Domestic Abuse |

Domestic abuse is behaviour from a family member, partner or ex-partner that:

is controlling, coercive, threatening, violent or abusive
happens between people aged over 16

Domestic violence and abuse can happen to men or women. It includes the following types of abuse:

psychological
physical
sexual
financial
emotional

Domestic violence and abuse can include harassment, stalking, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour-based abuse. It can also include trafficking.

If you’ve been affected:

If you are the victim of an abusive relationship, you might want to:

find somewhere safe to stay
stay in your home and get the person who is harming you to leave
report the violence to the police
get a court order to stop your abusive partner from harming or threatening you
take legal action
get help from a charity or another organisation

Whatever you want to do, there are organisations that can give you advice and help.

Finding somewhere safe to stay:

You may need somewhere safe to stay, either alone or with your children. You could:

stay at home – if you think this is safe
stay with relatives or friends
stay in a refuge
get emergency accommodation from the local authority under homeless persons law – this will usually mean a bed and breakfast hostel
get privately rented accommodation.

How Do I report an incident of adult abuse?

If you suspect someone is in immediate risk, harm or danger, please telephone the Police on 999
Alert IOWCC Adult Social Care as soon as possible by calling the Safeguarding Team on 01983 814980 or by email [email protected]
If you are suffering because of domestic abuse or know someone who is you can call the ‘You First’ freephone helpline: 0800 234 6266 or email [email protected]