Government minister meets those on North Devon frontline against domestic abuse

A Government minister has visited Barnstaple to meet with local organisations supporting children, women and survivors of domestic abuse.

North Devon MP Ian Roome hosted the visit from Jess Phillips, who is the minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls.

It followed a meeting he had with her last year, which provided an opportunity to invite her to North Devon to highlight the work of vital community organisations and to hear more about the challenges facing services in the area.

Ms Phillips and Mr Roome visited The Women’s Safety Hub, a joint project between North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA) and Encompass Southwest and met with representatives to discuss work around women’s refuge provision, domestic abuse support and homelessness services for local women.

Above: North Devon MP Ian Roome and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips met local organisations and police during her visit to find out more about the challenges facing those helping abuse survivors. 

They also heard from Surviving Abuse North Devon (SAND) about the charity’s counselling support for survivors of abuse and the pressures around resourcing and funding.

This year marks SAND’s 10th anniversary and the organisation remains the first specialist private support service of its kind in the area.

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They also met with a detective inspector and the Domestic Abuse Investigation Manager from Devon & Cornwall Police to discuss the challenges facing the police response to safeguarding cases involving women and girls.

Mr Roome reported that discussions included the pressures within the criminal justice system and the impact of long waits on victims, with officers highlighting that individuals are less likely to remain engaged in the justice process the longer they are forced to wait.

The day included a visit to Blue Elephant Childcare, where they met staff and children in a residential setting and saw first-hand how a positive care home environment can support children and young people.

Reflecting on the visit, Mr Roome said: “I was very thankful for Jess Phillips making the time in her busy schedule to come down to North Devon so I could introduce her to some of the organisations and professionals doing vital work to support children, women and survivors across our communities.

“In North Devon, we are fortunate to have fantastic local services making a real difference. But it’s clear these organisations are working under significant pressure, so it was important to bring the minister down to hear directly from those on the frontline.

“We had lots of discussions about the challenges around funding, delays in the wider justice system and the need for better education around these issues in schools. I will keep pressing Ministers to put real funding behind these services, as they make a real difference in our community.”

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