The DASH and the prioritization of ‘high risk’ DVA
There has been a recent media expose of the ineffectiveness of the DASH risk assessment to measure the risk that victims of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) face. Reports refer to a collective of bereaved families who have been aghast that their family members were assessed on the DASH as “low” or “standard” risk before…
Keep reading
Written Evidence: VAWG Funding
Earlier this year the UK Government put out a call for evidence around ‘Tackling violence against women and girls: funding’. The Home Affairs Select Commitee has now released a report on this which highlights the need for longer term focus on preventative approaches, an enhanced need for research and evidence around what works, and ringfenced…
Keep reading
How domestic abuse shapes youth violence
*This is a copy of an interview conducted for Policy Press’s ‘Transforming Society Blog’. Access the original here. How domestic abuse shapes youth violence: Connecting the dots by Jade Levell and Bahar Muller9th June 2025 In a landmark moment for those working at the intersections of domestic abuse and serious youth violence, the Domestic Abuse…
Keep reading
Empty Shirts: Lost Childhoods
On Monday 19th May, at the start of ‘Knife Crime Awareness Week’ in Bristol children and young people impacted by serious violence were front and centre. They were seen and heard, genuinely. ‘Empty Shirts: Lost Childhoods’ was a craftivist art exhibition which gave the platform to local children. We drew inspiration from the rite of…
Keep reading
Domestic Abuse and Serious Violence
Today, Dame Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales has presented an important report to parliament which highlights the appalling state of affairs for child survivors of domestic violence and abuse. I urge everyone to read this report as it is such a vital piece of work for us to take action…
Keep reading
Adolescence: Child violence is an adults issue
This blog was originally written for PolicyBristol, which can be found here After the release, and subsequent reaction to the Netflix series Adolescence, we checked in with the convenor of the Serious Violence Prevention Academic Hub, Dr Jade Levell, to get her thoughts on how ‘Adolescence’ fits into the broader debate around serious youth violence,…
Keep reading
Overlap of Domestic Violence and ‘knife crime’
A recording is now available from a webinar I delivered to the Youth Endowment Fund in December 2024. If we want to keep children safe from serious violence, we have to be much more serious about preventing Domestic Abuse and Violence. Dr Jade Levell shares her research on the cross-overs and strategic gaps in policy…
Keep reading
My research featured in Dagens Nyheter, Sweden
I am so excited to share that today I am on the front page of Dagens Nyheter in Sweden! Hans Arbman interviewed me about my research on childhood domestic violence, youth criminality/gang involvement, and masculinities. I have been working in Sweden quite a lot recently and find that there is a real curiosity about taking…
Keep reading
BBC Radio panel: The enduring legacy of harm
This lunchtime I was part of a panel on BBC Radio TalkBack with William Crawley. We were discussing domestic violence, femicide, and prevention. I highlighted the plight of child-survivors of domestic abuse. It was a poignant moment when a man called in and said; “I grew up with my mum getting hit on a daily…
Keep reading
To prevent youth violence, we need to support boys with domestic violence
Last week saw two notable moments in the UK. One was the sentencing of two boys who were 12 years old when they murdered Shawn Seesahai with a machete in a park in a horrific attack, making them the youngest children sentenced to murder since the killers of James Bulger in 1993. Upon reading the…
Keep reading
New knife crime research project in the media
I have finally received a paper copy of the recent media report in the Bristol Post about my new funded research partnership with Bristol City Council. Online copy available here. I am leading a team working closely with the Bristol City Council for the year, including the Serious Violence Reduction Board. Watch this space!
