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Dorset
Read about our Dorset team
We have been commissioned by Dorset Council to deliver their Integrated Domestic Abuse Services. We are committed to identifying gaps in provision across our communities and this has led to successful funding and commissioning for other interventions by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Local and National government.
Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council have commissioned PARAGON to develop and deliver a specialist health team working within their hospitals. This team supports victims and survivors of domestic abuse and trains hospital staff so they can better support anyone who wishes to disclose and talk about their experiences of domestic abuse.
Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council have also commissioned specialist children and young person’s advocates who are co-located within the West Howe/Kinson Family Hub and Boscombe Family Hubs. They provide specialist trauma-informed support and advocacy to those aged 5-18. They work those who have experienced domestic abuse within the family home. This might be directly, as a witness or within their own intimate relationships. The service will also support CYP’s living in refuge accommodation.
Our teams work across Dorset and offer practical and emotional support. Below is a brief overview on what we can offer, including:
Refuge and Safe Houses for female and child victims of domestic abuse
- Specialist refuge for women and children
- Safe house for transwomen, women with older male children (up to age of 15)
Outreach
- Specialist support in your community in Dorset
- We can meet you in your home, out for a coffee and chat – wherever feels safest for you
- Solutions to help you stay safely in your own home, window locks, door chains, etc
Children
- Working in our accommodations
- For children aged 5 – 16
- Practical and emotional support to increase safety and resilience
- Specialist trauma informed support and advocacy for children living in the community and within safe accommodation
Recovery groups
- In refuge and in the community, virtual or face to face
- A range of accredited groups offering a safe space
- Helping to understand trauma and how we respond
- Sharing information and knowledge to better understand and deal with previous experiences
Advocacy
- Attending meetings with you
- Speaking with you and on your behalf
- Explaining the impact of violence and abuse to others so they can better understand your response
- Sharing our knowledge about domestic abuse and the impact of trauma
Whole family support
- Working together with you and your children
- Developing parenting strategies where domestic abuse has had a negative impact
Securing legal options
- We can help look at the best ways of keeping you safe and support you with civil or criminal proceedings
Counselling
- We have a team of specialist counsellors who work with victims and survivors of domestic abuse
Partner support with Up2U and Choose2Change
- Ongoing support for the partners of people engaged with the behaviour change programme
- Safety planning
Health Advocacy
- Meeting with you in the community after you leave hospital
- Risk assessment
- Safety planning
- Training for health staff
- Working in Dorset Hospitals
Stalking
- Help and support
- Stalking typologies training
- Risk assessment
- Safety planing
- Referral to stalking clinic
- Support with criminal justice processes
Find our Dorset team
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