Aurora New Dawn is pleased to announce the following job vacancy:

Female^[1]* Stalking Advocate

Hours of work

Full-time:	37 Hours per week
Salary	Non Accredited – Grade 7 – £22,221 Accredited* – Grade 8 – – £26,276 *on completion of a role-specific accreditation
Duration:	Contract until 2020. Continuation subject to funding.
Location:	Portsmouth – with travel across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as required

*PLEASE NOTE: This post is restricted to female applicants in accordance with Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010

The Female Stalking Advocate Role

Aurora New Dawn is a registered charity providing support and advocacy to survivors of domestic abuse, stalking and sexual violence.

We are looking for an Independent Stalking Advocate to join our Stalking team.

The successful candidate will:

• Provide a high-quality frontline service to individuals experiencing stalking, through both face to face and telephone support.

• Support victims throughout the criminal and civil courts.

• Offer information and signposting on a risk and needs-led basis.
• Provide advocacy, practical and emotional support, empowering victims to act for themselves and engage with services that can help them, thereby increasing self-esteem and reducing isolation.

• Work closely with our multi-agency partners and the Hampshire Stalking Clinic.
• The role is based in our Portsmouth office, but working across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
• A significant part of this role will involve working alongside Hampshire Constabulary to ensure that the voice of the victim is heard throughout the process of evidence capture and investigation.

How to apply for the job:

Applications should be in the form of a letter, sent by email to info@aurorand.org.uk, detailing why you think you are suitable for the post. Please put ‘Stalking Advocate’ in the subject line and return your completed diversity monitoring form with your letter.

The deadline for all applications is 9.00 am 18th October 2019.

Interviews will be held on 22nd October 2019.

You are advised to read the job description and person specification carefully as the decision to shortlist you for interview will be based on the information you provide in your letter.

To save on administration costs we are not able to contact you if your application is unsuccessful, but I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your interest in our work.

For a discussion about the role, or for any other queries, please contact Lucy Kay (Stalking Service Manager) on 023 92 479254.

Important documents:

To download a copy of the Female Stalking Advocate job description, click here.

To download a copy of the Aurora New Dawn Diversity Questionnaire, click here.

Over the last week or so we have seen Aurora mentioned in social media posts relating to the partial funding of our Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA) service.

We want to take this opportunity to clarify a few things.

Firstly, as an organisation we have our own voice and always speak for ourselves. It is incredibly important as a registered charity that we do not affiliate with any particular political party and we take this very seriously.

Our ISVA service

We have run an ISVA service in the city of Portsmouth since 2011. From 2011 – 2017 this was funded directly from central government.

Since 2017 we have provided an ISVA service across East Hampshire. We are very grateful to Portsmouth City Council for the funding they have placed into the partnership budget for ISVA services across Hampshire and Portsmouth. As a city with a large population, sexual violence victim rates in Portsmouth have remained consistently one of the highest across the Portsmouth and Hampshire.

If you would like a breakdown of what this funding has provided since 2011 to present, please do feel free to contact us at any time.

We enjoy a good relationship with the officers at Portsmouth City Council and are proud of our partnership across the county with other providers and with the police. None of our services are able to function properly without the good work of other agencies and we thank them all for their support and commitment to victims and survivors of sexual violence.

What you can do:

There is clearly a lot of conversation about this funding at the moment, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to galvanise on the energy, passion and commitment shown by those talking about sexual violence, an opportunity to move away from social media spats and to raise the profile of the experience of victims of sexual violence. There is so much to do and this is your call to action:

As members of the national End Violence Against Women coalition we would love for you to view, and if you feel able, take part in these campaigns:

1. Only 1.5% of rapes that are reported to the police are charged, that equates to only one in sixty five rapes reported ending up in court – The EVAW coalition argues that this is in effect “a decriminalization of this extremely harmful crime”. You can write to your MP and demand justice for rape victims here.
2. EVAW are also campaigning alongside Fern Champion to recognise the plight of survivors who are unable to access therapeutic services due to lack of funding – you can sign Fern’s petition here and write to your MP about the inadequate funding of rape crisis centres and specialist independent support services for victims of sexual violence here.
3. Finally if you want to do something for a local voluntary sector organisation (it doesn’t have to be anything related to Violence against Women) find a service you like, one that speaks to you, and organise a fundraiser. It doesn’t have to be banners and whistles, a simple cake sale or sponsored walk will do. Almost a decade of austerity has taken a huge impact on the voluntary sector, and any contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Most importantly for us we want to thank the victims and survivors who use our service. Thank you for trusting us and working with us. Every day we are astounded by your bravery and feel incredibly privileged to be working alongside you. We promise we will never give up on you and will continue to work hard to raise awareness about the struggles you face and to support you in any way we can.

