of the organisation is overseen by founders Tracey Boylan and Claire Verney with Chris Newman taking an advisory role.

Tracey Boylan - Director and Clinical Manager

Tracey has more than 30 years’ experience of working with victims and perpetrators in the domestic abuse and sexual offending field. For many years she has worked directly with service users while holding responsibility for strategic development, project development and staff training for various organisations. She has been conducting expert risk assessments for Court proceedings since 2005, initially as the risk assessment team manager at DVIP London and now as clinical manager and co-founder of DVACT-PAI.

While working for the Probation Service in the 1990s, Tracey led the development of a pioneering intervention programme for domestic violence perpetrators, which she then helped implement nationwide and which ultimately formed a significant part of the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP) delivered by the National Probation Service. In 1998, she developed and implemented a successful independent voluntary perpetrator programme in Watford, which was among the first of its kind to incorporate a fully linked victims programme for women; it later became the first to include direct work with children affected by domestic violence and with young male perpetrators. Tracey was also jointly responsible for the development of a ‘fast response’ domestic violence programme in partnership with Thames Valley Police and Berkshire Women’s Aid in Reading.

She later became a lecturer in Criminology at the University of Portsmouth and undertook specific work in the management of young offenders and mother abuse, also taking a key development role in the pioneering ‘Stepping Up’ programme designed for young perpetrators of domestic abuse. Tracey also has expertise in Anger Management, where she led a successful clinic at Newbury General Hospital, and in working with adolescents and family violence.

Tracey holds a degree from the University of Kent in Canterbury, a Masters Degree in Criminology from the University of Birmingham and a Diploma in Social Work

Claire Verney - Director and Practice Manager

I come from a background in administration, education and mental health support with experience in both corporate organisations and the charity sector. I started work in the domestic abuse sector within the family court team at DVIP in 2011. I have received extensive training and have many years experience in working with female victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and those who struggle with trauma. I have particular experience in private family law cases both in terms of victim support and appropriate perpetrator interventions.

I take an active role in the development and implementation of all of our services and manage the interventions team. I created and now maintain the bespoke learning platform and the electronic programme material that accompanies our programme which provide accessible learning materials to parents who attend our programmes.

I oversee HR, finance, compliance, data security and communications for DV-ACT Ltd which involves hiring and training staff, ensuring legal compliance for the business, creating policies and procedures for staff and contractors, communicating with commissioners and service users through our website and literature, as well as maintaining the register of experts.

With a thorough knowledge of the nature of the work and an in depth knowledge of domestic abuse I oversee the work of the DVACT-PAI team and have a diploma in domestic violence and abuse while currently working towards a BPS accredited BSc(Hons) degree in Psychology and counselling.

Dr Chris Newman - Consultant

Chris has written reports to the criminal courts at the pre-sentence report stage and at licence (parole stage) and have been involved in developing and delivering risk assessment and risk management interventions in family cases for over 15 years. During this period he acted as an expert witness in over 150 disputed contact cases and public law child protection cases, preparing structured assessments of risk, vulnerability and risk of child maltreatment, giving evidence in court where requested.  He also supervised many more cases in his role as manager of two teams carrying out this kind of work.

Chris has over 25 years of experience in delivering individual work and group work with men addressing their violence and abuse to partners, in community and criminal justice settings. As well as completing direct work with individual clients, he has also provided extensive consultation and supervision to a range of organisations offering domestic violence perpetrator work, including Buckinghamshire Fresh Start programme, the Family Drug and Alcohol Court and the Highlands Council. Chris has supervised Multi-Systemic Therapy teams working with offending behaviour (including gang-involvement), drug abuse and problem sexual behaviour in children and adolescents and is a consultant for RESPECT (the National Association for Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes and Associated Support Services).

Chris has co-authored a parenting programme aimed at the needs of families where domestic violence is a child protection concern and a book on the same subject - Picking up the Pieces After Domestic Violence: A Practical Resource for Supporting Parenting Skills (Jessica Kingsley; April 2011). A further book in the series, Engaging with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Early Intervention, was published in January 2015.

Chris holds a degree in psychology from University College London. His PhD studies at UCL focused on visual and cognitive development in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In his postdoctoral position at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience he carried out research investigating the neural basis of emotional and cognitive deficits in psychopathic murderers and sex offenders, as well as the effect of drugs on emotional perception. Chris hold a postgraduate diploma in Systemic and Family Therapy from the Institute of Family Therapy and have trained in Narrative therapy and Multisystemic therapy.

Kath Albiston - Consultant and Programmes Clinical Manager

Kath has more than 25 years of expertise as a practitioner, trainer, and consultant in Criminal Justice, Safeguarding, and Gender Based Violence/Domestic Abuse. Alongside her current role with DVACT-PAI Kath is a consultant and trainer with particular expertise in the design and implementation of safeguarding assessments and is a rostered trainer for the Working With Perpetrators – European Network (WWP-EN).