Keep reading
Keynote lecture in Umeå, Sweden 2024
Advice for the future 2024 Over the last year, I have been invited to Sweden several times to speak at events which focus on crime prevention and the intersection between childhood experiences of domestic violence/abuse and later involvement in youth violence. One such event was in April 2024 and the recording is available below. I…
Keep reading
Rhyme and Reality: Youthwork in the Booth Event
Last week I had the absolute honour of speaking at the ‘Rhyme & Reality: Youth Work in the Booth” event organised by a research collective from Queen Mary’s University. It was held at WeAreSpotlight in E14. The event was hosted by Richard Roache aka Roachee (Roll Deep), Heather McMullen and Elinor Whittle at QMUL who…
Keep reading
On the 4+ ACE score: between the ‘expert’ & ‘survivor’ self
The use of the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) framework has become widespread in its use. It consists of a checklist of ten questions which identify some of the key traumatic experiences which may occur in a child’s life (under 18 years) and have longer-term impacts. The obvious risks are that it is reductive and the…
Keep reading
New book published!
I am delighted to share that I have just had my third book published (second monograph); ‘Music, Mattering, and Criminalized Young Men: Exploring Music Elicitation as a Feminist Arts-Based Research and Intervention Tool’ Blurb: Music can act as a powerful means of communication. Chronicling the first application of music elicitation in the Balkans, Music, Mattering, and…
Keep reading
30 PhD mood boosters: Ways to cheer yourself up whilst doing a PhD
The PhD process can be a long exhausting slog. It is normal to feel fed up/bored/exhausted. Here are some ways you could perk yourself up when you are feeling flat with PhD life. I have written some other blogs on tips for PhD students. Here are my small practical tips, and here is some PhD…
Keep reading
22 small tips for PhD students
Recently I met a new PhD student on a writing retreat, and I started imparting advice (a sure sign I am getting old). These are just little tips and tricks I have found useful on my journey. So, I thought I would note them down and share them. Here are 22 of my top tips…
Keep reading
New book and upcoming launch event!
I am very pleased to belatedly announce that the edited collection I have been working on with Dr Tara Young and Dr Rod Earle was released at the end of September 2023 with Bristol University Policy Press. Exploring Urban Youth Culture Outside of the Gang Paradigm: Critical Questions of Youth, Gender and Race On-Road is…
Keep reading
The Illegal Migration Bill & State Abuse of Vulnerable Children
In today’s news (19th June 2023) an article in the Guardian newspaper has really struck me; ‘Child refugees could develop PTSD if locked up by UK, medical bodies say’ (Taylor, 2023). The article reports on an open letter signed by The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the British Medical Association, the Royal College…
Keep reading
Post-traumatic growth and the desire to matter
This blog is a reflection on a book I’ve recently read; ‘What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Young: The Art and Science of Growing Up’ by Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson Recently I’ve been reading the book What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Young, after hearing about it on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s…
Keep reading
Review of my book in ‘Children & Society’ journal
BOOK REVIEW Free Access. Click here Boys, Childhood Domestic Abuse and Gang Involvement. Violence at Home, Violence on-Road by Jade Levell Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2022ISBN: 978–1 529 219 807, 216 pp, £85.00 (hb). By Tanya Frances First published: 04 June 2023 This book provides a detailed and insightful account of innovative research in which Levell interviewed men…
Keep reading
‘Feeling like a King’; Coronation, Infidelity, Masculinity
Today, as I am sitting here reading about masculinity, my mind wandered off. As the parent of young children who are today being swept up in the Coronation fervour at school- dropped them off to a day of enforced patriotism through the wearing of red, white, and blue, alongside having to learn the King’s coronation…
Keep reading
On Stanley Johnson’s nomination; Boris as a child survivor; and the role of charity ambassadors
This morning I have been reading Catherine Bennett’s reflections on the proposed knighthood of Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, on page 37 of The Observer. The sub-heading of the article was, ‘Boris Johnson’s plan to honour his father is an insult to victims of domestic violence’. Initially, as I first read it, I agreed; knighting…
Keep reading
Book review by the Restorative Justice Council
My book ‘Boys, Childhood Domestic Abuse and Gang Involvement: Violence at Home, Violence on-road’ was reviewed by David Smith, Policy and Communications Officer at the Restorative Justice Council, UK. The review was published in issue 73 (Winter) and I have been given permission to reproduce the review here. It is such an honour to have…
