Safer Places Domestic Abuse Support Services

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Safer Places Domestic Abuse Support Services

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We support those affected by domestic abuse across Essex and Hertfordshire. We also train professionals to recognise, respond to, and prevent abuse.

We support all those affected by domestic abuse across Essex and Hertfordshire

05/11/2026

🎄Our Safer Places Christmas Appeal 2026 is here! 🎄

This Christmas, we're asking for your help to bring a little extra comfort, kindness and joy to women and children living in our refuges.

With approximately 50 women, many accompanied by their children, staying with us over the festive period, we want to make sure everyone feels cared for, included and remembered.

This year, there are three special ways you can help:

🎁 50 Women. 50 Christmas Eve Boxes.
We're hoping to give every woman a box filled with cosy pyjamas, slippers, dressing gowns, pamper treats and a few little luxuries, just for them.

🍽️ A Special Meal for Everyone
We want to make sure every woman and child can enjoy a special meal over the festive period, whether they celebrate Christmas or not.

🎄 Make Christmas Special for a Teenager
We're collecting donations to provide thoughtful gifts and vouchers for teenagers living in refuge, making sure they have something special to unwrap.

Whether you can donate £5, sponsor a Christmas Eve box, purchase a gift or get your workplace involved, every contribution makes a difference.

For families rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse, your kindness could help make this festive season that little bit brighter.

💜 Can you help us make it happen?

Find out more about our Christmas Appeal and how you can get involved:
🔗 https://ow.ly/KLs05103MGZ

03/11/2026

🎉 NEW! Learn at your own pace with our Pre Recorded Webinars! 🎉

We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand new range of on demand training webinars!

At Safer Places Professional Training and Development, we know how difficult it can be to fit professional development around busy schedules. That’s why we’re making learning more flexible and accessible than ever.

💻 Learn anywhere, anytime
⏯️ Watch at a time that suits you
📚 Develop your knowledge and understanding
💜 Training informed by frontline experience

Whether you're looking to refresh your knowledge, build your confidence or develop your professional practice, our webinars offer an affordable and convenient way to keep learning.

And at just £15 per webinar, investing in your professional development has never been easier!

🔗 Explore our range of webinars and start learning today: https://ow.ly/UNQu510276W

01/11/2026

As Domestic Abuse Awareness Month has now come to an end, we want to thank everyone who has joined us in shining a light on this issue. But awareness is just the first step.

Every day, our team continues to be here for anyone experiencing abuse - helping people find safety, rebuild their lives, and move forward with hope.

If you or someone you know needs support, we’re here.
📞 Call us on 03301 025 811
🌐 Visit www.saferplaces.co.uk

Together, we can keep the conversation going and keep working towards a world free from abuse.

30/10/2026

📊 Facts & Figures Friday

1.4 million people experienced stalking in England and Wales in just one year.*

Stalking is not simply unwanted attention.

It can involve repeated unwanted contact, following someone, monitoring their movements, turning up at their home or workplace, watching them, contacting friends or family, or using technology and social media to track and intimidate them.

Individual incidents can sometimes appear harmless when viewed in isolation.

A message.
A phone call.
Turning up unexpectedly.
A follow on social media.

But stalking is about the pattern of behaviour and its impact.

For victims and survivors, that pattern can create fear, anxiety and the feeling that nowhere is truly safe.

And stalking can continue or escalate after a relationship has ended. Separation does not always mean the abuse has stopped.

💜 Stalking is serious. Stalking is a crime. And victims deserve to be believed and supported.

*Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2025, Office for National Statistics.

28/10/2026

“Why did you go through my phone?”

“I didn’t.”

“You did. I saw you.”

“Here we go again. You’re always accusing me of things.”

“I’m not accusing you. I’m asking why you did it.”

“You know what? You’re the controlling one. I’m constantly walking on eggshells around you.”

Suddenly, the conversation has changed.

The person who raised a concern is now defending themselves.

This pattern has a name: DARVO.

D — Deny
“I didn’t do that.”

A — Attack
“You’re paranoid. You always cause problems.”

RVO — Reverse Victim and Offender
“Actually, I’m the one who has to put up with your behaviour.”

DARVO describes a response someone may use when confronted about harmful behaviour: denying what happened, attacking the person challenging them, and then reversing the roles so that they present themselves as the victim.

The original behaviour can become lost in the argument.

Instead, the person raising the concern may end up confused, apologising, questioning their memory or wondering whether they were wrong to say anything at all.

When used as part of a wider pattern of abuse, DARVO can make it incredibly difficult for victims and survivors to trust their own experiences and speak about what is happening.