Shonagh Dillon

CEO – Aurora New Dawn

The need for professional curiosity & responsibility in Stalking cases

Police misconduct was a feature of lessons to be learned in the murder of Shana Grice. There are many a lesson the police can learn from this case to prevent this type of misconduct from surfacing again. We are writing this blog post to show our respect to the memory of Shana Grice and send solidarity and support to her family.

Learning from a Police Misconduct Hearing*

The murder of Shana Grice

Shana Grice at the age of 19 was barely an adult at the time of her death. Shana was stalked and harassed by Michael Lane over a period of months after their break up. Given that we know Lane was reported to the police by thirteen other women for stalking, our experience tells us that Shana would very likely have been subject to high levels of coercive control from Lane during their relationship. Shana was clearly terrified of Lane and she was right to be. On the 25th of August 2016 Lane waited until Shana was alone, broke into her house and slit her throat^[1].

The investigations into possible misconduct by the police

Shana had turned to the police for protection and support on five separate occasions, but instead she was treated with suspicion, disregard and issued with a fine for wasting police time after she had reported Lane for stalking and harassment.

Timeline of reported stalking incidents

The timeline of reported incidents evidence that Shana was desperately reaching out to the police for help:

• On February 8th, 2016, Grice complained to police about being stalked by Lane after receiving unwanted flowers and damage to her car.
• On March 24th, Lane snatched her phone and grabbed her hair. He was arrested on suspicion of assault but later released and Grice was issued with a fixed penalty notice by the police for wasting their time by not disclosing she had been in a relationship with him.
• On July 9th, Lane used a stolen key to let himself into her home and watch her while she was apparently sleeping. She was actually awake, had heard his footsteps and hid under the duvet. She heard a man breathing in her room. Shortly afterwards, the man left, and when Grice looked out her window she saw Lane walking away. He was arrested for theft, given a police caution and told to stay away from Shana.
• The following day, she received around seven phone calls from a blocked number, including one with heavy breathing. She was told there were no further lines of inquiry and the case would be left on file.
• On July 12th, she reported to police that she was being followed by Lane. Police treated the case as “low risk”, but that the investigating officer would be made aware.
• On August 4th, she saw Lane loitering outside her home. She confided in her friend Joann Pumphrey that she was afraid that police wouldn’t believe her because of her previous fine for wasting police time. Although Joann was a witness to this, Shana didn’t report the incident to the police.

The police reaction to the misconduct

The police undeniably failed Shana and Sussex Constabulary have subsequently taken on the recommendations of the various investigations into their treatment of Shana and have hugely improved their responses to for stalking victims^{[2] [3]}.

Police Misconduct Hearing

One of those recommendations was a misconduct hearing against a now retired police officer, Mr Godfrey. Godfrey retired in 2017 on a full pension after 29 years of service. Godfrey’s involvement with Shana was in relation to the incident on 24th March, when Shana had reported Lane for assault and Mr Godfrey subsequently issued Shana a fine for wasting police time, he took just 84 seconds to relay this message to Shana. Five months later she was dead.

Godfrey spoke to the panel at his misconduct hearing on Monday 29th July 2019. Shana’s parents have spoken out about their views on the hearing being a ‘sham’ and they are clearly devastated that Mr Godfrey has not been found guilty of gross misconduct^[4].

Testimony at the Misconduct Hearing

We think his comments at the hearing are worth analysing further, particularly if lessons really are to be learned for officers still serving, the vast majority of whom will not want to repeat the same mistakes.

His testimony has been reported in several newspapers and include:

“The hearing was told that Godfrey was tasked with investigating an allegation of common assault on 25 March 2016 after Grice claimed Lane had chased and made physical contact with her.

During an interview, Grice made a number of other allegations against Lane, including that he had sent her flowers unsolicited and made numerous attempts to contact her. Lane was arrested and told Godfrey the pair were in a relationship, and provided details of mobile phone messages to back up his story.

Grice admitted she was having an affair with Lane, and in an 84-second phone call Godfrey told Grice she would be fined for wasting police time over the harassment allegations – a decision ratified by police bosses.

