DOMESTIC ABUSE is a NATIONAL EMERGENCY affecting victims, including children from all backgrounds irrespective of standing, status, socioeconomic group or gender. The number of domestic abuse crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales in March 2021 increased by 6%, from 798,607 in March 2020 to 845,734. For the same period, the police made an average of 669 child protection referrals every day in response to domestic abuse incidents. We still don’t know how many children in England and Wales are affected by such incidents.
[EN1] Domestic abuse and the criminal justice system – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
At MAYDAY……we provide
- Domestic Abuse one-to-one S.A.F.E. programme for Victims affected by domestic abuse
- Domestic Abuse groups for Victims where Children’s Services are involved
- Domestic Abuser programme where Children’s Services are involved
- Domestic Abuse training programmes and workshops for public sector professionals
- Parenting Assessments and Court Reports
We have created unique resources to support Front Line Practitioners, G.P.’s and Family Law Firms to recognise and SAFELY respond to the many different types of domestic abuse as this is a complex issue, and one size does not fit all.
The legal system can be an unknowing and unwilling extension of the abuser’s arm, reaching out to cause as much damage as possible.
Professionals require specialist knowledge and skills to confidently support colleagues, families and children who may be affected by domestic abuse.
While some high profile cases have raised awareness of Coercive Control, there is still a lack of expertise, knowledge, and skills in dealing with this area of domestic abuse.
A YouGov poll from 12 August 2019, found more than 50% of front-line healthcare staff say they do not feel able to identify a domestic abuse victim. At least 48% of N.H.S. and 65% of private-sector staff did not feel adequately trained to identify a domestic abuse victim. There are no similar surveys with other agencies involved in “Working Together to Safeguard Children.”
Front line workers in Children’s Services are overwhelmed with the high volume of referrals involving Domestic Abuse, Mental Health, and Parental Conflict. The lack of appropriate training and resources to tackle this issue results in poor staff retention, low staff morale and dangerously high caseloads placing children at risk.
This issue is replicated across many disciplines, and regardless of government initiatives to tackle domestic abuse, radical changes are still required. Despite professionals using the same methods and resources for many years, things have still reached a crisis point.
News articles and Serious Case Reviews frequently include domestic abuse, but there is a lack of investment in training staff to identify the signs of specific types of abuse.
