Lorraine Turner – Terrence Higgins Trust

What interested you in becoming a Domestic Abuse Champion?

After chatting to my service manager, who is also a DA Champion, I knew that this is an area that I wanted to gain a better understanding of and try to help and support people.

How did you find the course?

The course was excellent, it is a very hard topic to cover to get the message across in a subject that can be very emotive.

Since taking the training, how have you been able to apply your skills to help people?

Wearing the DA Champions lanyard has helped people know that they are able to come and chat with us about any concerns or worries they have around DA. Sometimes we have had people share their history with us which has been quite hard to hear sometimes and can leave you feeling quite raw and emotional but you know it is part of their healing process.

What would you say to anyone considering becoming a champion?

Do it, it is very rewarding and empowering.

Many organisations struggle to support people experiencing Domestic Abuse and are sometimes not confident enough to talk to someone about it or encourage them to disclose.

Our Domestic Abuse Champions offer consistent information, advice and support which is helping to bring lasting positive changes for victims across Suffolk. Reaching victims as early as possible will prevent further harm.

To find out more about Suffolk’s Domestic Abuse Champions, visit the Domestic abuse and sexual violence pages.