CCChat-Magazine_Issue-25-The-Further-Learning-Issue

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I’m not sure what I’ll do retire or carryon. I’ll probably carry on.M: What inspires you?N: Someone asked me that the otherday, well I know I’m a workaholic. Ireally should cut down now. I'm 70 butI am passionate about my work. Isuppose what inspires me, peoplemake all sorts of comments aboutperpetrator programmes and how badthey are, or how good they are or howthey shouldn’t be allowed and all thestuff I’ve heard for years and years.Some men do change, some women dochange – that’s a given.I suppose also, I like new things, I likechange and over the years I havedeveloped my work, developed mytraining and that inspires me. Peopleon training usually teach me stuff aswell, which is fantastic.M: If you had a magic wand, howwould you use it?N: I would like to eradicate violenceagainst women, children and men – ifthat was my magic wand. A lot of menand women say to me it would belovely if we could just wave a wand andit will all be better."Some men do change, some women do change – that’s agiven. Not as many as I would like to but some do change."Not as many as I would like to butsome do change so what inspires methe most is that if we can, as humanbeings, can make women, men andchildren who are surviving domesticabuse safer – because I don’t think wecan ever make anyone 100% safe, butif we can make them safer, that is whatinspires me. I speak to clients who Iworked with years ago, in fact onewoman I worked with at a woman’scentre in 1998 calls me every summerto tell me how she’s doing. We try anddo a follow up every 6 months to see ifthe people we have on the programmestop using violence, some do, somedon’t. If a person using intimatepartner violence can change and makeit, particularly for the children weforget about the children quite often,that keeps me going.M: Do you think that, as a society, wecould ever eradicate it or do you thinkthat we can only ever manage it?N: Oh my goodness, I think on somedays, how would you ever eradicate it?We need to have so much moreeducation – education in the police,the Crown Prosecution Services, thejudges, the magistrates, educatingpeople about domestic abuse, thegeneral public who would rather walkaway – understandably if you seepeople in the street being hurt.Eradicate? I would be hopeful, in mylifetime but if we manage it a lot betterwe could make a huge difference.Prison sentences are far too low, if youeven get to Court there are still tomany NFAs. it’s a really toughquestion. I would love to eradicate itbut realistically, I think we would haveMaking The Invisible Visible
to manage it, and manage it better andevery year we manage it better. Isuppose that I watch things and Iwatch things online, and I hear thingsand I go to workshops, and I listen topeople talking and sometimes it feels,to me, like I’m back in 1997, when itjust felt overwhelmingly powerlessabout how we were going to makethings better.M: I can’t remember who said it butI’ve been seeing this a lot recently, theexpression ‘Everything’s changed andyet nothing has changed’N: Yes and we need to get the policeonboard, police who understand andwe also have to understand theconstraints of the police. Every day Ihear a perpetrator or a victim sayingthat the perpetrator is innocent as theyhad an NFA.M: I've heard it a lot too and then theperpetrator ends up thinking the lawisn't going to touch them and that's areally demoralising place for a victimto be in.N: Absolutely. It feels like that.Sometimes I think what is going on?“I’m quite vocal and so I say things and I think we need to call it outif it’s not right, like the family courts."As you know, I’m quite vocal and so Isay things and I think we need to call itout if it’s not right, like the familycourts. They are not always saving thebest interests of the victim and thisisn’t in a small area, this is around thecountry and I think that all services arefinding this and it’s heart breaking toknow that a woman’s been braveenough to get an injunction and then itdoesn’t work because the policehaven’t got a copy of the order or thereis no further action (NFA).Perpetrators who get no further actionfrom the police think that they areinnocent and will tell us, well thepolice don’t believe you, why shouldanyone believe you?M: Yes, that’s something I’ve comeacross time and time again. NFA isequated with innocenceM: So, I’m going to wave MY magicwand and transport you to yourfantasy place. Where’s your fantasyplace and what three things would youtake with you?N: My fantasy place would be an islandon the Maldives. Can I take all mygrandchildren as one? I’d take books,I’ve read so many amazing books. Iwould take my daughters as well! I wasgoing to say food.M: Well, hopefully there’ll be foodthere!N: And then I’d love to come back tono violence and abuse.M: That would be amazing. It's beenwonderful talking to you. Thank you.Making The Invisible Visible
Page 3: ContentsEditor's Notes5 Min looks a
Page 7 and 8: Ann Brown-A One Woman ShowAnnBrown
Page 9 and 10: A: Yes, definitely. I think sometim
Page 11: "I would also like to tell the stor
Page 15 and 16: We are always in demand and, withCo
Page 17: There’s some bits we can’t use
Page 23 and 24: Emma HamiltonBreakdancer"Every time
Page 25 and 26: M: How did you come up with thechor
Page 32 and 33: CCChat InterviewSharon Bryan of NCD
Page 34 and 35: After about a year of volunteering,
Page 36 and 37: S: Well, I worked in central London
Page 38 and 39: S: NCDV will help anyone whocontact
Page 40: all abuse will be taken seriously,

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