💜 Pay attention when accountability repeatedly turns into blame.

This Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, let’s keep talking about the patterns of abuse that can be difficult to recognise.

26/10/2026

💜 Myth Monday

Myth: "Domestic abuse only happens behind closed doors."

Fact: Domestic abuse doesn't stop at the front door.

Abuse can happen anywhere.

It can happen at work, in public, at social events, online, through a phone, or even after a relationship has ended.

A perpetrator might constantly call or message, track someone's location, monitor their social media, control who they speak to, turn up unexpectedly, humiliate them in front of others or use seemingly harmless comments, looks or gestures to intimidate them.

To everyone else, it might look like a text message, a joke, a partner being "protective", or someone simply checking in.

To the victim, it can carry a very different meaning.

Domestic abuse is not defined by where it happens. It is about the behaviour, the context and the pattern of power and control.

💜 Sometimes abuse happens in plain sight. We just need to know what we are looking for.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, support is available.

23/10/2026

📊 Facts & Figures Friday

Disabled people are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse.

In the year ending March 2025, 13.4% of disabled people experienced domestic abuse, compared with 6.7% of non disabled people.*

But the statistic only tells part of the story.

Disabled victims and survivors can face additional barriers to recognising abuse, seeking support and leaving an abusive situation.

Abuse may also exploit someone's disability or support needs. This could include withholding medication, refusing access to mobility or communication aids, preventing access to care, controlling appointments or finances, or using someone's dependence on support as a means of control.

For some victims, the person causing harm may also be someone they rely on for care or practical support, making seeking help even more complex.

💜 Domestic abuse doesn't affect everyone in the same way. Understanding the additional barriers some victims face is essential to making support truly accessible.

*Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending March 2025, Office for National Statistics.

21/10/2026

“But when it’s good, it’s really good.”

“They’re not like this all the time.”

“They said they’re going to change.”

“No one knows them like I do.”

“I still love them.”

From the outside, it can be difficult to understand why someone might feel strongly connected to a person who is hurting them.

But abuse isn’t always abusive every moment.

There may be periods of fear, control, humiliation or harm, followed by apologies, affection, promises, gifts or periods of calm.

That contrast can create an incredibly powerful emotional attachment.

This is sometimes described as a trauma bond.

When moments of safety, kindness or affection are mixed unpredictably with abuse, the victim may hold onto the hope that the loving version of the person will return.

They might blame themselves when things go wrong.

“Maybe if I hadn’t upset them…”

They may focus on the good times.

“They can be so loving.”

Or believe this time really will be different.

“They promised it would never happen again.”

This doesn’t mean the victim enjoys the abuse or chooses to be harmed.

It helps us understand why leaving an abusive relationship can be far more complicated than simply deciding to walk away.

💜 Instead of asking “Why do they stay?”, we need to understand the dynamics that can make leaving so difficult.

This Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, let’s replace judgement with understanding.

19/10/2026

💜 Myth Monday

Myth: “Once the relationship ends, the abuse ends.”

Fact: Abuse can continue, and sometimes escalate, after separation.

Leaving an abusive relationship does not necessarily mean the abuse is over.

When a perpetrator feels they are losing control, they may find new ways to continue it.

Post separation abuse can include stalking, harassment, repeated unwanted contact, threats, economic abuse, monitoring through technology, damage to property, or using friends and family to maintain contact.

Where children are involved, child contact arrangements may also be used as a way to continue control, intimidation or abuse.

For some victims and survivors, separation can actually be one of the most dangerous periods.

This is why “just leave” is never a simple answer.

Leaving may end the relationship.

It does not always end the abuse.

💜 Understanding post separation abuse helps us understand why ongoing safety planning, specialist support and believing victims and survivors are so important.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, support is available.

16/10/2026

📊 Facts & Figures Friday

1 in 5 children

will live with domestic abuse at some point during their childhood.*

But children don't have to see or hear an incident of abuse to be affected by it.

They may live with fear, tension and unpredictability. They may change their behaviour to avoid conflict, worry about a parent or sibling, struggle at school, experience disrupted sleep, or feel responsible for keeping other people safe.

Some children may become very quiet. Others may become angry or distressed. Some may appear completely fine.

Every child's response can look different.

Importantly, children who see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse are recognised in law as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

💜 Behind the statistic are children who deserve to feel safe, heard and supported.

This Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, let's remember: domestic abuse affects the whole family.

*Source: SafeLives

Address

Harlow

Telephone

+443301025811

Website

https://linktr.ee/saferplacesuk

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