Domestic abuse
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Domestic abuse can affect men and women of any age, from any culture or religion, in a heterosexual or same sex relationship (or not in a relationship at all), living with or apart from their abuser.
The abuse could be physical, psychological, sexual, financial or emotional, or could be in the form of ‘honour’ based violence, including forced marriage or female genital mutilation (FGM).
It’s rarely a one-off incident and tends to get worse over time.
If you feel you are a victim of any form of domestic abuse, or feel at risk, we can offer you a range of advice and support. Domestic abuse is unacceptable and we’ll take firm action against those responsible.
As always, if you or someone else is in immediate danger please call 999 and ask for the police. Silent calls will work if you are not safe to speak - call 999 and then press 55. Find out more about silent calls. 
Please also contact us or talk to the housing team, so we can refer you to specialist organisations who can offer you support and advice.
You can also ring the National Domestic Violence helpline on 0808 2000 247. Refuge specialise in supporting women suffering domestic violence, and ManKind Initiative specialise in supporting men.
There is also the Bright Sky app, which is a free to download mobile app providing information and advice. The app has lots of useful tools and you can also record evidence in a private journal (via text, audio, video or photo). The information uploaded is not stored on the phone itself, ensuring the information remains confidential.
- Download the Bright Sky app in the Google Play Store .
- Download the Bright Sky app in the iOS App Store .
What will you do if I report domestic abuse?
We’ll listen to you, believing what you tell us, and will contact you safely, in a way and time that suits you.
We’ll treat what you tell us confidentially but, if we’re concerned that someone is at risk of serious harm, we do have to pass this information on to the police.
We’ll be clear about what we can do and we’ll help you find specialist support. If you want to take action against your abuser, we can support you.
How can we help?
We’ll keep in regular contact with you and keep a log of everything you tell us.
We can give advice and support on restraining orders and injunctions and make referrals to other agencies. We’ll work closely with those agencies to make sure you get the help you need.
If you need to leave your home, we can help you find a safe place to live. If you want to stay at home, we can provide additional security measures. We can also give you advice on applying for benefits and help you fill out the forms.