Elizabeth Hughes is our Scottish Multi-Agency Lead. In this blog she talks about one of the key findings that have come out of research carried out by the Safer, Sooner team on current and best practice of so called ’honour’-based abuse and forced marriage cases at Marac in Scotland.  ..read more

We are so grateful to the member of SafeLives’ Young Changemakers Panel who shared their experience of Relationships and Sex Education classes with us.   “I’m 19 years old, so when I was in school Relationships & Sex Education, or RSE, wasn’t a legal requirement like it is now, but I did have some RSE lessons, and my younger siblings have also studied RSE. Tags:  young people ..read more

Marac in Scotland 2005-2022 ..read more

It was when I tried calling a helpline to talk through my experience with emotional abuse and to understand what I had been going through, that I realised there was a bigger problem than just my own toxic relationship. I tried calling at least five times over two days and all I got each time was an answer-phone message saying I could leave my number and someone could try to call me back at an appropriate time. I didn’t leave a message but I did wonder how many other people struggled to get through to get the support they needed. I wondered how big the problem really was ..read more

On Friday 26 November, our Pioneers participated in a webinar for Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) sharing their experience of engaging with HMPPS as a victim and survivor of domestic abuse. Sharing what good can look like so that front line professionals can scale what works well and where there is need to change and develop services from their experience of poor practice.  ..read more

Sharon Baker is a Chief Inspector who has spoken out powerfully about her own experience of domestic abuse whilst a police officer, explaining that her body armour and rank, which normally offer an element of ‘strength’, did nothing to protect her from controlling and coercive behaviour.   In this video she talks of hoping to end the silence and recognizing that no-one is immune ..read more

It took me years to be strong enough to leave. I thought the worst had passed yet now I’ve spent years dealing with post-separation economic abuse. I was always financially independent but now I am in debt. I have no control over my money as I face a System which legitimises and perpetuates the ongoing control he has to ruin me financially and any future life chances which our children have.  I remember he told me “with me you will have everything - without me you will have nothing”. Never did I imagine that our Civil Courts could enable him to try play this out.  ..read more

No questions asked. What about the burn on my hand? The missing hair? The teeth? I waited to be asked. Ask me. Ask me. Ask me. I’d tell her. I’d tell them everything. Look at the burn. Ask me about it. Ask. Recently I read Roddy Doyle’s book The Woman Who Walked into Doors. I won’t spoil the book for anyone, but this section in particular has stayed with me. It rings true to my work as an Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate (Idaa). The people I worked with often wanted to be asked, and for their answers to be heard ..read more

Interested in becoming a SafeLives associate trainer? Luke Kendall talks about his experiences. Can you tell us a bit about your work outside of being a SafeLives associate?  ..read more

‘I just want us to be a nice family’ What does good look like in terms of the response to domestic abuse, so prevalent in people’s minds during Covid, and so prevalent behind closed doors all across the UK, before during and after Covid?  What does it look like if you’re a survivor, but no one has asked you? If you hold local budgets, juggling multiple decisions and limited funding?  If you’re a frontline practitioner, trying to battle gaps and issues in the system for your clients?   Tags:  risk children Dash risk checklist gettin ..read more