What is Domestic Abuse?

Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, by a partner, ex-partner, a family member, or carer.

Men, women, transgender individuals and children all experience domestic abuse, and can also all be perpetrators of abuse. However, evidence shows that women are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse and the majority of perpetrators are men.  We also know that more individuals who identify as being lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender are disproportionately affected by abuse.

Abuse can begin at any time in a relationship, after a relationship has ended or within a family, and it takes place at all levels of society, regardless of social class, race, age, religion, sexual orientation or disability.  Individuals may experience abuse or be affected by it long after they have left their abuser.

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to the following:

• Coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)
• Psychological and/or emotional abuse
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Economic or financial abuse
• Stalking and harassment
• Online or digital abuse
• Domestic abuse also includes so called ‘Honour Based Violence’, Female Genital Mutilation, and Forced Marriage.

What is Safe Space?

The Central Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Safe Spaces Scheme is part of the Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Partnership Safe Spaces Scheme where specific locations within the community are available to:

• offer a safe space for somebody to go to who needs to access support
• offer a safe space for someone to contact a support service to help them safely

As over 85% of Domestic Abuse cases involve children, as a school we are keen to support this scheme and continue to be able to offer support to our children and their families.

A Safe Space is an area in our school that enables someone experiencing domestic abuse to be able to make a confidential call, use the internet safely to get help, pick up a leaflet or to just be somewhere safe.  There will be a safe space at both of our school sites and support offered by a member of our Safeguarding team, access to a telephone, internet and information leaflets.

To access a safe space at our school you can either telephone and request use of a safe space or come to the school office and request to see ANI (Annie). The government has launched the Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) code word scheme to enable victims of domestic abuse to access immediate help from the police, or other support services.  Our staff will understand that by requesting to see ANI you require a safe space.

What does Clare’s law do?

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare's Law”) was legislation developed and introduced in the UK and Wales in 2014. The law allows the police to disclose information to victims of domestic violence, on request, about a partner's previous history of domestic/intimate partner violence or violent acts. https://beta.beds.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/alpha2/request-information-under-clares-law/

• Domestic abuse is a pattern of behaviour on the part of the abuser designed to control their partner. It can happen at any point in a relationship, including after you have split up.
• Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, background, gender, religion, sexuality or ethnicity. 
• Domestic abuse is never the fault of the person who is experiencing it.
• Domestic abuse is a crime.

Useful Websites