Keep reading
The problematic past tense of ‘Lived Experience’
The term ‘lived experience ‘ has been on my mind recently. I have been mulling over the term like rolling a marble between my fingers, but have struggled to articulate the tension I feel about it. The definition of ‘lived experience’ in the sense I am discussing is, ‘Personal knowledge about the world gained through…
Keep reading
My #16days of activism 2022
On the 25th of November the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence begins. It is an annual international campaign that starts on the 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. As this year I have published my book, I am…
Keep reading
Bits and pieces out this week
This week I have engaged in some different types of writing. Sometimes I really enjoy writing short sharp articles to get the broader research messages out there to different audiences. An article for The Conversation. The Istanbul Convention is coming into force in the UK next week after being finally ratified over the summer. Rosalie Ward &…
Keep reading
Interview on ‘Now and Men’ podcast
What impact does domestic abuse have on boys when growing up? Why is it that so many young men who are ‘on-road’ or involved in gangs have experienced domestic abuse in the home as children? If the boundaries between being a ‘perpetrator’ and a ‘victim’ of violence are not always as clear cut as we…
Keep reading
Reflections on the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s response to the Serious Violence Duty Consultation
The response from the office of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, to the Government consultation on the Statutory Guidance on the Serious Violence Duty is very much worth reading (Link here). It makes a clear case for the inclusion of domestic abuse in the definition of serious violence for duty…
Keep reading
Book Publication Day!
Today my first book is being published by Policy Press. It is quite something to have been working on the project for the last five years in research terms and then see it come out in print. You can order a copy here. If you sign up to the Policy Press newsletter you can recieve…
Keep reading
‘Why is no one talking about the fact domestic violence has a detrimental effect on children?’ A critical reflection
Last week there was a moment in the feminist twittersphere. I have been mulling it over since and wanted to write and think through my thoughts on it. It started when a feminist barrister tweeted a news article which featured Spice Girl Mel B and her daughter talking about the abuse that they had faced.…
Keep reading
Why there’s no (adult) child survivor of Domestic Abuse #MeToo movement
As I have written about previously, in recent times there has been a vast increase in the number of child survivors of domestic abuse who have shared their stories publicly. Celebrities such as Ian Wright, Will Smith, Patrick Stewart, Alicia Dixon, to name a few, have disclosed that they are child survivors of abuse. This…
Keep reading
A feminist reading of UCU’s 4 fights
The first fight is around pay. Real time pay has dropped Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), show that the pay of staff has dropped by around 17% in real-terms since 2009. The union says that staff pay has actually fallen by around 20% in the last decade. This has coincided with the largest period of…
Keep reading
Some recent writing
I have been a busy bee recently. Writing has more been about disseminating some things I have been mulling over, but if you are interested here are some bits and pieces that have been published this month. Music elicitation was featured in the Sociological Review in their month on innovative methods. This was fun to…
Keep reading
Call for Evidence submission: Commission on Young Lives 2021
Dr Jade Levell Lecturer in Criminology and Gender Violence Centre for Gender and Violence Research, School for Policy Studies University of Bristol Jade.Levell@Bristol.ac.uk Call for Evidence submission: Commission on Young Lives 2021 My research has focused on the issue of young people who experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in childhood and who later become…
Keep reading
Music Elicitation featured in a new ‘Family Criminology’ text book
The power of music as a listening tool in social research is something that has been close to my heart over recent years. At times I wonder if it is almost too simple- using music as an interview tool is an easy, low resource way to open up conversations. It creates a bridge between listeners,…
Keep reading
The Commission on Young Lives: The ‘conveyer belt from vulnerable children’ to ‘criminal gangs’…
Last week saw the press release for the launch of the Commission on Young Lives (Link here). Led by Anne Longfield, the former children’s commissioner, it aims to focus on the pathway of school exclusion, grooming, and county lines involvement for many vulnerable young people. I was thrilled to see the several mentions, in the…