Kath began her career as a Probation Officer, working extensively with both perpetrators and

victims of domestic abuse, delivering behaviour change interventions and conducting

risk assessments for criminal courts and parole boards. Kath served as Chairperson within a local Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Unit, and led multi-agency meetings to implement risk management plans for high-risk individuals. Following her career in probation Kath founded an independent consultancy and training organisation, delivering a wide range of projects focused on gender-based violence, domestic abuse, risk and safeguarding. I have chaired and authored numerous Domestic Homicide Reviews, Safeguarding Adults Reviews, and Serious Case Reviews, with a strong emphasis on improving systemic responses.

Currently, Kath provides clinical supervision to professionals in high-risk and high-impact roles, and design and deliver training for both statutory and third-sector organisations, in addition to the development and evaluation of domestic violence and safeguarding policies, procedures, and risk assessment frameworks. Internationally, she collaborates with the Working with Perpetrators – European Network (WWP-EN), contributing to capacity-building initiatives, training design and delivery, programme accreditation, grant evaluation and mentoring projects across Europe. Notably, Kath served as lead trainer on a five-month training programme supporting the development of perpetrator interventions in Ukraine.

Kath is an honours graduate of Combined Studies – Social Studies and Education at Newcastle

University and holds a first-class honours degree in Community Safety and a diploma in

Probation Studies, both from Northumbria University at Newcastle.

Our Team

All the DVACT-PAI team are passionate about our work and strive to ensure we deliver effective, professional services to the highest standards.

Our staff team includes our dedicated assessment team manager Barbara Newman with many years experience in managing domestic abuse risk assessment referrals for PAI and now for the larger DVACT-PAI team. Sarah Nawn is the finance officer for the organisation and is involved in all areas of DVACT-PAI's finance. We are also fortunate to have an excellent team of part-time administrators, interns and volunteers who help manage and develop our services.

The DVACT-PAI team of experts comprises assessors and treatment specialists with decades of experience in undertaking domestic abuse assessments and child protection interventions.

Our experts are drawn from a variety of relevant fields, including probation, mental health, social work and academia.

Our assessors have at least 10 years' experience as experts in the field of domestic abuse with a proven track record of direct work with victims and perpetrators, academic research and providing expert analysis and assessments to local authorities and the family courts. A number of our team worked in the 1990’s to help develop the first risk assessment model currently used by organisations across the UK. The team also pioneered the use of evidence-based vulnerability assessments of mothers.

Assessors must be registered with DVACT-PAI to deliver expert risk assessments meeting the highest standards and proven experience in the field. The standards required to deliver Domestic Abuse Risk Assessments and the register of experts can be found on our website at https://www.dvact.org/expertsregister

Our team of specialist facilitators have many years of experience in delivering intervention programmes to both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Perpetrator programme have atleast 5 years experience of delivering perpetrator intervention work in statutory or recognised community programmes. Our vulnerability workers also have atleast 5 years of experience in the field, working with vulnerable women to achieve change.

Our aims

The aims that define our company and values are:

• To safeguard children from abuse - the safety and wellbeing of the child/ren is at the centre of every assessment, programme, training and consultancy service that we deliver. With research from the Children’s Commissioner showing that 831,000 children in England are living in households that report domestic abuse the need for children to be safeguarded from abuse within their home, is greater than ever.

• To support professionals - we specialise in complex cases that require expert advice, providing a clear way forward for cases that may otherwise have stalled. We have a professional reputation for providing assessment reports swiftly within the child's timeframe. Towards this aim we also offer free consultations and bite-size training to social work professionals.

• To provide an expert service - all of our team are professionals and are held to high standards of competence and ethical conduct.

• To raise awareness of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls - Domestic abuse is a largely hidden crime and it is important that communities work together to identify the signs of abuse, support victims and hold perpetrators to account. We acknowledge that intimate partner abuse occurs in all contexts and between all genders/sexualities. However, we believe that domestic abuse is a gendered crime and responses should be guided by this.

What we do

DVACT-PAI provide the following services to local authorities and the family courts:

• Family Safety Assessments - Domestic abuse risk and vulnerability assessments of parents and third parties involved in child protection measures and family court proceedings.

• Psychological assessments can be delivered alongside a Family Safety Assessment

• Child sexual abuse risk assessments and assessments of a parents capacity to protect children from sexual abuse

• Domestic abuse treatment programmes for perpetrators and victims - this includes bespoke work for individuals who do not 'fit' the acceptance criteria for community programmes.

• Programmes designed to increase the capacity of parents to protect their children from sex offending

• A psychoeducational programme for those parents who need assistance to overcome significant trauma

• Partner Abuse Interventions - a wraparound assessment and programme service

Additionally DVACT-PAI provide training to individuals and teams on all areas relating to domestic abuse and consultancy and supervision on domestic abuse cases.

DVACT-PAI publish and maintain the register of expert domestic abuse risk assessors, alongside ensuring that the standards of ethics and competence are upheld by those registered.