JANUARY 2016
CHAMPIONS NEWS
STOP PRESS: WEBSITE GO LIVE – Our new Domestic Abuse part of the Norfolk
County Council website is now live. This includes a section for the public and a
professionals section. It is still a work in progress to allow time for feedback and
we will not be launching it officially before mid March. If you notice any errors,
omissions or duplications, or you have any other comments, please let us know by
email to [email protected]. Find it here
We welcome in the new year with further Champions training,
local networking events, and the final touches to the Champions
website which will be up and running from 1st February.
Champions Networking Events:
Wed 24th February
Long Stratton (contact Paula De Vaux)
th
Thur 25 February
Thetford (contact Zoe Harding)
Champions Training Events: [email protected]
22nd & 29th Feb
Gorleston
2nd & 9th March
Long Stratton
16th & 23rd March
Kings Lynn (Limited spaces)
15th & 22ndApril
Cromer
Events are free and for front line staff and managers who would like to become
champions. Many organisations and frontline staff currently struggle to know how
to respond to people experiencing domestic abuse and therefore do not feel
confident in encouraging disclosures. Our network of Champions will help to bring
lasting and positive change to make Norfolk a place where people living with
domestic abuse can be supported as early as possible to reduce risk and prevent
harm.
Norfolk DA
Champions Network
Local News
and information
Page One
General Domestic
Abuse News
and information
Page Two
Use
Useful resources
Page three
Local News
Pandora Project, a charity working with female
victims and survivors of domestic abuse in
West Norfolk. They will shortly be starting a
new Freedom Program in King's Lynn. This is a
course to help survivors make sense of the abuse they have suffered with women
who have been through similar experiences. As a rolling programme it can be
accessed at any time. For more information go to www.pandoraproject.org.uk or
email [email protected] .
Sweet Arts have a free opportunity for women living in the NR3 2**
and NR4 7** areas to join an exciting creative project run by Sweet
Arts and the Sainsbury Centre enabling participants to meet other
women and build confidence by exploring and making artworks. No
previous experience required. There will be regular visits to the Sainsbury Centre for
Visual Arts and free transport is provided. For more information please contact Laura
on 07740 844 883 or email [email protected]
CONTACT US
Email:
[email protected]
Zoe Harding
07920 830824
Paula DeVaux
07788 438582
Kate Biles
07881 511957
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/domestic_violence_reports_in_norfolk_surge
We are unable to specifically recommend or guarantee the quality of any of the courses, services or interventions listed in this
newsletter as we neither have control of, nor accept any liability for other organisations. If you no longer wish to receive this
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NEW WEBSITE COMING
SOON
Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) Sadly, there have been two further Norfolk Domestic Homicide Review
Reports published, which can be accessed here. Among the recommendations in Case Kitty was the need for
workplace polices and information, and in Case Fatou, the importance of cultural understanding in addressing
domestic abuse and the need for challenge to cultural belief in male entitlement. An action plan has been
drawn up to progress these.
Norwich Rising V-Day is a global day of action to
demand an end to violence against women. The
United Nations estimate that one in three women will
be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That’s one billion
women. Dance on Saturday 14th February 2016 at
1pm at the Forum and help break the chain of
violence. Rehearsals are available for perfectionists, but anyone can join in. Details here
CPS Crown Prosecutor welcomes new law A new law targeting domestic abusers who use
controlling behaviour on their victims has been welcomed by the region’s senior
prosecutor. Jenny Hopkins, East of England chief Crown prosecutor and the Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS) national champion on violence against women and girls, said:
“Controlling and coercive behaviour is an insidious crime which can have a devastating and
long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and I am pleased we have a new weapon to fight
those who demonstrate this behaviour.” EDP article
Different Lives, Different Stories This free, colourful, motivational day of music, art,
costumes, crafts, food and story-telling, connecting the different lives and cultures
of women living in Norfolk is at The Forum, in Norwich, on Saturday 5th March, just
one of thousands of events taking place around the globe to mark International
Women’s Day 2016. Paula DeVaux will have a stand there, so come along and say hello. Facebook: Norfolk
Women Reaching Women Twitter: @WRWNorfolk.
DOMESTIC ABUSE - HALF-DAY CONFERENCE The Norfolk Family Justice Board and the
Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board are holding a conference on 16th March 2016 in
Norwich to raise awareness of the key safeguarding issue of domestic abuse. The
conference should be relevant for all those involved in children and families work, including
legal professionals and court staff. To request a place email names, roles, email addresses
and any particular access needs to [email protected] by Wednesday 24th February
2016. For general enquiries about the conference telephone Chris Gray on 01603 222567.
GENERAL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Almost one in five adults suffer financial abuse Research by Co-Op Bank and Refuge
with more than 4,000 people found that 18% had been a victim of financial abuse in
a current or former relationship, and that a third of those affected had never told
anyone what was happening. Half of the victims said a partner had made significant
financial decisions without consulting them, or forced them to ask permission to
spend or show evidence of having done so. See the awareness campaign
Petition to create a Stalkers Register details here
The depths of dishonour: Hidden voices and shameful crimes A HMIC inspection of the police found that
every police force must improve its understanding of honour-based violence, forced marriage and female
genital mutilation in order to provide victims with the best possible service and encourage those affected to
come forward. See more here and read the report here.
We are unable to specifically recommend or guarantee the quality of any of the courses, services or interventions listed in this
newsletter as we neither have control of, nor accept any liability for other organisations. If you no longer wish to receive this
newsletter, email “unsubscribe” to [email protected].
