Common Questions about Domestic Abuse

FOR NON-EMERGENCY SUPPORT AND SAFETY PLANNING:

CALL OASIS’S EAST KENT AND MEDWAY HELPLINE:
0800 917 9948
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 9am - 4.30pm

Or email helpline@oasisdaservice.org
(if it’s safe to do so)

For 24/7 support call the national helpline
0808 2000 247

There are professionals who can advise you about how to end a relationship as safely as possible.

You may be able to talk to a trusted person who could talk to agencies on your behalf. It can be very hard to end an abusive relationship. Your partner may persuade you that they will change, or threaten you with further abuse or consequences. You may need to move to a refuge for a while to keep yourself safe. It may take time to plan to flee and you might need to save money and collect important documents like a passport, birth certificate etc.

Go to our Get Help Now section to find out about services and how to access them. 

Only the abusive person has the ability to stop the abuse.

Abuse is a behavioural choice. They will tell you that you are responsible; the truth is that nothing you do, or don’t do will change their behaviour. You may feel helpless and believe that you are the only person who can help them to change, but their behaviour is not your responsibility.

Some abusers can change, but the process is long and they would need to want to reform.

Professionals who understand domestic abuse may work in treatment groups to help them to recognise their behaviour. It is our experience that abuse escalates despite claims that behaviour will change. It is not possible for you to change someone else’s behaviour, change has to be actively sought by the abuser. 

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender identity, religion, orientation, ethnicity, income, or disability.

Domestic abuse can begin at any stage in a relationship but it is rarely a one-off incident.

Incidents of violent, threatening, or controlling behaviour become more frequent and severe over time.

On average people experience 50 incidents of domestic abuse before getting effective help.

It is a choice to behave in a violent and/or abusive way – it is not caused by stress, frustration or substance misuse.

There is never an excuse for domestic abuse; it is an unacceptable violation of human rights.

If you think you might be experiencing abuse you can use this website to explore your relationship and find out how to get help.  

You might have to go to the trial if there is one, but there are often lots of other hearings you won’t need to attend.

Someone from the Witness Care Unit will contact you and you may be offered the additional support of a Court IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor).

Oasis offers services for people aged between 5 and 25, we also offer services for children who are in our refuge. Discover our services for children and young people >

To find other local services across Kent and Medway, please visit www.domesticabuseservices.org.uk. 

Leaving an abusive relationship is a very long and difficult process.

It is important to remember that leaving is a process and not an event and that abuse and risk increase at the point of leaving a relationship.

This is made difficult for a range of reasons. If someone is experiencing domestic abuse, they may:

• Feel ashamed and reluctant to tell people or seek help

• Feel frightened and uncertain about what the future will hold

• Feel it’s in the children’s best interests to stay

• Find making big decisions difficult and scary

• Be isolated from family and friends and therefore trying to make decisions and take action alone, without a support structure

• Be financially unable - financial abuse can restrict access to money / shared finances can make leaving difficult

• Not know about the services available to them

• They might have received a negative response when they reached out to someone for support in the past

• Still have feelings for their partner and hope/believe that the relationship will get better

If you or someone you know is thinking about leaving an abusive relationship, you can get help now - call our helpline on 0800 917 9948.

Domestic abuse can be a criminal offence and the police can arrest, caution or charge the perpetrator.

You should call 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency or you can attend a police station in person to report an incident.

If an assault has taken place and is reported, the police will investigate the crime. Where they have a power of arrest, they will normally arrest the suspect. Where there is enough evidence, and if prosecution is in the public interest, this person will be prosecuted.

Criminal and civil law offers important protections for individuals who are experiencing domestic abuse. Court orders are frequently used to protect victims of domestic abuse.

• A Non-molestation order is a is a court order aimed at preventing your partner or ex-partner from using or threatening abuse / violence against you or your child, or intimidating, harassing or pestering you, in order to ensure your health, safety and well-being

• An occupation order regulates who can live in the family home, and can also restrict your abuser from entering the surrounding area. If you do not feel safe continuing to live with your partner, or if you have left home because of abuse, but want to return and exclude your abuser, you may want to apply for an occupation order.

You can access free legal advice at your local One Stop Shop- find your nearest one at – www.domesticabuseservices.org.uk

The National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) also provides a free, fast emergency injunction service to survivors of domestic abuse regardless of their financial circumstances, race, gender or sexual orientation.

Domestic abuse can have adverse effects on children and young people and can be traumatic. It can impact upon all areas of life, including, health, education and the development of relationships.

The effects of domestic abuse on children are wide ranging and will differ for each child.  Research has shown that experiencing or witnessing domestic abuse is a factor in school dropout and exclusion, youth homelessness and young people engaging in risk taking behaviour. Children and young people have varying levels of resilience and all agencies that come into contact with children and young people who experience domestic abuse, have a responsibility to build upon this resilience.

Sexting can be done in a consensual way but putting pressure on someone to send sexually explicit pictures, sexting, is abusive and not okay.

If someone shares these pictures without consent this is illegal. A new criminal offence to tackle Revenge Porn has been introduced in England & Wales. If you have been the victim of this offence, you can call revenge porn helpline - find details at www.revengepornhelpline.org.uk or talk to us about your relationship.

Rachel’s Story

Rachel was referred into the Oasis Court IDVA service for support around a court case involving her ex-partner. In her first call she said that her biggest problem was her ability to pay for housing; she was living in private rented accommodation on a joint tenancy with the perpetrator and now that he was no longer contributing to the rent, she was unable to afford it.

Watch our webinars

With our Kent and Medway Domestic Abuse Service partners, we’ve created a series of webinars to help everyone learn about domestic abuse and how to support survivors. The series includes a range of 15 minute bitesize videos and 1 hour webinars