Godfrey stood by the decision when giving evidence to the misconduct panel. He said: “She [Grice] lied to police three times. It was only right I advised her she cannot keep lying in police statements and getting people arrested for it.”

James Berry, presenting the case against Godfrey, accused him of applying an inaccurate stereotype that a woman could not be at risk from a man with whom she was in a relationship.

Godfrey replied: “I don’t have those views … There was no history of violence between them, there was no evidence of violence, or risk, at that time.”

He said there was no sign of Grice being harassed. She had admitted that on one occasion Lane had waited outside her house late at night because she had arranged the meeting behind her boyfriend’s back.

Godfrey said: “She would be signing her texts [to Lane] with five kisses. This is not harassment. It was a smokescreen to disguise her affair.”

He said there was therefore no reason to supply Grice with safety advice regarding her relationship with Lane. “She was in an active relationship with him for six months. I can honestly say, hand on heart, there was nothing there to suggest she was in any form of danger whatsoever.”^[4]

“The hearing was told Mr Godfrey later informed Grice, during a phone call lasting less than a minute and a half, that her evidence of being harassed by Lane was discredited.

Mr Godfrey told the hearing: “Absolutely, she did waste my time. I arrested someone as a result of her evidence on a false allegation. She had committed a criminal offence.”

He said his colleague took the decision to give Grice a £90 fine.

“His decision, which I don’t disagree with, was that she should not be able to get away with making false statements,” he said.”^[5]

Understanding stalking

We wanted to go through Mr Godfrey’s claims in order to raise awareness and hopefully inform serving officers of the importance of understanding Stalking:

Claim 1

“She [Grice] lied to police three times. It was only right I advised her she cannot keep lying in police statements and getting people arrested for it.”

We do not see Shana as a liar. Survivors often do not tell the full story to people in authority because they are frightened, often for their lives. Had Godfrey used just a modicum of professional curiosity Shana might have begun to open up to the police about the risk she was in.

Claim 2

“…There was no history of violence between them, there was no evidence of violence, or risk, at that time.”

There was no evidence because Godfrey chose not to look for it. With care, empathy and a small amount of attention to detail Godfrey could have used his years of training to ask the right questions. To undertake a number of risk assessments and to search the police databases he had access to, in order to see that there was a plethora of evidence to enable him as a police officer to join up the dots against Lane and do the job he was paid for, which was obviously protecting Shana.

Claim 3

“She would be signing her texts [to Lane] with five kisses. This is not harassment. It was a smokescreen to disguise her affair.”

Ok, this is possibly one of the most ill-informed statements we have ever seen and we have seen a lot! We are sure that given his long standing career in the police, Godfrey would understand that taking things at face value can lead to assumptions being made. Perhaps, if Godfrey had taken a period of reflection, he may have looked at his attitude towards Shana, and assessed his own biases against a 19 year old girl, who was clearly at risk of murder and asked himself whether those five kisses were not a ‘smokescreen’ but a survival technique.

Survivors will do pretty much anything to keep the perpetrator calm and onside, particularly when they fear for their lives. We would suggest that Shana was using her own self-preservation and survival tactics to keep herself alive. It is a grave shame that Mr Godfrey wasn’t able to see past his own personal judgement that Shana was a nuisance and the perpetrator was the one being wronged. We would have hoped, given that Godfrey has had three years to reflect on his inaccurate assumptions of Shana, he would have adequate time to reflect on his actions in the case, but alas Godfrey came to the conclusion, even after Shana was murdered, that he was right in his decision making and still is.

As professionals, it is our responsibility to reflect on decisions that we make and think about how we could have done things differently, this is especially important after someone has been murdered and further, it is at the core of what a homicide review/investigation or serious case review is about. If we are to learn lessons, we as professionals must take responsibility for our actions, however difficult that process might be.

Claim 4

“….she should not be able to get away with making false statements”

We will say it once more, louder for the people at the back – We do not believe that Shana made false statements, she was not a liar, she was surviving and in doing so she had to tell only parts of the reality in order to stay safe. Perhaps Shana didn’t tell the police she was in a relationship with Lane because she felt she would not be taken seriously, perhaps Lane had told her again and again, nobody will believe you……perhaps the police response proved Lane right and left Shana at huge risk.

