At the end of last year, Look Ahead’s Kent Domestic Abuse Service team came together with customers and representatives from valued community partners to celebrate their joint achievements.
Amongst the partners were Kent Police, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals, Town & Country Housing, Protection Against Stalking, Sevenoaks District Community Safety Partnership, the National Probation Service and Blue Buzzard Property.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear testimonies from customers and partner representatives about the impact our Kent Domestic Abuse team has had on them, their services and the wider community.
For example, a representative from Kent Police said that they have seen a 68% increase in public engagement around domestic abuse since they started working with Look Ahead, partly as a result of training around body language that we have provided, in addition to the presence of a Look Ahead Independent Domestic Abuse Advice (IDVA) advocate at the local police station.
The lead matron and head of safeguarding for local NHS hospitals also spoke at the event, and said that the presence of an IDVA advocate on site has also drastically improved their ability to identify cases of domestic abuse.
The private landlords Blue Buzzard Property spoke as well, sharing their experience of using their properties for emergency accommodation for our customers and what they had learned about domestic abuse in the process.
“I was extremely proud of our team and what they have been able to achieve. They are doing ground-breaking work in Kent”, said Lorraine Lawson who heads up Look Ahead’s domestic abuse operations and attended the event.
