Hampshire CAB Consortium Working Together

Domestic violence means any form of physical, emotional, psychological or sexual abuse, usually by your partner or spouse. This can be:

• physical attack - whether or not it results in injury
• threatened attacks
• verbal abuse
• mental cruelty

Whatever form it takes, it is serious and you do not have to put up with it. You need to consider seriously your own safety as well as that of your children. It is often difficult to know what to do about it. Here we aim to give you the main options you have, and give you some practical information to help you sort things out.

1   Leaving the home

If you do this you will need to find somewhere temporary or permanent to stay. Depending upon how urgent your need is, the following options are possible:

Women's refuges can provide safe, short term accommodation, including help and support (see separate section).

Your local housing authority may have a duty to accommodate you under Homeless Persons legislation.

Alternatively you may prefer to rent privately or stay temporarily with friends or relatives.

2  Staying in the home

You may feel it is more important to stay in the home to avoid disruption and distress for your family. It can also make it easier to establish your right to the home. There are various ways to get the violent partner out of the home, depending on your circumstances.

CAB can explain the different orders Courts can make, but you will usually need a solicitor to do this.

3  Using the Police

When pursuing any action, reporting the offence to the police will:

• Ensure records and evidence of violence is there for future reference (for housing, legal action etc)
• Allow the police to take action against the violent partner

The priority of the police is to support you and to make sure the violence cannot happen again.   There are officers who are specially trained to deal with domestic violence, and provide appropriate help to you.

4  Solicitors

You will need a solicitor to take civil action against your partner. This can be done very quickly in emergencies. You should choose a solicitor carefully, and find out about costs. CAB can advise you about legal aid, and which firms specialise in domestic violence. Details of local firms can also be found in yellow pages. You can also obtain a list of solicitors from the Community Legal Services directory at www.clsdirect.org.uk
 

Besides your local Citizens Advice Bureau, the following organisations can help:-

Victim Support
Can support you in dealing with the emotional and practical difficulties involved in domestic violence. They can also support you at court if needed.

Police
In an emergency ring 999
 

Rape Crisis

Provides support and counselling to anyone over 16 who has suffered any sexual abuse or assault, however long ago.
Web: www.rapecrisis.org.uk

The Samaritans

Web: www.samaritans.org.uk
Telephone: 08457 90 90 90

Relate

Relationship counselling.
Web: www.relate.org.uk
 

Refuges can provide safe space, as well as practical and emotional support.

Each refuge will have slightly different rules and will offer different levels of support, and some are very specific (eg one is for the particular needs of Asian women). If you decide to go to a refuge, you may be able to self-refer but it is more usual to be referred by an agency, such as Social Services, Police, Samaritans or the CAB.

There are several refuges within Hampshire but it may be more important to get away completely from the local area:

Women's Aid Federation of England

24 hour helpline provides advice and information, including information on refuges throughout England: Tel: 0808 2000 247
 

Shelterline
0808 800 4444 (freephone)

Refuge
24 hour 0808 2000 247

Childline
0800 1111

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline
0800 800 500

Careline
0181 514 1177

Male Advice & Enquiry line
0845 064 6800
 

Access Keys 123456789a

[CITIZENS ADVICE HAMPSHIRE] [ACCESSIBILITY] [ABOUT US] [OUR SERVICE] [MONEY ADVICE] [MENTAL HEALTH] [DOMESTIC VIOLENCE] [SOCIAL POLICY] [CONTACT US] [VOLUNTEERING]