A new paper from the Disability Royal Commission contains useful information for providers on the drivers and risk factors of violence in disability and private accommodation, as well as some proposals for change.

The Overview of responses to the violence and abuse of people in the home issues paper considers how power imbalances and a dependence on others can prevent people from speaking up about abuse in accommodation services. Where the support provided is intimate, the effects of abuse can be ongoing and complex. There were concerns that co-resident violence is considered a ‘service incident’ or ‘behavioural challenge’ rather than abuse.