But more importantly – Godfrey seems incensed that people should be punished for making false statements. Let that sink in for a second….then remember…

Lane made false statements, repeatedly, and got away with it. Now Shana is dead.

Shonagh Dillon – CEO – Aurora New Dawn.

*all information evidenced in this blog post is readily available online.

Domestic Abuse, sexual violence and stalking affect thousands of people every day, including those in the Armed Forces Community.

We understand that members of the Armed Forces, and their families, are often worried about disclosing or seeking support around these issues, and that they can face a number of additional, unique barriers in doing so.

That’s why Aurora New Dawn provides a dedicated service to Armed Forces Personnel and their families. Our specialist advocate understands the Armed Forces Community, and how difficult it can be to come forward. The support we provide is confidential, independent, non-judgemental and free.

We offer support to anyone aged 16 and over, who is experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence and/or stalking:

– Where the victim is a serving member of the armed forces themselves,  or

– Where the alleged perpetrator(s) is a serving member of the armed forces.

Our support is client-led, which means that we will work with you, on a one-to-one basis, to offer advice tailored to your individual situation and support needs. We work closely with all our clients to increase their safety, reduce the risk of harm, and support them in moving forward.

If you would like support or advice, you can call, text or email Lynne on:

07496 333473

armedforces@aurorand.org.uk

The Service is open Monday – Friday, 8am to 4pm

Armed Forces poster

The Aurora New Dawn Armed Forces Advocate (AFA) is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

Dear 40 Days for Life,

I write to you to appeal to your better judgment, to your Christian values and to your human kindness. I understand you are targeting St Mary’s Community Health Campus over the next 40 days as the location of a series of daily ‘vigils’ where you are praying to ‘transform individuals and communities’. I read on your website that through prayer you hope to bring the ‘beginning of the end of abortion in our city – and beyond.’

Let me be clear, I don’t have a problem with praying, or with your God, or with you having an opinion that’s different to mine. It’s clear you believe you are right, so arguing that you’re wrong seems pointless. We would only end up going in circles. On the issue of abortion, I think it’s fair to say that feminists and the religious right fundamentally disagree and that’s our right, isn’t it, as members of a democracy? So I’m not going to try to change your mind.

In fact, though it may seem strange to you, I suspect we actually have a lot in common – it’s often the case on both sides of a heavily contested argument. After all, both sides are used to having to defend our positions to others, although I must confess, I’ve never had quite your confidence to assert that my opinion is endorsed by God.

For example, as a feminist I’m used to being challenged. I’m used to hearing misinformation, stereotypes and false assumptions about my beliefs – and I’m sure you are too. I am used to having to defend my ideology on a regular, if not daily, basis and I spend large amounts of time fighting for my beliefs: in my case, the rights of women to live free from oppression, including the right to control our own bodies. I imagine your commitment and determination echo that of feminist activists like me.

I’m not here to change your mind on abortion. And I don’t need to, because the 1967 Abortion Act made abortion legal for women up to their 24^th week of pregnancy. Instead, what I’m asking is for you to consider the methods you’re using to fight that law.

Specifically, I’m asking you to take a step back from protests outside abortion providers like the clinic at St Mary’s Community Hospital in Portsmouth run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). Like BPAS, I’m asking you to Back Off:* to pray in your own space, or indeed, any space other than outside an abortion provider.

I’m asking you to understand that just as it isn’t my right to tell you your beliefs are wrong, it is not your right to attempt to emotionally manipulate, intimidate or scare women on a day that is already difficult enough. And let’s be clear how many women we’re talking about here, because a third of women in the UK will have an abortion before they are 45 years old.

I’ve read your website, I’ve seen your campaign materials, and I know that you will already be preparing arguments about the rights of a foetus over-ruling the rights of women. You will tell me that the reason an abortion is difficult for a woman is because abortion is wrong. I understand that your religious beliefs support these views.

But beyond your beliefs is a reality that – after 20 years of working in the field of women’s rights – I know very well. The reality is that you and I have no idea why any of the women walking through the doors of an abortion provider came to that decision. And frankly, there is no human on the planet who has the right to know; it’s between that woman and her God, should she believe in one. It is not between a woman and a small number of self-appointed representatives of the Lord on Earth.

And I am delighted that the majority of the British public feel the same way. According to the British Social Attitudes Survey, public support for abortion on the grounds that a woman does not wish to have the child has increased from 60% to 70% since 2005. The percentage rises to 93% if the woman’s life is in danger (and remember what I said, nobody apart from her knows the reason a woman makes the choice to have an abortion).

