Domestic abuse: How can you seek help?

Can you seek help as a domestic abuse survivor?

Transcript

00:00Women, children, it can affect absolutely anyone. It can affect people in the LGBTQ

00:09plus community, women and families from all backgrounds, all ranges of communities. And

00:17we know that there's just this enormous fear and just really feeling fearful of maybe the

00:23abusive partner returning home, what's going to happen and feeling like absolutely on tenterhooks

00:29around what they're going to face when an abusive partner might come home.

00:35Dr Charlotte Barlow, Reader in Criminal Justice and Policing in the University of Central

00:40Lancashire, said that whilst there are some improvements to police responses to domestic

00:45abuse since the coercive control legislation, there are still persistent issues with the

00:50frontline response.

00:53Fundamentally, what we want to see is real change in attitudes and beliefs around domestic

00:57abuse. That's obviously not an easy solution, but everything we do to contribute to people's

01:03understanding and awareness goes that little bit to improving situation for women, children

01:10and families. So first call for, you know, is just Google domestic abuse service in your

01:17local area. Every single area, every local authority has a statutory duty to provide

01:23support for survivors and victims.

01:26And that support could be from a little phone call, having some advice over the phone.

01:32It could be so many different options.

01:34It's non-judgmental.

01:35It can be completely confidential.

01:38It also, I mean, can go right to the more where things are feeling really more extreme

01:42for women and families.

01:44They can be providing refuge support.

01:46So there's a whole spectrum.

01:47Nobody's going to jump in and, you know, and they'll be led by you, led by your needs.