Helping Survivors: What Does a Domestic Abuse Support Practitioner Do?
Welcome to this blog where I will share with you the behind the scenes of a working day in my role as a Domestic Abuse Support Practitioner as I know some of you are curious as to what this might look like.
My role at Grampian Women’s Aid is to support women who have previously or are currently experiencing domestic abuse from an intimate partner or ex-partner and I provide support on an outreach basis.
It is entirely up to you how you would like your support to take place, if it is safe to do so I can meet with you in your own home or I can book out safe spaces within your local community or within our office space to see you in person. If preferred I can also provide you with support by telephone or video calls.
My day differs vastly and is dependent on each of your needs and priorities as I provide person-centred support to each woman, aiming to reduce the impacts of domestic abuse in a variety of areas. There are so many things I can help with, it would be too much to list but I have popped a few below to give you an idea.
It may be that I support you with accessing a safe place to live, maybe into one of our safe refuge properties, you may feel overwhelmed in doing so but I am here to reassure and listen to you and just know that I sigh a sense of relief knowing you are now living somewhere safe.
I could support you with attending immigration appointments to gain a settled status to stay within the UK, it has been a fantastic feeling being part of the journey for many women gaining indefinite leave to remain.
I could support you to open a bank account and to apply for benefits you are entitled to, making sure you have independence through access to your own income.
It is important to me that you have a confidential space to speak through your experiences of domestic abuse and the impacts this has had on you. I am always here with an open ear, I will believe you and I will never judge you.
I will support you with understanding the risk from your perpetrator and with safety planning around this, understanding you are the expert in your life.
Throughout your journey, I will ensure I validate your feelings and experiences as often perpetrator behaviours can cloud your vision of reality, and I feel this validation is crucial in supporting survivors on their recovery journey.
Often I am met with an overwhelming sense of relief from women I support, hearing positive feedback from clients who I have supported to feel fully heard and respected.
I meet such a diverse range of wonderful, strong, resilient and inspiring women and the biggest sense of achievement I gain from my role is when I am able to support women to recognise this in themselves.
In keeping myself well and following a trauma-informed approach, I enjoy listening to my favourite music between my appointments and I enjoy spending my evenings getting lost in a good book or getting my hands busy with something creative.
Stacey