Not only do most of the British public not agree with your interpretation of religion, neither do the majority of Catholics. Between 1985 and 2016, Catholic support for abortion if a women doesn’t want the child almost doubled from 33% to 61%. Even the Pope has had cause to reconsider the unrelenting, unforgiving attitudes historically held by the Catholic church towards the many women of faith who have made the difficult decision to walk through the same doors you now stand outside.

Protesting – for both of us – is our human right and a central pillar of our democracy. But it should not be used as a tool for causing suffering to those we disagree with. So, I’m asking you to think again.

Give these women the privacy they need on the one day they really need it. To do so is an act that demonstrates the compassion and respect most of us understand to be at the heart of Christianity.

Doing so won’t affect your right to protest one bit. You can hold signs, and pray and sing hymns away from the clinic of an abortion provider, you will still have your say. It will make no difference to your message, but it will make every difference to a woman in pain who wants – and needs – the privacy and respect that is due to her when exercising a legal right won 50 years ago.

So please, I’m asking you to change your tactic and exercise your legal right to protest by lobbying Parliament instead of intimidating women, there is a tip and clue here for you, this is the way my social movement won the rights you protest against today.

I hope you do, and if you do, look for me. I’ll be the woman standing with a horde of sisters and supporters carrying banners that bear messages the opposite of your own. We’ll meet and disagree on an even playing field of open debate and tolerance, rather than on the side-lines of another woman’s suffering.

I can’t wait to see you there.

Shonagh Dillon

CEO – Aurora New Dawn

 

Additional reporting by Sarah Cheverton – Editor in Chief Star & Crescent

*Aurora New Dawn are official supporters of the BPAS campaign you can sign up to support them here

The 25^th November is an important day to us in the sector. It marks the united nations international day for the elimination of violence against women. The UN explain why we need an international day:

“Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. It imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price.” — Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

Why This International Day?

• Violence against women is a human rights violation.

• Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.

• Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security.

• Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential.

• Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic. (UN – 2016)

 

The day is sometimes referred to as White Ribbon day and you can find out more about the history of the White Ribbon campaign on their website.

They state clearly that “White Ribbon Campaign UK is part of a global movement to put a stop to male violence against women and girls.

This is not and never has been a “women’s issue”. We address men directly – so they understand the scale of the problem, and become part of the solution, alongside women.” (White Ribbon UK, 2016)

We decided to ask the women and men on our team including our trustees one simple question “why do we still need an international day for the elimination of violence against women?”

Here is what they came up with:

• “Because we still need violence against women to end.”

 

• “Let’s face, we’re nowhere near the changes we’d like to see; every voice matters.”

 

• “The 25^th November is an opportunity to make our collective voices heard.”

 

• “This year, more so than ever, we call for adequate, sustainable funding to support women and girls affected by violence and abuse.”

 

• “This day holds a mirror up to perpetrators everywhere. Just as equally it holds policy makers and politicians to account. We will continue to need this day to shout for our daughters and our sons until violence and abuse stop being a symptom and a cause of gender inequality!”

 

• “Domestic violence isn’t gender neutral; the fact remains women are disproportionately suffering at the hands of violent men.”

 

• “I want to shout about Male violence against my Gender EVERYDAY, but if people all around the world are shouting about it on the 25th of November then our voices can galvanise to a clamorous throng!! END MALE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN by shouting about it as loud as you can today!!”

 

• “Because the violence does not stop, despite help, support and media promotion women are still being abused, which is why there should be a day to end violence against women.”

• “The 25^th November may make just one woman aware that she is in an unhealthy relationship and that we care and that she matters.”

 

• “Until the governments of the world invest in the sector and place as much emphasis on the elimination of violence against women every day, we will need to keep shouting on the one day they do recognise it is a problem!”

 

•  “Without the 25^th November, it would be easy to forget (considering how most mainstream media treat VAWG) how big a concern violence against women is. There is so much misogyny smoothed into our every day life, in the Western world it is easy to pretend that we’re free.”

 

• “We need today to remind the world how we have suffered abuse for centuries. Our voices have been ignored for so long and our citizenship is equal to any man’s.”

