If someone discloses domestic abuse to you, you should speak to the individual concerned alone and in a confidential space where they have the opportunity to disclose the abuse and discuss the support they would like without fear of the perpetrator or other people hearing about the abuse.

Wherever possible you should try to complete a Domestic Abuse, Stalking & Honour Based Violence (DASH) risk assessment with them to help determine the risks to the individual and to guide any safety planning. Depending on the level of risk posed to the individual concerned you may need to make a referral to the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). You can download copies of the risk assessment and MARAC referral form here.

You may need to find out more about services available to support victims of domestic and sexual abuse, you can find more information about local and national services on our get help pages.

If you need support finding out about services or completing a risk assessment and/or MARAC referral you can contact the Domestic Abuse Champion in your team or contact BDAP directly via the BDAP inbox bdap@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

If you are aware of or suspect domestic abuse please be cautious about approaching the perpetrator and speaking to them directly, as potentially this may put yourself and the victim at further risk.

If you would like to access domestic abuse training, please see details of our full programme along with booking instructions and costs at: http://www.centralbedscpd.co.uk/domesticviolence/cpd/default.asp?sid