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In a longitudinal evaluation of two multi-agency Projects providing holistic, early intervention to victim/survivors of domestic violence, their children and perpetrators, the voluntary perpetrator programmes (VPPs) were the least successful aspect of the initiatives. This article explores why there were relatively low numbers of abusive partners self-referring and/or being referred into programmes and high drop-out rates in the pre-commencement phase. Four key reasons emerged: work with perpetrators was not with in the remit of partner agencies; when it was part of their remit, it was through a criminal justice lens; agencies such as children's services claimed to work with families but in practice this meant mothers and children only; and female practitioners felt unsafe about engaging with perpetrators, especially when this was in a domestic setting. These findings echo those of others who have found that practitioners rarely expect to or actually engage with men as partners or family members. We conclude that discussions of the effectiveness of VPPs should consider the engagement of perpetrators in the pre-commencement phase. Additionally, training to improve the skills and confidence of practitioners such as social workers to more effectively engage and prepare perpetrators in the pre-commencement phase could improve engagement rates for these programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing calls for parliamentary select committees to take on additional tasks, becoming more involved in the legislative process with the aim of enhancing scrutiny of the executive. Analysis of the role of the Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee in the process of devolving additional powers to the National Assembly for Wales under the Government of Wales Act (GoWA) 2006 highlights some of the challenges that select committees face in undertaking such work, particularly in a complex constitutional context where the aims of scrutiny are subject to conflicting interpretations. Although the referendum result in Wales on 3 March 2011 and the consequent coming into effect of Part 4 of the GoWA have rendered the Legislative Competence Order procedure largely obsolete, there are also lessons to be drawn from the Welsh Affairs Committee's experiences in the 2005–2010 Parliament about the role of select committees in providing a bridge between the devolved legislatures of the UK and Westminster. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]