On Monday 22nd July the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for West Mercia John Campion visited West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA) to hear about the work that we do. Since he was first elected in 2016, John has prioritised work to address the devastating impact that domestic abuse has on children and families. He is committed not only to ensuring that high quality support is available for those that need it, but also to finding ways to prevent domestic abuse from happening in the first place. On his visit he met with a group of front-line practitioners and led a far-reaching conversation in which they share perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for achieving these aims through the work that they do.
Young People’s Prevention Worker Lauren Loughman talked in detail about the work that she has done with young people who display harmful and abusive behaviours towards others in their family, or towards those with whom they have close personal teen relationships. John was particularly keen to hear about the approaches that Lauren takes to enable young people to recognise and then address their attitudes and actions.
Hospital IDVA Yuta Fairs-Billam focussed on the partnership work that WMWA does with local hospitals, as WMWA Independent Domestic Abuse Advisers (IDVAs) have a base in the main hospital in each of the West Mercia authorities from which they are ‘on hand’ to provide help and support to patients and to staff as and when domestic abuse is disclosed.
Gill Corp highlighted the importance of partnership with local communities from her work as an Inclusion IDVA in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Gill and her colleague Leoni Bryan are our ‘outreach’ experts – making contact with local groups and individuals in communities that less frequently access services or engage with our organisation. Local and national research tells us that domestic abuse is an issue in all communities – yet there are some that are under-represented in our client base. Gill talked about the success that we have had in building confidence in WMWA’s relevance as a source of support for all communities in West Mercia.
Carla Edwards, WMWA’s Family Court IDVA, reminded us all that – even when families are safely separated – the Family Court process can be daunting and often demonstrates only a limited understanding of domestic abuse and of how coercive control is not only poorly understood by the Court, but can actually continue and be used by the perpetrator of abuse through the Court process itself. Some women – especially those who are working – are not entitled to Legal Aid and yet cannot afford to be represented. Carla will work with them to ensure that they know what to expect in Court and how to best prepare themselves for the hearing process. She also accompanies them whenever she can, and liaises on their behalf with the Police for the serving of those Orders granted by the Courts for women’s protection.
Finally Nikki Leask, who is WMWA’s Senior Refuge Worker in Herefordshire, illustrated the importance of the funding that the PCC’s office provides to enable WMWA to offer safe shelter to migrant women who have No Recourse to Public Funds to enable them to then pay rent and support themselves independently. Although they are small in number, the impact of the funding provided by the PCC’s office makes a profound difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in West Mercia.
A lively and reflective discussion concluded with the clear commitment by all to continue to collaborate and drive both the support and the prevention agendas in tackling domestic abuse in West Mercia.