 

•  “We still need to mark this day because, whilst we may have a greater awareness, and possibly a better understanding of the nature and extent of domestic abuse, not enough is being done to tackle the causes, especially in relation to prevention. We need to address the inequalities and ideologies that tolerate and condone abuse. It is far better to prevent and reduce abuse, than tirelessly responding to the casualties.”

 

Shonagh Dillon

CEO

Aurora New Dawn

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop

At Aurora we are passionate about volunteering. Our CEO began her career as a volunteer on what was the local Portsmouth helpline and then with London Rape Crisis many years ago, and when the organisation was established, developing an active volunteer service was at the very top of our wish list.

Fast-forward to 2012 and our volunteer service began with the launch of our domestic abuse helpline*. Since then the service has gone from strength to strength, and the impact made by our volunteers has been felt across the service and beyond. As one example, the development and launch of Aurora New Dawn DVA cars™, was made possible because we were able to first pilot the service using our volunteers in 2012 during alcohol awareness week. These initial pilots enabled us to evidence the need for the service, resulting in the project achieving 3-year funding from the Big Lottery in 2015.

Currently the Aurora volunteer service provides out of hours support for the Portsmouth area, meaning that Portsmouth as a city has 24hr access for survivors of domestic abuse. Our volunteer helpline runs from 5pm to 8am Monday to Thursday and 24hrs over the weekend and bank holidays, picking up referrals and offering support when daytime services are closed. Most of our referrals are received from the Police, because the helpline offers immediate access to independent support for victims who might otherwise have to wait up to 48 hours (over a weekend, for example) before speaking to a specialist service. However, we also accept referrals from other professionals, and people can call the helpline themselves at any time during its hours of operation.

The total number of referrals into the Helpline Service for 2015/16 was 317. We work closely with Portsmouth City Council’s Early Intervention Project (EIP) and refer directly into their service to ensure victims receive ongoing support after their intial contact with the helpline. We also work in partnership with EIP to ensure coverage for survivors at peak times including bank holidays, major sporting events and over Christmas and the New Year.

What our volunteers say:

”Working for Aurora as a volunteer is an amazing experience and everyone is always there to support and help you. The service in itself is just great and has offered so many people the support to give them the courage to carry on and escape their situations”

“Volunteering for Aurora has given me so much insight into how brave survivors are. Their resourcefulness never fails to inspire me. I love being on the helpline.”

“What I enjoyed most was the realness of speaking to survivors; prior to volunteering, I had only ever read about domestic abuse or was told things through hearsay but this made it real and I valued myself as a human being to be able to allow another to have trust in me.”

“For me, it is great to be able to get involved and do my bit to help survivors of domestic abuse, the direct contact with the survivors is a real eye opener and I am amazed at how resourceful and strong people can be. It gives me a real sense of satisfaction to feel that I may have in some way helped or improved things for people.”

What survivors say about our volunteers:

• “Overwhelmed with how much support was available, thank you.”
• “Very friendly, helpful, good advice given, nice to talk to someone”

• “Kind – great to speak to.  Genuine and caring and supportive people who understand the issues of DV.”

• “They told her they would help her and they did.”

• “Felt help straight away.  Helped recognise other forms of abuse and gained knowledge.”

• “Really kind and helpful.”

• “Help and explanation Aurora gave was brilliant.”

• “Lots of support and felt very comfortable by knowing that there are services here to help.”

• “Very supportive and encouraging, would give her [volunteer] the best rating – very high level.”

• “Lovely people. Positive experience.”

 

The variety of skills and knowledge that our volunteers bring to Aurora is something we are incredibly proud of. Our volunteers make us richer as an organisation. Their passion and energy to support survivors in their own time motivates us as a charity to do more. And we are passionate about supporting our volunteers to grow and develop. Previous volunteers have used their experience to pursue careers in a variety of settings, including the National Probation Service, Housing, and work within other specialist domestic abuse services. Some of them even come to work for us! We’re extremely proud of the fact that a number of our current frontline team started working with us after volunteering on the helpline.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers for their time, commitment and energy. They truly are the backbone of the organisation, and give up their time for free to ensure that survivors have access to support whenever it is needed. We are lucky to have them on board.

Interested in volunteering? We are always looking for new volunteers. Time commitments are flexible and there is a full package of training provided. We are particularly interested in hearing from people with availability over peak times – including the summer holidays, Christmas and New Year. If you are want to find out more why not drop us a line at info@aurorand.org.uk

 

*Funded by the Hampshire and IOW Police and Crime Commissioner

An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) is trained to look after the needs of victims of sexual violence, both historical and recent incidents. The role is primarily there to help survivors understand how the criminal justice process works and what other support is available to them.

