Cut it Out – domestic abuse awareness session dates for salons

The Cut It Out campaign is offering a one-hour virtual meeting next week –  Wednesday 31st March – on how to notice signs of domestic abuse and the steps a beauty professional can take to support and help the victim.

 

EVENT: The Cut it Out Domestic Abuse Awareness Campaign – how to spot it – how to support the person. 

WHEN: Wednesday 31^st March 19.30-20.30pm

WHERE: Microsoft Teams (you don’t need the app, they can also be launched via the link through your internet browser)

WHAT: 1 hour (Depending on questions); a condensed version of the Cut It Out awareness sessions to make it more ‘virtual friendly’.

ACTION: Email nadia.norman@northants.pnn.police.uk to get your place & tell your industry friends too

 

Domestic abuse affects one in four women and one in six men in their lifetime. And now a new campaign has been launched to help hair, nail and beauty professionals spot the signs a client may be experiencing domestic abuse.

Nadia Norman, a Police Community Support Officer, leading the #CutItOut campaign in Northamptonshire says, “A lot of the people I spoke to about domestic abuse thought it meant physical violence. They didn’t understand about controlling and coercive behaviour, they didn’t understand what support services were available.

“We want to equip hair and beauty professionals to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and awareness of where they can signpost clients to get help.”

#CutItOut is a major campaign launched by the force aimed at hair, nail and beauty professionals and the wider public as part of its priority to tackle domestic abuse.

The #CutItOut brand originated in Norwich, Norfolk, following a tragic murder. In 2017, weeks after confiding in her hairdresser Annie Reilly, Kerri McAuley was killed by an abusive partner. As a result of this, the campaign, which has since seen success in Rochdale too, was developed.

The campaign is being joint-funded by the force and the OPFCC and has the full involvement and support of partners such as VOICE, the CPS, Crimestoppers and NDAS.

#CutItOut forms part of Northamptonshire Police’s wider strategy in tackling domestic abuse, which is one of the force’s priorities. It affects thousands of people in the county every year: 16,139 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded between September 2017 and December 2018 and 4.6% of these incidents had a sexual element. In the UK, 25% of women and 17% of men will experience some form of domestic abuse at some point in their life.

The project, which launched on Monday 25 November, coincided with International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Its aim is to raise awareness and train salon professionals to recognise the warning signs of domestic abuse and safely refer clients to relevant organisations that can help them.

The launch saw the first training event for more than 160 of Northampton’s hair and beauty professionals with further events to be announced across the county in the future.

This awareness campaign is offered as a virtual event

on Weds 31st March and open to all beauty,

nail & hair professionals across the country.

Annie Reilly, who was at the launch, has spoken of her guilt for not going to the authorities after Kerri confided in her as she did her hair. She said: “One day when she came to an appointment she talked about her boyfriend and said, ‘I know he’s going to kill me’. They were words I never thought I’d hear any of my clients say.

“Should I have phoned the police? Yes, of course I should have done – but I didn’t know they were words that were meant. I just thought it was a statement, a figure of speech.

“Every day I think about her and about what I could have done and what difference it could have made. I’m passionate about this campaign because as hairdressers, many of our clients will confide in us and we need to be equipped with the right information so we can help them in the best way we can.”

Fiona Campbell, CEO of Voice for Victims and Witnesses said: “This campaign is important to raise awareness of gender-based violence, and which agencies in Northamptonshire are available to support people if they are in an abusive relationship and wish to seek help. Voice knows how difficult it can be to speak out or seek help, but it’s never too late to do so.

“Voice is a free and confidential support service for anyone living in the county who has been a victim or witness of crime even if it hasn’t been reported to police. Neither does it matter when or where the crime was committed. You know longer need to suffer in silence – whatever your situation, Voice is here to help you”.

Chief Inspector Julie Mead, who is the force lead for adult safeguarding, said: “The relationship between these professionals and their clients and co-workers is often close and intimate and they may well be able to spot signs of physical abuse that others might not see.

“They are also skilled and experienced listeners, personally interested in the lives of those around them. Their clients tend to feel comfortable talking to them and potentially confiding in them about domestic abuse, even if they would never tell anyone else. They really can be valuable and influential in the fight against domestic abuse.

“People are more likely to talk to someone they trust about abuse rather than report it to the police. The salon may be the ideal place to seek help as it could be one of the few places their abuser will allow them to go, or go without them.

“We want to offer these professionals training on how to be confident in spotting the signs of abuse and how to refer people to get help. We’re going to be running a 12-month, countywide roadshow to make this happen.”

Further details can be found on the Northamptonshire Police website and its social media channels.

CAPTION – Cut It Out launch in Northampton November 2019. L-R – Victoria Walker CPS, Lesley McAuley (Kerri’s mother), Annie Reilly (Kerri’s hairdresser), Nadia Norman, Chief Inspector Julie Mead & Claire Tompkins Northants Police Corporate Communications

Salon professionals who would like to know more can contact CutItOut@northants.pnn.police.uk

#CutItOut forms part of Northamptonshire Police’s wider strategy in tackling domestic abuse, which is one of the force’s priorities. It affects thousands of people in the county every year: 16,139 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded between September 2017 and December 2018 and 4.6% of these incidents had a sexual element. In the UK, 25% of women and 17% of men will experience some form of domestic abuse at some point in their life.

If you are concerned about a friend, relative or colleague, or are suffering from domestic abuse, the following links offer guidance and advice.

www.voicenorthants.org – Tel: 0300 303 1965

SunflowerCentre@northants.police.uk – Tel: 01604 888211

www.ndas.co – Tel: 0300 012 0154

If you are concerned about a friend, relative or colleague, or are suffering from domestic abuse, the following links offer guidance and advice.

www.voicenorthants.org – Tel: 0300 303 1965

SunflowerCentre@northants.police.uk – Tel: 01604 888211

www.ndas.co – Tel: 0300 012 01

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Tel: 0800 555 111

What is domestic abuse?

According to the charity Women’s Aid, domestic abuse is ‘an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence’.

It’s either carried out by a current or former partner, a family member or a carer. It could include:

• Coercive control
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Financial abuse
• Online abuse
• Harassment or stalking
• Physical or sexual abuse

“Our aim is that as many salons, hairdressers, nail techs, beauty and mobile therapists have the opportunity to come to a session and learn about what domestic abuse is and what they can do to recognise the signs.”