Stigma facing male domestic abuse victims has to stop Whilst 700,000 men a year are believed to suffer violent
attacks from their partners, many of these go unreported, as men fear the consequences of reporting. Such
consequences include shame and embarrassment, stemming from the stigma attached
to the abuse, as well as fear that they may be arrested if their abusers make retaliatory
false accusations. A study by Dr Jessica McCarrick, a senior lecturer at Teesside
University, revealed that men were often treated with suspicion by the criminal justice
system. "Men find it incredibly difficult to talk about their experiences of domestic
violence because of the shame and emasculation they feel is associated with it", she said.
"To find the courage to speak out, only to be accused of violence themselves, is
incredibly disheartening and ultimately prevents countless men from reporting intimate
partner violence". Read more here
Domestic Abuse couples counselling pilot Victims of domestic violence will discuss
their abuse face-to-face with the perpetrators under a scheme being piloted by
Harrow council. The scheme will provide specialist counselling sessions for couples
who are violent towards each other. The council, believes it can tackle domestic
violence by bringing couples together in a “supportive environment” to discuss its
impact based on a US model. Social workers from Harrow will undertake direct work with the children of
families involved to assess the impact of the violence. Details here
February 6th marks Zero Tolerance against FGM Day. How can you get involved? Maybe you could give a talk to
your team about some of the risk factors and indicators of FGM, or create a
display on your public and/or staff notice boards? Why wait till 6 th February,
download a poster and click here to see the work that is being done by the
United Nations across the world.
FGM court orders: a quiet revolution in child protection - A recent article on how FGM orders have led to a
cultural shift in the way communities view the practice from the Guardian.
Domestic Abuse Court Cases Abandoned More than 11,000 criminal trials had
to be abandoned last year because witnesses pulled out or did not appear at
court, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has said. Defendants can be
acquitted or see their trials rescheduled in such cases. The watchdog said too
many domestic violence case witnesses were summonsed, which risked
"alienating" victims who were willing to give evidence and that summonses were
being used inappropriately for more than one in 10 witnesses in domestic abuse
cases. CPS are updating their training on domestic abuse. BBC report here
An interesting article about the use of make up to empower survivors of domestic abuse here
USEFUL RESOURCES
Hollie Guard
We have been asked again to highlight Hollie Guard which turns a smartphone into an
advanced personal safety device at the touch of a button. Someone in danger can
simply shake the phone to generate an alert, the location, and audio and video
evidence of the incident will automatically be sent to an emergency contact via text
and email. Shaken again and it sends out a high pitched alarm and the flash starts to strobe, in order to attract
maximum attention. It is a free app backed by Gloucestershire Police and Police and Crime Commissioner.
From the moment Hollie Guard is activated, the location is tracked and can be viewed in real time by the
We are unable to specifically recommend or guarantee the quality of any of the courses, services or interventions listed in this
newsletter as we neither have control of, nor accept any liability for other organisations. If you no longer wish to receive this
newsletter, email “unsubscribe” to [email protected].
emergency contact. Evidence is not stored on the smartphone but on secure servers so that it can be used as
future as evidence. Hollie Guard also contains many other features. Further details here
The Freedom Charity app offers help, assistance and instruction to children, friends of children, professionals
with an interest and any other parties. Freedom was established to save the lives of vulnerable children and
young people who are at risk of, or are subjected to violent crimes, FGM, dishonour-based violence and forced
marriages throughout the UK. The app is targeted at potential victims of forced marriage, or other abuse, close
friends and professionals who learn from the app how to spot signs of abuse and what can be done. here
Women’s Aid launches coercive control toolkit, supported by Avon The national
domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has launched a free coercive control toolkit,
supported by Avon, to coincide with the Home Office’s implementation of the coercive
control law. The toolkit is targeted at parents of young adults and teenagers. It aims to
help them recognise the signs of coercive and controlling behaviour, and ensure that their
child can enjoy healthy, supportive relationships. It provides guidance and information on
what coercive control is, how a child may feel if they are experiencing coercive control
within their relationship, and what to do to help. The toolkit can be downloaded here
NCDV- New posters for police The National Centre for Domestic Violence have
produced two new posters aimed specifically for police officers and staff. They
outline how anyone with a police email address can find a copy of a Non Molestation
Order gained by NCDV. This is called the ASSIST database. The police and anyone
else can download a phone app to very quickly refer a victim. Once registered, it
takes about a minute to send them contact details by using this app. They then make
contact and email back to confirm if they're able to help. Posters and the app are
available from the website.
How to build your own domestic violence case without a lawyer This DIY toolkit is a free resource for women
facing domestic violence, agencies helping them and lawyers who can use it as a resource for under-funded
clients or clients they cannot help. Legal aid cuts of up to 60% for family law cases, mean
the most vulnerable women have been left at risk to navigate the complex legal space of
creating a case for criminal charges, child custody or asylum. Many are unable to provide
the evidence required to qualify for legal aid in domestic abuse cases. In response to
these challenges, Chayn, an open-source project, developed the crowdsourced toolkit.
This was written with the help of survivors and lawyers, as well as people who work with
survivors. It is designed as a how to guide for any woman facing domestic violence, and
especially for those who want to take legal action without having to hire a private
solicitor. Available here
Free FGM course is available here
Please send any news about domestic abuse from your organisation for inclusion in
next month’s newsletter to [email protected]. If you would like to be added
to the distribution list for this newsletter, please email [email protected]
with “Newsletter” in the title bar.
We are unable to specifically recommend or guarantee the quality of any of the courses, services or interventions listed in this
newsletter as we neither have control of, nor accept any liability for other organisations. If you no longer wish to receive this
newsletter, email “unsubscribe” to [email protected].