A new programme has been launched, which aims to help to prevent domestic violence and abuse by challenging perpetrators.
The Everyday Safe programme, developed by Acorn Academy in partnership with SafeNet Domestic Abuse and Support Services, will work with perpetrators of abuse – supporting them to address their unhealthy behaviours and motivating them to make a positive change in their behaviour.
Recent research carried out by the University of Gloucestershire identified that men who kill their partners follow an eight-stage pattern of controlling behaviour that can be tracked to help prevent deaths.
The ultimate aim of Everyday Safe is to increase the safety of victims by helping perpetrators to acknowledge and address those beliefs and destructive patterns of behaviour that lead to domestic abuse, and how they use coercive control to dominate their relationships.
Topics that will be covered are anger, self-awareness, coercive control, effective communication skills, gaslighting, addiction and many more subjects that will be underpinned by prompting Emotional Intelligence to all the participants.
Everyday Safe has already been successfully delivered in HMP Buckley Hall to 15 convicted perpetrators of domestic violence with positive outcomes reported by attendees who said they gained a deeper understanding around the impact of their behaviour.
Everyday Safe is now considered the ‘go-to’ programme on domestic violence offender sentence plans by the prison staff at Buckley Hall.
Alex Atkinson, SafeNet Domestic Abuse and Support Service’s Head of Support Services, said:
“For over 40 years, we have been supporting victims and survivors at risk of domestic abuse. Our experience has helped us to shape the new programme and inform the content from a victim perspective so that perpetrators understand the impact it has on their loved ones and take responsibility for their behaviour.
“We hope that Everyday Safe will lead to a greater understanding domestic abuse and prevent a rise in domestic violence crimes in our communities.”
The next free course will start 9th October, 10am-4pm, and will run for 22 weeks at Gateway, Mitre Street, Burnley.
For more information about the course, and how to refer onto the programme, contact Sean Horan on 07563 750510.