Landmark Relate Conference hails New Response to Domestic Violence and Abuse
09 July 2008
Experts in the field of counselling and Domestic Violence & Abuse (DVA) yesterday met to review findings of a Home Office and Big Lottery Fund backed Relate initiative to help Relate clients who experience domestic violence in their lives.
The Conference, 'Responding to clients - New ways of working' held on the 8th July at Warwick University, brought together leading academics from the University of East London and practitioners involved in the pioneering project, and members of the wider Relate organisation which now covers 600 locations and helps 150,000 clients per year.
Keynote speaker John Dunworth, Head of Interpersonal Violence at the Home Office, praised the work of Relate in pioneering new ways of working with vulnerable clients. He said that the organisation was at the heart of a co-ordinated community response to the issue of DVA.
Claire Tyler, Chief Executive of Relate said:
"This is a landmark event for Relate - as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary we are pioneering evidence-based, Government backed initiatives to ensure we are providing the safest response to all of our clients. We are very encouraged that the Home Office recognizes the pivotal role of Relate in delivering accountable, high quality counselling to people whose lives are blighted by DVA and we look forward to further informing responses to this most pressing issue."
The 200 plus delegates heard findings from the initiative trialled at 18 Relate Centres across England and Wales. Working on the premise that DVA can be heavily masked, under the new model, if there is any mention of abuse or violence clients are offered an individual interview to help them disclose the full extent of what they are experiencing without needing to censor what they say in the presence of their partner. In an evaluation of a sample of clients who were seen individually, over half were disclosing DVA for the first time ever and many reported that they felt empowered and that the session helped them to face up to things and allowed them to speak more openly.
The findings of this project will be reported in full in August 2008 and will inform future service development to help vulnerable clients talk about DVA in a safe environment so that Relate Centres can respond to their needs, and the needs of their children and families.
Nationally it is estimated that DVA affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men at some point in their lives. Relate, the leading relationship support organisation, as this trial indicates, is one of the first agencies to whom DVA is disclosed.
Notes for Editors
- Relate is working to promote health, respect and justice in couple and family relationships
- The Relate Centres involved in this initiative are: Relate Birmingham, Relate Cheshire & Merseyside, Relate Coventry & District, Relate Derby & Southern Derbyshire, Relate East Kent, Relate Greater Manchester South, Relate Greater Manchester North, Relate Lancashire & Cumbria, Relate Leeds, Relate Leicestershire, Relate Mid-Thames & Buckinghamshire, Relate Milton Keynes, Relate North Essex & East Herts, Relate North Wales, Relate Northumberland & Tyneside, Relate Peterborough & District, Relate Worcestershire and Relate Northamptonshire
- In 2008 Relate celebrates 70 years of promoting strong relationships - information about the Anniversary, specific events and ways to get involved can be found on the Relate website at: http://www.relate.org.uk/aboutus/relate:70yearsofpromotingstrongrelationships/
- Relate's services extend beyond couple counselling to family counselling, counselling for young people, online counselling, sex therapy and relationship skills workshops
- Relate works in schools, primary care settings, prisons, and with local authorities on homelessness prevention services
- Relate supports 150,000 people each year in over 600 locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Relate has a work-force of 2000 people nationwide
