Evaluation & Exploration of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Multi-Agency Stalking Partnership (MASP)

Team: Research Team based at University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine and ARC Wessex

Partners who will collaborate on the research: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Probation Service, & STOP Domestic Abuse.

Start date: 1 April 2023

End date: 1 April 2025

Hampshire & Isle of Wight (HIOW) was one of the three pilot sites of the Multi-Agency Stalking Intervention Programme (MASIP), commissioned by the Home Office in 2018.  The programme identified positive outcomes from the limited number of case consultations and direct interventions delivered.  Funding for MASIP ceased in March 2023 and new funding was sought to refresh the initiative and realise its potential. 

With two years of funding from the Home Office, from April 2023-March 2025, the partnership has been renewed to address stalking in HIOW.  Key partners include the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for HIOW, HIOW Constabulary, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, HIOW Probation, and STOP Domestic Abuse.  This service, called the Multi-Agency Stalking Partnership (MASP), aims to deliver a package of interventions to reduce the impact of stalking.

The objective of this partnership is to reduce the risk of further stalking behaviour, and improve the psychological wellbeing of the person using stalking behaviours, whilst keeping the safety of the survivor and their dependents at the centre of this work.  The service aims to help up to 160 people who have used stalking behaviours, and their victims, per year.

The package to be delivered by this partnership will include:

The package to be delivered by this partnership will include:

-        Three novel models of rehabilitation, using Psychologist-Led Stalking Interventions (PLSI), for individuals who are using stalking behaviours

-        Advocacy and support for individuals who have been victims of stalking, and

-        Professional development, support resources, and new ways of working for professionals who are working with people who have stalked

Our team at the University of Southampton, Faculty of Medicine, has been asked to conduct an independent evaluation of the MASP’s activities.  We will also conduct primary research to determine whether and how the interventions that MASP deliver are effective in reducing the risk of further stalking behaviour and improving the psychological wellbeing of the person who has stalked.  We hope to be able to create new evidence, that can be shared with other agencies, about what works (and how and why) to reduce stalking behaviours. 

What are the aims?

The objectives of the service evaluation and primary research are:

1.     To determine whether the effectiveness of the MASP activities: have they been successful in reducing the risk of further stalking behaviour and improving the psychological wellbeing of the person who has used stalking behaviours?

2.     To explore the mechanisms and outcomes of the MASP activities: how and why might they impact on the risk of further stalking behaviour?

How will the study be carried out?

We will analyse routinely-collected, anonymised, data from the MASP partners to determine the effectiveness of the MASP activities.  We will also conduct data directly from MASP professionals, MASP clients, and SASS clients, via survey and interview, to explore further how and why the MASP activities might have any effects.

What will happen to the findings?

The findings will directly inform the future of stalking-related work in Hampshire & Isle of Wight, and elsewhere.  We will share the results widely, through publication in peer-reviewed journals, reports to the funder, and presentations at local, national, and international conferences.

Where can I get more information?

Please contact MASPinfo@soton.ac.uk for more information.

Service links: Southern Health