Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) is a specialist domestic abuse education, support and referral programme providing training for GP teams and a named advocate to whom patients can be referred to for support. 

IRIS offers a targeted intervention for patients experiencing current or former domestic violence or abuse from a partner, ex-partner or family member.

IRIS supports patients by providing:

• clear care pathways
• emotional support
• information on housing or legal remedies
• signposting
• risk assessments and safety planning.

IRIS advocate educators are specialist workers connected with GP practices that are based in local domestic abuse services. They work closely with patients who have been affected by domestic and/or sexual violence, aiming to see patients at GP surgeries to carry out a risk assessment and safety planning.

GP training programme

The IRIS GP training programme started as a research project to identify the difference that having a dedicated advocate providing training to GPs and in-house support can make to a doctor’s capacity to better identify and support/signpost patients experiencing domestic violence to wider support services.

To organise training for your practice, contact your local IRIS team:

Barnet

Sabrina e: s.islam@solacewomensaid.org t: 07485 307 245
Mya e: mchapman@solacewomensaid.org t: 07485 313 613

Enfield

Sharon e: s.dearman@solacewomensaid.org t: 07881 302 773
Vanessa e: v.waheed@solacewomensaid.org t: 07950 569 406

Haringey

Gina e: irisharingey@niaendingviolence.org.uk t: 07816 087 450

Islington

e: islington.iris@nhs.net

Eligibility criteria

Inclusions

Please note: Only clinicians from IRIS-trained practices are able to refer patients via this route.

Male and female patients aged 16+ registered with a participating practice who have experienced or are currently experiencing any form of violence or abuse, including:

• domestic abuse
• sexual violence
• forced marriage
• female genital mutilation
• "honour-based" violence.

Exclusions

• perpetrators of domestic abuse or sexual violence
• IRIS is not able to support sexual violence cases outside of a domestic context and will therefore only accept referrals for people who have experienced sexual violence in the context of intimate partner violence (either current or historic).