If a victim does choose to go down the route of reporting to the police, the ISVA will assist them to understand what happens next in terms of reporting process, the court system and sometimes (depending on the acuteness of the incident) the importance and process of forensic DNA retrieval.

By contacting an ISVA this does not mean a survivor is expected to report to the police. The choice is always with the victim and whatever decision they make this will be respected by the advocate.

Our ISVA covers Portsmouth City and works very closely in partnership with the Early Intervention Project ISVA based within the city council team.*

What our ISVA has to say:

As an ISVA I offer practical and emotional support, advice & information for victims of rape and sexual abuse. There are many challenges facing victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence seeking justice in the criminal courts.

I work with survivors through the criminal justice system, providing individually tailored support when and where it’s most needed. I support women and men from the age of 16 years old from first disclosure and those who are contemplating reporting to police, through disclosure and through a police investigation.

If a case goes to trial I support the survivor through the Criminal Justice System and at court. I listen and assess the client’s risk and individual needs. I safety plan and risk assess as necessary.

I advocate on a client’s behalf to access support from other agencies such as:

• Police
• Health services
• Housing/Homelessness
• CAB -Benefits
• Counselling
• Social Care -CP meetings
• Legal advice

 

My role is:

• Increase their safety, those of their children and family
• Inform them of choices that are available
• Respect their decisions
• Keep the client informed of developments in their case
• Support the client before, during and after any court case
• Advocate on their behalf
• Liaise with the police, courts, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other public agencies
• Create a safe environment to disclose sensitive and personal information
• Support them in whatever choices they make
• To build a professional rapport with all clients

 

CASE STUDY 1

I took a call in the office, from a woman who explained that she had found our number online. I asked her how I could help and she remained silent. I sensed her breathing on the end of the line, and had an innate feeling that she needed time, time to be heard and time to tell her story. I reassured her that she can take all the time she needs and that she had been really courageous in making the call today. She found her voice and started to tell me that a year ago she had been repeatedly raped by a man she had previously been in a relationship with.

Her voice was faltering and there were silences in between, and I knew that she needed to be given reassurance and the space to be heard. I told her that I did not need any details of the offences, but I wanted to create safe space where she could disclose this sensitive information.

I explained that to enable me to know how I can best support her and assess her risk and needs, I would like to go through some paperwork with her, including consent and confidentiality.

I met with the client that same week and we continue to speak or meet every week. One of my main roles was to build her trust and to empower her to take back some of the power and control that had been taken so violently from her, by someone she had once loved and trusted.

She has good days and bad days, which she recognises, and I have accompanied her to see her GP upon her request. My role there is to support her to attend, and to be her advocate, as she fears that she will not be able to find the words to explain how she is feeling and to be able to ask for what she wants from the doctor.

Currently, she is contemplating whether to make a report to the police. At this stage, she knows I am here for her, and alongside the weekly Portsmouth Abuse and Rape counselling service (PARCS)**, she is building her confidence and starting to consider her own needs now, and look ahead, rather than being rooted in the past and those feelings of what was done to her.

 

CASE STUDY 2

I received a Police referral through the secure email inbox with contact details for a woman who had been sexually abused as a child for many years, by her stepfather.

On first contact, I introduced myself and explained my role as an ISVA, to support her practically, emotionally, to sign post her to relevant agencies, and to advocate for her on her behalf. I explained that I would support her through the police investigation and though court if the perpetrator was charged.

This woman has lived with this for many years and has recently found the courage to tell her story. The impact on her direct family members has been significant; none of them knew about the abuse she received as a child. On reporting to the police she tells me she has found an inner peace, that now she has handed on this ‘terrible secret’ to the professionals.

Some of her family members have been interviewed and will be witnesses in court, if the perpetrator is charged. We met regularly at the Treetops Centre SARC, (sexual assault referral centre), a neutral place where she felt safe and able to express her fears and concerns.

This woman works full time and her manager is aware of the police investigation. There has been some unwanted indirect contact from extended family members, via social media, telling her to withdraw the allegations, but my client has acted quickly and sensibly, sending these messages direct to her police officer at Amberstone, the sexual offences unit in Portsmouth.

