Exploring the role of the education sector in addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) among young people in Northern Ireland

Thematic analysis was used to examine the data with NVIVO software.<br><br>Findings<br>A total of eight themes emerged from the interviews and focus groups. These themes pertained to the education service providers’ perceived roles and duties in confronting IPV in formal and non-formal education, Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE), training (or CPD for Continuous Professional Development) and collaboration. Their role in addressing IPV was referred to as educational, awareness raising and collaborative; I also discuss, in this thesis, participants’ views on who is responsible to tackle IPV in the education sector, how they tend to identify and label IPV among young people or how their response to IPV cases changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a strong need for a provision geared towards young people’s context-specific circumstances, a joined-up approach involving statutory, education and voluntary/community sectors, and a well-developed and consistent engagement in DV/IPV prevention and intervention.<br><br>Conclusion<br>The objective of this research was to develop a body of evidence capable of informing prevention and intervention strategies and policies in Northern Ireland and beyond.

The study results provide recommendations for policy, practice and research surrounding multilateral approaches, gaps in post-primary education and recognising intersections for heterogeneous service provision and fit-for-purpose policy.<br>