Piloting new approaches to support those living with domestic abuse 

Spurgeon’s Children’s Charity has been appointed by national domestic abuse charity SafeLives and partners from the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership* to pilot new approaches to improve outcomes for individuals and families experiencing domestic abuse  

The charity, which was founded by Baptist minister Charles Haddon Spurgeon over 150 years ago, will be working in partnership to deliver a three year pilot in the Norwich area. Every year in England nearly two million people experience domestic abuse.
 
The partnership will be looking to plug the gaps in support for people experiencing abuse, having been identified through working closely with victims and survivors. Over the next three years, they will seek to trial innovative approaches, ensuring every family member can get the right support at the right time, to make them safe, sooner.  The main focus will be on:

• Early intervention, helping people recognise the signs of abuse before it escalates
• Support for the complex needs many people have – often because of, or exacerbated by domestic abuse, such as substance misuse and mental ill health
• Support for people who are still in their relationship or living with the perpetrator of abuse
• Support for children and young people through specialist, age appropriate services
• Support for survivors to recover from the harm, heal and build resilienceAt the heart of this pilot is a commitment to work in partnership with existing services to provide an integrated response for individuals and the whole family; recognising that services are often only able to respond to part of the picture around domestic abuse. 

The project’s learnings will provide a much needed evidence base of what works and will be used to inform the response nationally.

It will also build on SafeLives’ Beacon approach: creating lasting systematic change by seeing the whole picture for the whole family, challenging perpetrator behaviour and meeting the gaps in the response to domestic abuse that exist nationally.

Ross Hendry, Chief Executive of Spurgeons Children’s Charity, said, 'We are delighted to be working alongside SafeLives and the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership to deliver a whole family approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in Norwich.

'We were founded by Charles Spurgeon to bridge the gap in the welfare state in Victorian England. Though the nature of our work has changed over the years, the need for services like ours is as necessary as ever. We believe that through working in partnership with others, like SafeLives and the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership, we can deliver the best possible results for children and families. 

'Our work in Norwich combines the key expertise of all partners involved and is underpinned by a number of holistic therapeutic interventions for the whole family. Our team of specialists will work with survivors and perpetrators, as well as any children who live within the home, to reduce instances of DVA and create a safe environment for individuals and families to thrive and flourish in.'

Suzanne Jacob, SafeLives Chief Executive, said, 'We’re delighted to be working with the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership and Spurgeons Children’s Charity to trial these new interventions and ways of working. For the last two years we’ve worked incredibly hard, alongside our expert partners and victims and survivors of domestic abuse to identify the gaps in the current response and develop these interventions.

'Every year in England and Wales, nearly two million people experience domestic abuse. These victims and their children go through indescribable fear and harm. We owe it to them to listen to their needs and wishes and offer them tailored support. It is not enough to merely make people safe from the immediate danger – we must see the whole picture for the whole family. The appointment of Spurgeons signals the next stage in the development of this work. We look forward to working together to help more victims, survivors and children become safe sooner.'

 

*Partners from the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership that are funding this are Norfolk Constabulary, Office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, Norfolk Children’s Services, Norfolk Adult Social Services, Norfolk Public Health and Norwich City Council.