Keep reading
Responding to the VAWG strategy linking DVA & ‘County Lines’
I have finally had chance to look through the UK Governments new ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ Strategy; Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls. (Link here). One very interesting passage which is relevant to my research on boys who experience domestic abuse in childhood and later go on-road or become ‘gang’ involved was the explicit…
Keep reading
Music Elicitation in Practice; ‘Never coming home’
I have recently carried out a training session to a diverse audience- social researchers, social workers, NGOs, international development workers. The subject of the session was ‘Music Elicitation as a Listening Tool’ and I spoke broadly about the benefits of the method as a way to listen to vulnerable or marginalised people. I keep talking…
Keep reading
Reflections on the Serious Case Review of ‘Liam’
This week I have spent time reading the serious case review of ‘Liam’, a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in 2020. The report by Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership has just been released. You can read the report here, and associated media article here. When reading it I was struck by how similar the…
Keep reading
Reflections on Ian Wright’s Home truths Documentary
I have finally caught up with Ian Wright’s documentary ‘Home Truths”. This documentary was ground-breaking in so many ways. It raised issues that are historic taboos and also refocuses us on what it really means to be an adult survivor of childhood abuse. What it mean to recognise your own childhood victimhood and the enduring…
Keep reading
On the emotional cost of working with domestic violence in a Pandemic
It was late last week where I realised I had hit the wall. I, like many others, have been trying to continue working, homeschooling small children, and still stay on track with the work that I am doing. However, what I hadn’t taken into account was the ongoing emotional cost of working in such a…
Keep reading
Recent High Profile Male Disclosures of Childhood DVA
Over the weekend Arnold Schwarzenegger put out a very powerful video speech in response to last weeks events at the capitol building in the USA. He recounted the impact of his own experiences in childhood growing up in the shadow of the Nazi era in Austria. As part of this he talked about his own…
Keep reading
A book is on its way….
I have some really amazing news to share with you! I have connected with a publisher (Bristol University Policy Press) and I will be writing my first book next year. The book will be based on my PhD thesis, where I explored the narratives of men who experienced both childhood domestic violence/abuse and on-road and…
Keep reading
Hedonists or Hidden Victims: Teenagers outside of home during Lockdown
As the UK heads into another lockdown, we need to consider the impact of lockdown on young people who live at home with domestic violence. In particular, young people who are the least likely to be seen as victims themselves. In the last UK lockdown, the UK Government responded to the problem of teenagers who…
Keep reading
Older Boys and DVA Refuges: Shut out
Today I wanted to write a response to the new Women’s Aid report which outlines the barriers that children face when accessing refuge provision. You can access a copy here. This was a very welcome report in that it gives voice to children and young people themselves about their difficult experiences leaving homes and localities…
Keep reading
Schools and domestic violence post-lockdown: Rejecting a static view of risk
Today there was a report in the Independent, that domestic violence services are preparing themselves for a surge in reporting as schools reopen. As noted in the article there has been a staggering increase: “at the end of May, it emerged calls to the UK’s national domestic abuse helpline had risen by 66 per cent…
Keep reading
Online Survey for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
A research team across Bournemouth University (Dept of Social Sciences (Criminology), Dept of Social Work, Dept of Psychology) are conducting research on interventions for domestic violence and abuse perpetrators. As part of the data collection we are looking for survivors of domestic abuse to complete a short anonymous survey which focuses in particular on their…
Keep reading
My Hopes: Children being recognised as victims in the domestic abuse bill
Yesterday children were recognised as victims in the domestic abuse bill. This was somewhat a landmark situation for many reasons. I have been mulling over this and wanted to collect my thoughts about next steps. The direction of provision for children who have experienced domestic abuse has gone in the same as many other services…
Keep reading
COVID-19 and Children Experiencing Domestic Violence & Abuse
Thinking about child survivors of DVA and COVID-19 Like many people who work in the domestic violence and abuse sector I have been thinking a lot about the way in which victims of DVA will be coping during this strange time of global pandemic. I have been thinking in particular about the children who are…
