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At a recent visit to a refuge in the Conwy county area, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Andy Dunbobbin learnt about the specialist support available to victims of domestic abuse from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community in North Wales.
Domestic abuse can affect any community, but members of the BAME community can need more specialised support due to language barriers and cultural differences.
The support service at the refuge is provided by DASU (Domestic Abuse Safety Unit), an organisation that provides professional coordinated and targeted interventions to people experiencing domestic abuse across Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham. DASU is a service commissioned by the PCC to help victims in North Wales.
DASU currently operates a number of One Stop Shops across the different counties and over 41 refuges. It has over 30 years’ experience in delivering free, high-quality specialised and professional services to women, men and their children who are or have experienced domestic abuse. This enables them to live fear-free in communities, optimising their ability to manage their own safety and wellbeing. Services include Independent Domestic Violence Advocates, crisis intervention, outreach and resettlement, safe refuge accommodation, advocacy and children and young people’s services.
During his visit to the refuge, Andy Dunbobbin met Rhian Lewis (Deputy CEO, DASU) and heard about the service available to those fleeing and seeking support for domestic abuse.
An example of how support is provided to members of the BAME community is a referral that was received for a woman and two children. The woman was 6 months pregnant and originally from Bulgaria and spoke very limited English. The referral was made by social services and both the children and the unborn were part of a child protection plan.
At this time social services had agreed to fund the placement as she had no access to public funds, therefore, would not have any entitlement to the welfare system. She had accessed refuge previously but had left to resume the relationship.
From the outset the victim was very much in denial, minimising the abuse and unable to accept any risk to her or the children. However, she began to disclose emotional abuse and that the alleged perpetrator had made threats to kill her. She began to acknowledge the risk was increasing and it was not a safe environment for her or her family.
It was disclosed that the alleged perpetrator had substance misuse issues, a criminal history in the UK and Bulgaria and had also made violent threats to professionals who had any involvement with the family.
During her stay in different refuges over the course of a complex support process, the woman was assisted in various specialist ways. For example, via support with social services by attending regular meetings and advocating on behalf of the client; health appointments for her pregnancy and general healthcare for the family; help to access clothing and essentials for the family; support with parenting; help to communicate with her family back in Bulgaria; and security assistance around security with social media to stay safe from the perpetrator. The woman is now safe and has relocated out of North Wales.
Gaynor McKeown, commented: “DASU offers specialist tailored support to women, men and children in North Wales. We have a range of services, including refuges which enable those affected by Domestic abuse to access support and live a life free from fear. This includes specialist support for individuals from BAME communities and survivors with complex needs. We are a non-judgmental, confidential and free service. if you or someone you know is suffering any type of Domestic Abuse, please get in touch, take the first step to a safer future.”
Andy Dunbobbin commented: “DASU does a hugely valuable job in supporting victims of domestic abuse in North Wales. Commissioning these kinds of services to help victims in the region is an important part of my role as Police and Crime Commissioner and it is humbling to have seen these services in action during my visit to the refuge. These specialist services for people from minority communities are important as these victims often have complex needs that require different kinds of interventions to give them the confidence both to come forward, and to seek help and an escape from their situation.”
For more information on DASU visit: Home » DASU North Wales