I work very closely with the unit at Amberstone, and when my client wanted an update on the investigation, the three of us met up to offer her reassurance whilst the police officer could tell her exactly what stage the investigation had reached.

Last week my client heard from the police that the perpetrator was being charged with the offences against her as a child. She rang me immediately, so we could talk things through, and explain each step as it would evolve, through the hearings and eventually at trial.

I have organised a pre-trial visit with her so we will attend a week before the trial so she can see the lay out of the court and meet the witness care staff. She has elected to have special measures, so she will have a curtain to shield her from the perpetrator when in court.

At the trial she has asked me to be with her. I will be there, by her side, supporting her. During the trial I will sit behind her, and am on hand to accompany her if she wants a break at any stage during the proceedings. She is ready and prepared to stand up in court and tell her story. All she wants is justice; I feel privileged to be by her side.

*Funded by the Home Office until March 2017

**ISVA’s rely heavily on specialist rape crisis centres like PARCS their work is invaluable in the process of healing for survivors

This year’s has been an exceptionally inspirational stalking awareness week and we are so pleased that there is an increase in attention and knowledge on stranger and cyber stalking.

We have a few favourite articles from across the week that we thought we’d share with you.

Lily Allen’s story of surviving stalking has, quite rightly, dominated the week, raising public awareness of risk, the experience of fear and the importance of joined up police response. This article, on the difference between a fan and a stalker, is really informative and gives an overview of the different typologies of stalkers used within the Stalking Risk Profile, which is the model we use in Hampshire.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s report Out of Sight, Out of Mind outlined the importance of police and crime commissioners’ roles in improving the police response to stalking (and named the Hampshire PCC funding of the stalking clinic as an excellent example of good practice).

Then there was the launch of the campaign from Women’s Equality Party and Paladin to join the dots in stalking cases.

And, of course, my very favourite was this announcement from the Hampshire Stalking Clinic. We will be releasing more information soon, with details of speakers and how to book.

What is Persistent Stalking?

Persistent stalking has a devastating effect on the people who experience it. By no means should we dismiss stalking behaviour as simply persistence. Whilst the risks of violence in stalking cases are well known, and rightly so, the risks of persistent stalking are no less impactful.

Persistent stalking, whether or not there is no fear or threat of violence can lead to victims feeling trapped, isolated and hyper-vigilant. Many of the clients that we work with at Aurora talk about feeling paranoid and as if they are just waiting for the stalker to be seen or act again. When someone is feeling this level of psychological torment and feel sure that it will never end, anything can trigger a fear response. There doesn’t need to be a threat or fear of violence for someone to feel utterly terrified. Furthermore, victims of stalking over long periods of time can report feeling numb or bored of what they’re going through, as if they are a burden on their friends and family, whom they talk to about their experiences, and often choose not to report to the police because they feel that they are wasting police time. The latter seems to happen most in cases where the stalking has previously been no further actioned.

The 4a Stalking Charge

The 4a stalking charge that criminalises a course of conduct which causes ‘serious alarm or distress’ and has ‘a substantial adverse effect on the day to day activities of the victim’ seeks to capture the psychological and emotional harm that victims of stalking experience.

The list includes:

1. the victim changing their routes to work, work patterns, or employment;
2. the victim arranging for friends or family to pick up children from school (to avoid contact with the stalker);
3. the victim putting in place additional security measures in their home;
4. the victim moving home;
5. physical or mental ill-health;
6. the deterioration in the victim’s performance at work due to stress;
7. the victim stopping /or changing the way they socialise.

The long-lasting nature of persistent stalking

This list is by no way exhaustive and, I would argue, does not begin to address the long-lasting nature of the impact of stalking, which can have devastating effects on relationships and trust for years. This impact is frequently not captured by the initial or investigating officer because, so often, stalking appears as a series of bizarre and often unconnected incidents. Encouraging officers to look at the fixation and obsession that drives the varied behaviour is one of our objectives through the Hampshire Stalking Clinic.

We hope you’re finding the blogs throughout National Stalking Awareness Week 2016 useful or interesting. If you have any questions, or would like to contact anyone about stalking please call us on 02392 479 254 (office hours) or 02392 472 165 (out of hours). For national enquiries, call the Paladin helpline on 07769995393 or the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300.

Next step…

Do you want to get in touch with us?

Click here to get in touch with Aurora

Want to know more about our stalking service?

Click here to see our stalking service

Want to donate to our cause? 💜

Click here to support us