If you or someone else has been injured, you are feeling threatened, or in immediate danger you should always call 999.
What is domestic abuse?
Domestic Abuse means any incident or pattern of incidents of violence, controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour. It can happen between people who are, or have been intimate partners or family members (example; elder abuse or adolescent to parent abuse).
This includes any behaviour that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame and injure someone.
Domestic abuse can take different forms, including:
- Physical violence: punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, hair pulling, burning, strangling, pinning you down, restraining you.
- Sexual violence: using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts. Having sex with you when you don’t want it. Forcing you to look at pornographic material. Forcing you to have sex with other people. Any degrading treatment related to you sexuality.
- Financial: Taking your money. Controlling the finances and making you ask for money. Stopping you from working.
- Coercive control: a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence. Telling you who you can see, where you can go and what you can wear. Forcing you to do things you don’t want to do through using threats.
- Emotional: such as bullying, name calling, threats and making you feel worthless. Putting you down in front of other people.
- Stalking and harassment: A pattern of unwanted behaviour which is intrusive and caused fear of violence or serious alarm and distress. Following a person, contacting a person, interfering with property or possessions. Loitering in places.
- Online abuse: monitoring social media and or emails, sharing photos and videos online of you without your consent. Using GPS or spyware to monitor your movements. Using social media to abuse you.
- HBV (So called Honour based violence) When a perpetrator thinks a relative has shamed the family or community.
- FGM (Female Genital Mutilation): FGM is carried out for cultural and religious reasons.
- Forced marriage: Is a marriage where one or both people do not or cannot consent and coercion, emotional force or threats of violence are used.
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender.
Victims of domestic abuse may also include children or other relative or household member.
How we will help if you are experiencing Domestic abuse
- Our Safeguarding Team team will provide advice and support working alongside specialist agencies to keep you and your family safe.
- We will ensure that your home is safe and provide extra security.
- We will support you with safety planning advice.
If you are unable to stay in your home please call the or National domestic violence helpline or contact your Local Authority for support with emergency accommodation.
PA Housing are not able to offer temporary accommodation. We are able to offer support, advice and guidance to you through this process. Staff are trained to understand the impact of domestic abuse.
Read our Domestic Abuse Policy
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Report your concerns to us
We take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously. and are here to support you and your family; please call us straightaway.
0300 123 2221
or
Email us in confidenceWe will work with partner agencies to
Awareness
Raise awareness of Domestic Abuse and how this impact individuals and families
Identify
Work closely with other agencies such as the Adult Social Care and Women's Aid to identify, monitor and support.
Support
Work with support staff to help the customer. We take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously. and are here to support you and your family;
Familiarise yourself with The Silent Solution system.
This is a system for victims of domestic abuse who might be afraid of further danger and escalation of harm if they are overheard when calling 999 in an emergency.
When somebody calls 999, an operator will ask which emergency service is required. If the caller is unable to audibly signal to the operator, the call will be forwarded to an operating system. If 55 is pressed by the caller, the system will detect this.
The operator will then transfer the call to the relevant police force as an emergency. Once you have spoken to the Police, please send us the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them. We will work with them and yourself to agree on the next steps.
Learn more
