Domestic Abuse

What is domestic abuse?

People often think of domestic abuse as physical violence, such as hitting. However, domestic violence takes other forms, such as psychological, emotional, or sexual abuse. Domestic violence is about one person in a relationship using a pattern of behaviours to control the other person.

There is a new offence of “Coercive Control” which is about where the way in which someone controls someone is now a crime and there have been at least two successful prosecutions regarding this new offence in the Thames Valley area.
Domestic abuse in adult safeguarding is often more complex than what is perceived as “typical” domestic abuse.
Since not only is there abuse between husband and wife, but also between various family members i.e. older person and their grown up son, or grandson.

There are often issues of interdependency and caring which makes it much harder to separate the person from their abuser.

People who are unpaid carers, caring for their partner or relative, friend, can abuse the person that they are caring for; this can be intentional and be about power and control.

However it can also be due to the person not being able to cope with caring or not knowing how to care for someone. This still needs to be seen as abuse but can be dealt with in a much more sensitive manner.