Keep reading
New co-authored report with the Victim’s Commissioner
I am delighted to say that I have co-authored a report with the Office of the Victim’s Commissioner which was released yesterday. I presented my research to the team back in autumn and they started their own work looking at the intersection between childhood experience of domestic abuse and later on-road/gang-involvement. I am really pleased…
Keep reading
PhD Parenting- My Top 10 Tips
Now that I have submitted my thesis I have been reflecting on the journey. During my studies I have greedily read through every type of blog post and guide which outlines others experiences of PhD parenting and made me feel it was all possible. So I thought now is a good time to contibute and…
Keep reading
Delivering a lecture on my research in prison
Studying at The Open University is an amazing thing in so many ways. I love its flexibility, its lack of dogma around getting the top grades, and its general lack of snobbery and inaccessibility. An element of the OU which I only recently found out about is that the OU has a lot of students…
Keep reading
Kosovo Summer School: Feminism of the 99%
Earlier in June I spent the week visiting the University of Prishtina in Kosovo to guest lecture on the Gender Studies department’s summer school; Feminism of the 99%: Equity, Advocacy, Privilege. The week was funded by CEL, the Centre for Equality and Liberty http://cel-ks.org/?hl=en, which is in turn part funded by the Government of the…
Keep reading
Publication: A methodological reflection on the use of music as an elicitation tool
The first publication from The Road Home Study has been published this month. It is a methodological reflection of the use of music in narrative interviews. It is an open access paper, so free for all to view. Take a look here https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1609406919852010 Whilst thinking about publishing and sharing this, my thoughts have been with…
Keep reading
Sons of Domestic Abuse
Today there has been a potentially big breakthrough in terms of domestic violence and the legal position of victims in the UK. Sally Challen, who was convicted of murdering her husband, has had permission for a retrial. The case for this was due to the change in UK law, with the significant change of coercive…
Keep reading
Documentary Review: Gun No. 6
Gun No. 6 is a documentary with a difference. It was a moving, powerful, heart-breaking, raw, multi-faceted film which showed the ripples of pain that emanate from gun crime. The premise of the film is to trace back the story of ‘gun No.6’, so called by the police as it is one firearm which has…
Keep reading
Sharing music and understanding
It has been quite a long time since I have written here as I have been deep in the fieldwork stage of the project. Locating men who want to meet and talk about both domestic violence and gang involvement is tricky to say the least. It has been compounded by the pressures on front-line organisations…
Keep reading
Looking for people to take part in #TheRoadHome Study
It is now at the point in The Road Home Study for research to be gathered. The fieldwork stage will be completed by Christmas time all being well. I have already started the interviews and am now looking for more agencies and individuals to work with me on this study. There are two elements to…
Keep reading
Evicting gang member’s families: Deciding who deserves a home
Over the last week there have been several news stories running that talk about one of the new elements of gang policing that are being trialed in North London: the ability for gang members families to be evicted from their homes*. The current scheme that is being trialed in North London is part of Operation…
Keep reading
Going up river…
Today I have spent the day making a short film about my research. The filming was funded by the OU Health and Wellbeing Priority Research Area, who also fund my research. It was a short film looking at my research as well as my academic and personal pathway. During the filming they kept asking me…
Keep reading
Searching for the story behind the ‘absent fathers’
One thing I have noticed when reading research and media reports on gangs is the ubiquitous mention of a dad-gap; ‘absent fathers’. They are often cited as a contributory reason for young people joining gangs, who then search for replacements to the illusive ‘strong male role models’ to provide discipline, an example, a substitute family.…
Keep reading
Why #TheRoadHome study?
Welcome to my first ever blog post! When thinking where to begin, I thought that I would share where the idea for #TheRoadHome study came from. Like most big projects it evolved from tiny little ideas that found their way together. I have always taken an interest in the experiences and treatment of children who…
Keep reading
My Blog
Here is a collection of my unfiltered thoughts on life, news, popular culture, and policy
Subscribe to My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
jadelevell.com 