Established In 1994
Domestic abuse is defined as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common, and we want to change this.
We are working together with the Northamptonshire Police to #CutItOut and we need your help.
The #CutItOut campaign has been launched to help hair and beauty professionals spot the signs that a client may be experiencing domestic abuse and safely refer them to relevant organisations that can help them.
Nadia Norman, a Police Community Support Officer who is leading the Cut It Out campaign in Northamptonshire, says, “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.”
The campaign aims to give as many salons, mobile hairdressers, beauticians, and freelance technicians the ability to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and what they can do to help. “Salons and beauty services can be so, so important in regards to spotting domestic abuse” says Nadia.
The #CutItOut brand originated in Norwich, Norfolk, following a tragic murder. In 2017, just a few weeks after confiding in her hairdresser Annie, Kerri McAuley was killed by her abusive partner. As a result of this, the campaign was built.
Annie has since spoken about Kerri and says “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.”
For many women, your salon is deemed as a safe, female-only space where they are at ease and these safe spaces become an environment where victims can confide in you, someone they trust.
With information on how to safely refer victims to help, you can become invaluable and influential in reducing the impact of domestic abuse and ensuring victims know someone is listening.
If you or your salon team would like to know more about how to get involved, contact CutItOut@northants.pnn.police.uk
Training events have unfortunately been put on hold since the country went into lockdown in March, however the roadshows will be re-starting as soon as it is safe to do so. As you can imagine, the lockdown spurred an increased amount of reports of domestic violence, therefore the support from you is as important as ever.
Along with the training and support, #CutItOut salons will also get a badge for the window to show that it is a safe space. “Everyone who takes part in the training will also get a pin badge which is a great way to start a conversation with your client” says Nadia. “It can be awkward starting conversations about domestic abuse but this way you can talk about your training and then offering support phone numbers if you think your client needs them.”
Even if you don’t live in an area that runs the Cut It Out campaign, you can contact your local council or police to get a list of support services for anyone experiencing domestic abuse.
Let’s adopt a zero-tolerance approach to domestic abuse.
If you are concerned about a client, friend, relative or colleague, or are suffering from domestic abuse, the following links offer guidance and advice.
www.voicenorthants.org – Tel: 03003 031965
SunflowerCentre@northants.police.uk – Tel: 01604 888211
www.ndas.co – Tel: 03000 120154
Freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline – Tel: 08082 000247
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