14 February 2008
A brand new specialist worker for domestic abuse and substance misuse is set to be introduced at the Safer Caerphilly MAC, the "one-stop-shop" for victims of domestic abuse and their families, thanks to a successful bid for funding from the Safer Caerphilly County Borough Community Safety Partnership's Substance Misuse Action Fund.
The post, which is expected to commence early February 2008, will provide a specialist and dedicated domestic abuse/substance misuse worker to work in partnership with the current domestic abuse staff providing front line services at the Safer Caerphilly MAC.
It is expected that the position will be based partly alongside fellow workers at the Safer Caerphilly MAC and partly at the GAP (Gwent Alcohol Project) in order to enhance partnership working between the two organisations.
The service provided will extend not only to adults affected by domestic abuse in the area, but also where children or young people within the family are identified and are misusing substances. The Caerphilly Borough Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) who works with people classed as being at high or very high-risk estimates that 60% of the clients have alcohol or drug related issues, and GAP estimate that 40% of their clients have domestic abuse related issues.
The correlation between an increase in alcohol consumption and an increased number of reported domestic violence incidents is reinforced with Gwent Police (C Division) figures indicating that of all domestic violence incidents reported in the borough in the past year, over 55% involved persons under the influence of alcohol and or drugs.
Lynne Bosanko-Williams, Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator said, "This extremely valuable addition to the team will enable us to provide a more holistic service for those affected by domestic abuse and substance misuse in the borough. Many of the domestic abuse cases received at the Safer Caerphilly MAC and those incidents reported to the Police indicate the need for intervention and support from a specialist in substance and alcohol misuse. We envisage that this post will go a long way towards providing just that."
If you or anyone you know are affected by domestic abuse you can contact Safer Caerphilly MAC (Mon to Fri 10:00am - 4:00pm) 01443 819317.
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