Domestic Abuse Experts

Through our expert domestic abuse training and consultancy, we provide the tools, resources and confidence to make a real lasting difference in people's lives.

“Always professional, respectful and forward-looking. They walk the walk as well as talk the talk.”
— Safeguarding partner
“We look to them for innovation and to identify patterns...(they) are professional experts in behaviour change and we are proud to be a partner.”
— Head of Innovation, SafeLives

Our mission is clear: to end domestic abuse.

We know what creates real change.

With nearly 50 years of frontline experience, our award-winning team of domestic abuse specialists consult and train professionals - across healthcare, education, law enforcement, the private sector and beyond - to recognise, respond to, and prevent domestic abuse.

What our training attendees had to say

  • "It has impacted my role in a positive way and will use this opportunity to learn more about it. I’ve now understand how to deal with perpetrators and how I will be able to spot signs of those who are going through domestic violence and give them the support needed.”

  • “Really good! Delivered in a style that kept me engaged. Really engaging that she shared some information about her experiences, I think it is an amazing approach to domestic abuse and hope to see it around lots once I’ve qualified.”

  • “It was great, really enlightening and I think the mix of theory and personal experience was a really involving. I’m definitely interested in learning more about this and I think it will be valuable to my future career.”

  • “It was informative and inspirational. I feel more prepared to work with service users in an empathetic and skilful manner.”

  • “Amazing and informative training day, learnt so much! Has inspired my teaching to be far more data and research informed in DV.”

  • “I think it was really detailed, with a lot of relatable experiences for better understanding.”

  • "I will be able to advise managers more professionally when I case comes in and I will also be able to spot more victims/ and perpetrators.”

  • “It was very informative and will definitely help us with any potential cases in the future and creating policy/our own information to give out.”

  • “Very useful for our role supporting employees. My team in particular found it useful and we will implement the knowledge.”

  • “Helps me to give better advice when taking calls on the managers advice line.”

  • “Essential knowledge for my team meaning I can get them more involved to help their development and share the caseload. It’ll also help our campaign to support victims and perpetrators who are worried about their own behaviour. We can signpost more effectively and confidently.”

  • “Able to support our managers with how to deal with situations and know what to ask and how to react."

Our Approach

We take a whole-family, whole-system approach to addressing domestic abuse, focusing on early intervention and behavioural change.

We call this our Engage Approach.

Through Engage, we prioritise the safety of adult and child victims by holding perpetrators accountable and working collaboratively with everyone involved.

We tailor our support to meet people’s needs at every age and stage of life, making lasting positive changes possible.

Our Training Opportunities

  • Engage Understanding and Responding to Domestic Abuse

    An introductory, comprehensive training covering key elements of domestic abuse.

    More Information

  • Engage Do You Feel What I Feel?

    Learn effective strategies for engaging children aged 2 to 7 to understand and manage their emotions.

    More Information

  • Engage for Professionals

    Training to increase your knowledge and confidence in working with perpetrators of domestic abuse.

    More Information

  • Engage Tandem

    Training professionals to use ‘Tandem’ our toolkit to work with chid and adolescent to parent violence

    More Information

  • Engage Reset

    Train the Trainer session which equips you to deliver Reset, our 12 week healthy relationships programme within secondary school settings.

    More Information

“It was a really informative session, the content was really useful - and came in handy this afternoon whilst taking a referral call!”

— Engage Training Attendee

Our team is made up of a range of domestic abuse specialists with collective decades of experience across a wealth of areas.  

Our experts come from diverse backgrounds, including psychology, social work, and criminal justice, each bringing a unique perspective to our comprehensive approach.

They are adept in family dynamics, intimate relationships, and behaviour change interventions, equipping them with the skills necessary to tackle the complexities of domestic abuse.

Their extensive training and hands-on experience enable them to design and implement effective strategies that address both the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by domestic abuse. 

Our Experience

Meet our experts

  • Photo of Saskia

    Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie

    CEO

  • photo of Vicki

    Vicki Rawlinson-Coates

    Specialist Services Manager

  • photo of Joanne King

    Joanne King

    Project Manager

  • Photo of Katy McGlynn

    Katy McGlynn

    Children & Young People’s Team Service Manager

  • Photo of Alice Young

    Alice Young

    Behaviour Change Expert Lead

  • photo of Bella Watson

    Bella Watson

    Custody Suite Expert Lead

  • photo of Debbie

    Debbie Cannon

    Trans Without Abuse Project Lead

  • photo of Ellie

    Ellie Volders

    Specialist Family Practitioner

  • Photo of Patricia

    Patricia Thacker

    Specialist Services Team Lead

  • Photo of Becky

    Becky Donhue

    Training Admin Worker

  • photo of Holly

    Holly Jaskolka

    Training Manager

  • photo of Paula

    Paula Brandreth

    Business Development Manager

  • Photo of Vicky

    Vicky Sail

    Chief Operating Officer

  • Photo of Amie

    Amie Main

    Engage for Change Team Lead

  • photo of Helen

    Helen Mitchell

    Marketing and Communications Lead

Read Expert Bios

Why We Do It

We know domestic abuse is caused by people using harmful behaviour towards intimate partners and family members. And for over 50 years, we have focused our efforts on making adult and child victims of domestic abuse safe.

Despite this, the statistics have barely changed. More needs to be done if things are going to change for the better. And we’re committed to driving that change.

women are killed every week by partners or ex-partners.

2

women per week are estimated to die by suicide as a result of domestic abuse.

3

men are killed each month from domestic abuse.*

2

Trans people will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.

1 in 2

*We have no way to estimate how many men die by suicide as a result of domestic abuse. This is despite the fact that over 75% of 6,588 suicides in 2023 were male.

Book a free 15-minute consultation with Paula

Book your free chat with our team to discuss how our team of experts can best support your needs.