A hundred local hairdressers and beauticians are being trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and support survivors as part St Helens Borough Council’s Voices Against Domestic Abuse campaign, launched in August last year.
Hair and beauty professionals have a unique opportunity to support their clients with a range of issues including domestic abuse, as regular customers often feel more comfortable sharing aspects of their lives with them, rather than friends or family.
It’s an important avenue to explore St Helens Borough Council believes, as in the UK as many as one in four women and one in six men have experienced domestic abuse, while three women are murdered each week and three take their own lives.
The aim of the free, in-depth and personal Domestic Abuse and Healthy Relationships training is to equip hair and beauty professionals with the know-how to identify the signs, the tools and resources to respond, and the confidence to start a conversation with someone they are worried about.
Delegates receive a certificate to display in their premises, demonstrating that their business is a Voice Against Domestic Abuse.
Councillor Jeanie Bell, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities, said:
“The closure of these businesses due to COVID-19 has presented a unique opportunity to deliver quality training ready for their reopening. We can provide hair and beauty professionals with a solid foundation of training around physical and non-physical abuse, including coercive control and gaslighting, and the knowledge to signpost to additional support in the borough.
“This training has never been more important, as it became distressingly clear last year that domestic abuse increased dramatically across the country during lockdowns. At these times when we become more dependent on our homes as safe spaces, for many people their homes are where they experience abuse.
“Please consider taking up the training, it really could save a life.”
Currently available dates are:
- Monday 22 February – 10am-1pm
- Wednesday 24 March – 12pm-3pm
- Thursday 15 April – 6pm-9pm
To book yourself and your staff on the free training, delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, please email VADAtraining@sthelens.gov.uk.
The training is free to all St Helens Borough businesses, and £50 per delegate to businesses outside the borough.
You’ll need access to the free Microsoft Teams app on a laptop, tablet or smart phone.
For more information please contact Shana Begum, St Helens Borough Council’s Domestic Abuse Prevention Officer by email at shanabegum@sthelens.gov.uk.
