Job centres across Leeds to get domestic abuse training
It'll be rolled out across the city by the end of the month
It's hoped new job centre training will offer a quicker, safer way out for Leeds victims trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse.
By the end of this month every job centre in our city will have points of contact who can help spot the signs and signpost support.
It's part of a government scheme across the country.
Nik Peasgood from Leeds Women's Aid says job centres are good places to help victims whose abuse may be going under the radar:
"It's something that isn't something people want to promote. You're not going to go in queue up and willingly want to talk to somebody you don't know about what's going on with you. So to have staff that are trained to be able to spot some signs or be able to ask some probing questions, I think that's a really positive step.
"It might mean a quicker way out, it might mean a safer way out. It might mean more appropriate support and services or the right money at the right time for them and their children. It might mean somebody saves their house, it might means somebody saves their job. It's about keeping people settled and stable and safe."
The training's being rolled out to 600 staff across the UK.
Nik says it's positive because often victims can end up getting penalised at job centres:
"When people are experiencing domestic violence and abuse, they can have all sorts of detrimental effects. It can mean absenteeism, sickness and job centre staff sometimes don't always understand it and people can get penalised from benefits and end up spiraling into debt and depression.
"More understanding and more awareness can actually mean that they can work in partnership rather than one party feeling they're forcing the other party to do something. Domestic violence is all about control and if the victim is then in another situation that they feel controlled then they're not necessarily going to respond in the best way."