On Friday I visited Bridge Chapel to see South Liverpool Domestic Abuse Services’ newly refurbished offices and to meet some of their clients. Founded in 1998, SLDAS was set up to support women in Speke and Garston  and was originally known as Speke Garston Domestic Violence Project. As requests for support increased the services widened to include all of South and South Central Liverpool.

The women I met were from right across South Liverpool and were attending their Self Esteem Group, an open and safe space where women can share experiences and problems while learning coping tools and strategies. They all expressed the value of the group and their friendships, especially in highlighting behaviours that individually they had thought normal from their partners. As one group member said, “what you think is normal isn’t always.” Another told me they “wouldn’t be here but for this.” I heard their frustration with aspects of the family courts and problems with signposting to the services, something SLDAS are looking at with local GP services.

SLDAS don’t just work with those experiencing domestic abuse, which can be anything from gaslighting and stonewalling through to physical abuse and violence. With 40% of teenage girls reporting abuse ion their relationships and 40% of boys holding a positive of misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, they are now working in schools locally to teach boys about healthy behaviours and relationships.

Labour announced before Christmas our violence and women and girls strategy, vitally important with 1 in 8 women reporting abuse in their relationship. Under this £20 million pound package teachers will be empowered to tackle harmful attitudes and behaviours head on, with young people taught to identify positive role models and challenge unhealthy myths about women and relationships.