Natalia had been married to her partner for three years. Their relationship had been fine until the birth of their son, when her husband became controlling and physically violent. Her husband’s family members also became violent towards her.
One day, Natalia’s husband physically abused her in front of their 18 month old son. The next day her husband forced his way into the home and Natalia and her son had to lock themselves in her bedroom.
Natalia reported both incidents to the police, where she was referred to Staying Put. Natalia called the helpline for support and advice which was provided to her as well as a referral to the solicitors to obtain protective orders.
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A couple of weeks later, Natalia was booked in to the GP IDVA clinic after speaking to her doctor. An assessment was completed with her. Her husband was on police bail for domestic abuse, harassment and assault. There were also on-going court hearings in relation to child contact.
Although, Natalia had no contact from her husband, she still felt the effects of the trauma and abuse. We talked about counselling and therapeutic support but she was not ready for this. She did, however, want to help her son.
Natalia had noted that her son’s behaviour had changed since the he witnessed the domestic abuse. He was becoming more withdrawn, not speaking anymore and would get physically violent at playtimes with his cousins. Natalia said that this was really out of character for him.
With Natalia’s permission, we liaised with our Survive & Thrive partner Family Action, who provide specialist support to children. They signposted Natalia to Little Minds Matter which is for children under five who may have experienced trauma.
We continued to check in on Natalia to ensure her safety as her husband was out on bail.
Natalia was very thankful for this support and the support that was put in place for her son.
*Name changed to protect identity
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You can make a difference to women’s lives like Natalia, by donating to Staying Put and enabling us to continue supporting people experiencing domestic abuse.