Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership

Domestic Abuse is defined by Women’s Aid as “an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common. In the vast majority of cases it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men”. 

Domestic Abuse can include, but is not limited to:

• Coercive control, which is a pattern of intimidation, isolation and control with the use and/or threat of physical or sexual violence (such as Forced Marriage and Predatory Marriage);
• Psychological and/or emotional abuse;
• Physical and/or sexual abuse (such as Female Genitial Mutilation (FGM) and Honour Based Violence (HBV);
• Financial or economic abuse;
• Harassment and stalking; and
• Online or digital abuse.

Domestic Abuse and Older People

Domestic Abuse can happen to people of all ages and may develop over the course of a relationship. Our short animation below has been produced in partnership with Dewis Choice and Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board and has been tailored to Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin with support from Partners in Care. The animation highlights the unique challenges that older adults face when domestic abuse occurs. Based on the power and control wheel as adapted by Dewis Choice the aim of this short animation is to be a tool to help support practitioners and families start a conversation with an older adult.

 

 

Domestic Abuse - Disability, Forced Marriage and Honor Based Violence

This animation considers domestic abuse and disability and how to access help. The animation was adapted for use in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin by Partners in Care with funding from the West Mercia Police Crime Commissioner. The animation addresses issues around domestic abuse and disability and looks at an example of how an adult who was experiencing domestic abuse was supported by a specialist domestic abuse agency and adult safeguarding. Nationally, it is understood that there is an increased risk of experiencing domestic abuse as an adult with a disability. Disabled people experience disproportionately higher rates of domestic abuse compared to the general population, and adults with a learning disability are three times more likely to experience domestic abuse (Office for National Statistics, 2021).
It may be more challenging for adults with a disability to report their experience of domestic abuse because of a dependence on the person causing the harm.

Violence can also be directed towards children, other family members, friends and pets, and abuse can happen in any relationship. The NSPCC provides more information on the practice of FGM and Karma Nirvana is a national organisation that supports the victims of HBV and FM. 

Why is this a priority?

• We estimate there are 25,680 adult victims in Telford and Wrekin who have experienced domestic abuse at some point in their lives since the age of 16.
• An estimated 15% of these adult victims will have experienced both partner and family abuse.
• Of the total estimated adult victims 17,130 67% are estimated to be female.
• Of the total estimated adult victims 8,550 33% are estimated to be male.
• We estimate there are 7,020 adult victims in Telford and Wrekn who have experienced domestic abuse at some point in the last year.
• We estimate that around 8% of those adult victims will have experienced both partner and family abuse.
• Of the total estimated adult victims in the past year 4,470 (68%) are estimated to be female.
• Of the total estimated adult victims in the past year 2,280 (32%) are estimated to be male.

 

What are we doing to reduce the incidents of Domestic Abuse in Telford and Wrekin?

The Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership are committed to reducing domestic abuse in the borough by working collaboratively with partner organisations to review and develop multi-agency pathways for both victims and perpetators, ensuring that all policies and procedures are fit for purpose, linked to other pathways and use local and national learning to inform sharing of good work and practice. We aim to improve the understanding of the scale of domestic abuse in the borough by developing a victim and perpetrator profile, a geographical profile and an understanding of the types of domestic abuse being perpatrated in the borough. 

The Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership are committed to embedding the Telford and Wrekin Domestic Abuse Strategy,  which outlines commitments from partners to address the issue. The Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership aims to develop practitioner’s knowledge on the dynamics of domestic abuse on the whole family and provide them with the appropriate training and resources to support the family. Likewise, it also aims to increase awareness in the community of domestic abuse and how to seek support.

The Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership has a Domestic Abuse Local Partnership (DALP) Board that meets on a regular basis to take forward and implement the Telford and Wrekin Domestic Abuse Strategy. 

Download a copy of the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Annual report 2022 - 2023

What should I do if I am or someone you know is affected by Domestic Abuse?

In Telford and Wrekin, there are a number of services who can support someone affected by Domestic Abuse. Further information and signposting can be found on the Family Connect website and in our Domestic Abuse Help Leaflet

 

 

If you or someone you know is at risk or is experiencing Domestic Abuse, there are a number of agencies you can contact for advice and support. 

• National Domestic Violence Helpline is a 24 hour service, who can support someone who may have fled their home and in need of a place of safety, discuss fears and offer support and offer assistance in terms of housing guidance, legal rights and reassurance about calling the police. They can be contacted on 0808 2000 247, and it is a free phone number
• West Mercia Women’s Aid can be contacted if you are worried or frightened by your partner or ex-partner, a family member or someone close to you. Please ring 0800 783 1359, where support, advice and information will be given
• West Mercia Police can be contacted if you want to report an incident, and this can be done by either ringing 101 which is the non-emergency number, or by going to your local police station to speak to someone in person.

If it is an emergency or there is an immediate danger, always ring 999.