Domestic Abuse
What is domestic abuse?
Domestic abuse is when someone who is ‘personally connected’ to another person carries out abusive behaviour, and they are both aged 16 or over.
Examples of people who are personally connected include partners, ex-partners or family members. These people do not have to live together.
Abusive Behaviour can be:
- Physical
Hitting, slapping, punching, biting, hair pulling and burning - Sexual
Rape, unwanted sexual contact, forcing sex with others, forcing the victim to watch/ take part in pornography or engage in prostitution - Violent or Threatening behaviour
Intimidating, threatening to hurt person or themselves, breaking of property - Controlling and Coercive behaviour
Tracking someone with or without their knowledge, controlling someone’s online accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), stopping someone accessing medical care they need, isolating them from friends and family, telling them what to wear, constant calls/texts or messages - Emotional and Psychological
Verbal abuse, humiliating someone, putting someone down, blaming - Economic
Controlling the amount of money someone has access to, stopping someone from having a job, limiting access to things like food, damaging someone’s credit history on purpose
Other type of domestic abuse include:
- ‘Honour-based’ violence
- Forced Marriage
- Female Genital Mutilation
How to spot signs of domestic abuse
There are many barriers to seeking help for abuse, and may hide signs of their abuse. They are often afraid of further abuse if they were to ask for help, feel embarrassed and ashamed, or feel that nothing will come of seeking support.
Some victims do not recognise that they are being abused, often because they have suffered from long-term abuse and may begin to feel that they deserve it or that it is impossible to escape.
Examples of signs that could suggest someone is experience domestic abuse:
Adults:
- Wearing extra clothes or makeup to hide bruises and marks
- Becoming withdrawn or avoiding social activities
- Not engaging with support services for example not turning up to appointments or answering the phone
- Low self esteem, self blame, or being extremely apologetic
- Excessive worry about upsetting their partner
- Saying that they are afraid of going home
- Mental health issues such as anxiety or depression
- Being accompanied to all events/appointments
- Having little money available or a lack of knowledge around how their money is being spent
Children:
- Bed-wetting, nightmares or not being to sleep
- Having problems in school such as skipping school, reduced attainment
- Afraid of going home
- Feeling anxious
- Physical symptoms like stomach aches
- Withdrawal or acting out and having difficulty regulating their emotions
- Self-harm
If you feel a ‘gut instinct’ that somebody is suffering from abuse, use your professional curiosity and find out more.
Who can be a victim?
Anyone can be affected by domestic abuse though it does disproportionately affect women.
Pregnancy can increase someone’s risk of experiencing domestic abuse. Around 30% of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy.
Children as victims
Children are recognised as victims of domestic abuse. This means even if abusive behaviour is not directed at a child but they see, hear or experience the effects of abuse they are a victim. For example, if one parent is abusing another parent and the child hears the abuse a child is also a victim. Even if the child does not directly witness the abuse, they can still be affected by it. In cases involving anyone under the age of 18 child safeguarding procedures should be followed to ensure children are protected and offered appropriate support.
Children are often the silent victims of domestic abuse and if they do not receive help and support from an early stage, this could affect their social and personal development with long term psychological problems.
Services in Wandsworth
If someone is in immediate danger always call 999.
Have a look on the Wandsworth council website
Refuge Independent Domestic Abuse Advocacy Service
020 3879 3544 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
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Refuge Complex Needs Service
020 8547 6046 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
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Wandsworth One Stop Shop Service* (run by Refuge/drop in service, no appointments necessary)
- St. Mark’s, Battersea Rise, SW11 1EJ
- Monday between 10am to 12noon (excluding bank holidays)
- Picasso Building, Minstead Gardens, Roehampton, SW15 4EE
- Wednesdays 10am to 12:30pm
*One Stop Shop Service is a drop-in service for domestic abuse survivors who would like to come in and access discrete non-judgemental support, free advice and information from agencies that are all under one roof concerning domestic abuse, stalking and sexual violence
Adult Social Services (for adults with support needs)
020 8871 7707/020 8871 8999 (out of hours)
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Housing Support (Wandsworth council)
020 8871 6840 (M-F 9am - 4.30pm)/020 8871 6000 (out of hours)
[javascript protected email address]
MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference)
[javascript protected email address]
Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) (for concerns around children)
020 8871 6622/020 8871 6000 (out of hours)
[javascript protected email address]
Sanctuary Scheme (support to help survivors secure their home)
020 8871 7333
Wandsworth L.I.N.K.S (Delivering parenting and domestic abuse groups for parents, carers and children in Wandsworth)
[javascript protected email address]
National services
National Rape Crisis
0808 802 9999/Live Chat
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
0808 2000 247 (free 24 hours a day)/Live Chat (M-F 3pm - 10pm)
Women and Girls Network
0808 8010 660/Live Chat
Children
Childline
0800 1111
NSPCC (for professionals)
0808 800 5000
[javascript protected email address]
Women and Girls Network's Young Advice Casework (Ascent)(for girls aged 14 - 18)
0808 801 0660
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