On Thursday 27th November WAND and the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill presented the No Excuse for Abuse Conference 2014.
It was held at the Bovington Park Conference Centre and had a remarkable line up of speakers and was Chaired by author and Patron of WAND, Tracey West.
The speakers comprised:
- Martyn Underhill, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
- Crystal Lily Mills, young witness to domestic violence
- Patrick Myers, Head of Business Development Dorset County Council
- Michael Hammond, Children’s Services Manager Banardos
- Alice Hunt, Regional Development Officer for the Young People’s Programme for CAADA, Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse
- Eve Thomas, domestic abuse survivor, founder of #SAFE and linchpin behind Eve’s Law
- Detective Inspector Steve Thorpe, discussing Clare’s Law and domestic homicide reviews
- Dr Chris Newman, consultant for RESPECT, the National Association for Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes and Associated Support Services
- Chief Inspector Jez Noyce, discussing Dorset Police Domestic Violence Training Videos
The speakers took the floor for the first half of the day and concluded with a Q & A session from the audience which took everyone through to a slightly later start for lunch, due to the incredible presentations from the speakers which overran. Eve Thomas received a standing ovation from the audience after her passionate delivery about how the court system needs to protect the location of vulnerable women who are suffering at the hands of abusive partners.
After lunch, the groups split into small groups to attend a variety of workshops, namely:
- Lessons learned and changing practice from DHRs – Nicola Pengelly and DCI Chris Naughton
- Working with perpetrators – Dr Chris Newman, PAI Family Safety Assessments
- LGBT DVA work and support – Jo Harvey-Barringer, Broken Rainbow
- Support for children and young people witnessing abuse – Ruth Garside, Banardos
- Young People as Victims and Specialist Support Service – Alice Hunt, CAADA
- Introduction to DVA training for survivors and practiciionrs – Pauline Collier and Jo Keans, DAIT
There were well over 200 people in attendance and the day was an unquestionable success.
For more information on this and future events like it, subscribe to our website and visit the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner’s website too.
The Team
