The Institute for Addressing Strangulation
The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) was established in October 2022, following the introduction of new legislation on strangulation and suffocation as a stand-alone offence.
Prior to this strangulation and suffocation did not have the focus required given the dangers of the offence and tended either to be not charged at all or charged as a generic offence such as common assault, or sometimes actual bodily harm.
By recognising strangulation as a stand alone offence highlights the severity of strangulation and the deep impact on the victim/ survivor.
The message is clear. There is no safe way to strangle.
Given the health risks of strangulation, IFAS has been raising awareness of strangulation and the associated risks, conducting research, developing resources, and training professionals in responding to and supporting victims/survivors of these assaults. To date, IFAS have trained over 11,000 professionals on best practice in addressing the risks associated with strangulation.
IFAS works in partnership with SafeLives and Bangor University.
IFAS has established itself as the lead on guiding professionals through the best practice in supporting victims/ survivors of strangulation.
Funded by the Home Office, IFAS sits within the Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine (FFLM). The FFLM is a registered charity set up to develop and maintain the highest possible standards of competence and professional integrity in forensic and legal medicine.
IFAS- Tackling Strangulation: Working Together to Save Lives
The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) presents their Autumn 2024 Conference. Strangulation is present across domestic abuse and sexual violence and is becoming normalised within relationships. IFAS believe that this issue needs a whole system response.
Now that VAWG has been recognised as an epidemic and a case of domestic terrorism what comes next?
We will be looking at the ‘Whole Systems Approach’ to NFS and exploring how organisations can work together to understand prevalence and save lives.
Upcoming Webinar Series – Autumn 2024
The next IFAS webinar series on Non-Fatal Strangulation (NFS) will take place in the autumn from 10 September to 05 November.
The dates and sessions are as follows:
| Tuesday 10 September | 19:00 – 20:00 | NFS: What every good forensic clinician needs to know |
| Monday 16 September | 11:00 – 12:00 | Clinical Management of Acute NFS |
| Tuesday 24 September | 12:00 – 13:00 | NFS and Radiological Imaging |
| Tuesday 01 October | 12:00 – 13:00 | NFS and the Impact on the Brain |
| Tuesday 08 October | 10:00 – 12:00 | Investigating and Prosecuting NFS |
| Tuesday 05 November | 15:00 – 16:00 | Strangulation and sexual health |
These webinars are free to attend. If you would like to book your place, please click here.
IFAS Website
Click here to visit the IFAS website to access their resources and find out more about training/upcoming events: https://ifas.org.uk