Spotlight: the podcast for the domestic abuse sector

Content note: domestic abuse, immigration control, bereavement.

Caron was gentle, kind and hardworking. A migrant woman building a life, sending love home, and carrying hope. Home was not safe, and systems were not safe either. In this short audio, her friend Max tells the story of bus-ride friendship, a rare day of freedom to sort papers, the calls that never stopped, and a country that made Caron choose between safety and survival. She should have been protected, whatever her status. We share this to honour Caron’s life and push for change so every woman is heard, believed and safe.

Credits: Narration by Max. With special thanks to Bambuuu CIC: https://bambuuu.co.uk

Shared with consent. Names and details may be changed for safety.

If you need support: In an emergency call 999. For specialist support and information visit safelives.org.uk/gethelp

In its latest podcast, SafeLives' Lucy Giles highlights the challenges that domestic abuse professionals face identifying primary perpetrators in cases of domestic abuse and dealing with counter allegations.

Counter allegations, where both parties allege abuse, are a common challenge for professionals encountering domestic abuse. Prevailing misconceptions about the nature of domestic abuse and counter allegations can result in increased risk for victims and children. For example, victims may be unable to access services, risking further isolation and victimisation. They may even lose care of their children and suffer psychological impact from not being believed. Concerningly, if such cases are not identified and resolved properly, agencies’ actions may inadvertently help the perpetrator to isolate and control the victim further.

This podcast walks domestic abuse practitioners through SafeLives’ new expert guidance.

As part of #16DaysofActivism, The Drive Partnership is highlighting the work of the National Systems Change team on workforce development. We have been working closely with H.O.P.E. Training & Consultancy on this strand. Meena Kumari, founder of H.O.P.E. Training, hosted this event on 26 September 2022 alongside colleagues from Respect and Drive, to discuss the new leadership and development program that started in November for staff working in the Violence Against Women and Girls Sector. The participants also discuss their personal experiences of leadership and development. To learn more about the work H.O.P.E. Training is doing, please visit https://hopetraining.co.uk/

Young people experience the highest rates of domestic abuse of any age group. Professionals working with young people are in the unique position to support them to have healthy relationships during this critical window - before they harm or are harmed. They can also be there to support and speak to a young person if they are worried about their relationship.

To do this, professionals need to feel confident starting conversations about relationships. Building on our research, we have developed a resource pack for professionals to use to start conversations with young people about relationships and explore what healthy looks like.

Read more: https://safelives.org.uk/voices-men-and-boys

Download the resource pack: https://safelives.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/SafeLives%20Resource%20Pack%20-%20final.pdf

In this podcast we hear from SafeLives’ practice consultant Lucy Giles and Emily McCarron from Age UK discussing the effect of COVID-19 on the prevalence of elder abuse and the impact of elder abuse in general.

Please note: this podcast was recorded remotely so please excuse the audio quality

In this podcast we hear from Jo Silver, Director of Innovation at SafeLives as she sits down again with Louisa Rolfe, Deputy Chief Constable of West Midlands Police to discuss what has changed a couple of months on from when lockdown started.

Please note that government restrictions, social distancing and shielding guidance has changed since this podcast was recorded however, it still offers an interesting look into the Police response to COVID-19 and how they can help those who are concerned about a partner or family member’s behaviour during this time.

For the most recent government guidance on covid-19, go to https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Collette Eaton-Harris speaks to Dr Jess Roy of Bristol University, about the changed risks children may be facing at home, and how social workers can safely work with them during Covid-19

Deidre from SafeLives speaks to Zoe Jackson from Aurora New Dawn, about how her team have been supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse during lockdown

Our Head of Practice, Michelle Phillips, has a chat with Sue Penna who is the Chief Creative Officer at Rockpool to discuss the psychological impact of surviving domestic abuse. Throughout, they emphasise the need for a trauma-informed approach when not only dealing with clients, but with colleagues too.

Take a look at Rockpool here: https://rockpool.life/

Order your copy of the Recovery Toolkit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recovery-Toolkit-support-journey-Domestic/dp/1838025006/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588597773&sr=1-6

Please note: this podcast was recorded remotely so please excuse the audio quality

In this podcast, former SafeLives CEO Suzanne Jacob sits down with Ngozi who runs Sistah Space - a community based initiative that supports African heritage women and girls. Ngozi talks about the systemic racism she encounters while supporting her clients, and what needs to change.

Find out more about Sistah Space: https://www.sistahspace.org/

Donate to the service: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=sistahspace