Separate organisations are getting the ball rolling again after lockdown to improve the island’s domestic abuse challenges. Reporter Jess Ward talks to the Joanna Simpson Foundation, The Children’s Centre and Space 4 Action (S4A).

While overall crime went down during the Covid-19 lockdown phase, police saw domestic offences rise drastically.

This is of great concern to a number of organisations which are working to better protect and provide support to those affected by domestic violence.

The Joanna Simpson Foundation (JSF) - which aids services, influences social policy and creates public awareness of domestic abuse in the UK and the Isle of Man - has been fixing its focus on the Isle of Man especially as the Domestic Abuse Bill 2019 is being drawn up.

It is determined to pick up from where it left off before the pandemic began.

One suggestion it has been putting forward for the Bill, is introducing Operation Encompass - a UK police and education early information sharing partnership that enables schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.

Information is given by police to a school’s trained key adult before the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident.

Diana Parkes (pictured), patron of the JSF, said: ’That way extra care may be arranged because there is a lot of PTSD after seeing your parents hit each other. It’s very unsettling for a child.’

The foundation is putting pressure on the government to make sure it is included in the new Bill as it believes current procedures are too formal.

The issue of young people affected by domestic abuse is something the foundation cares deeply for, and with reason. JSF was formed after Diana’s daughter, Joanna Simpson who was brought up in the island, was killed by her estranged husband, Robert Brown.

Joanna was battered to death by the BA pilot in the vicinity of her childrenone week before the finalisation of her divorce. He was given a 26-year jail sentence for manslaughter.

Diana, who has since raised her grandchildren, said: ’I felt a great desire that Jo be remembered for the wonderful caring and special person she was and together with Hetti Barkworth-Nanton we set up the JSF.

’This was set up to help support and care for children whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse and domestic homicide.

’At the time this need was not being addressed, and we have worked to try primarily to prevent domestic abuse from happening, make changes to the law surrounding domestic abuse and the horrendous consequences that affect the family and also to raise awareness of the plight of the children and the support they need.’

They met Keir Starmer and Alison Saunders, directors of prosecution at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

’We complained bitterly following on from the horrendous way we were represented by the barrister who was given to us for the trial,’ she said.

’We subsequently obtained from the CPS a legal guidance to prosecutors "that they must gather good character evidence of the deceased and bad character evidence of the defendant at an early stage. Therefore, where the case is contested there will be evidence available or which can be called which shows the deceased in a positive light as part of the prosecution case. This should be obtained early rather than waiting to rebut the evidence called by the defence. Prosecutors should be alert to the risk of victim blaming as the deceased is not there to provide an answer".

’We are very proud to have achieved this and hopefully it will help others in our position.’

Joanna’s daughter, Katie, has now joined the board of trustees. The 18-year-old psychology student has been helping the team with website and social media updates while she learns more about the role.

’We’re so proud of her,’ said Joanna Crookall (pictured below), who has taken the role of chairman after the foundation said farewell to Hetti who was appointed chairman of the governing body of Refuge UK.

The Children’s Centre is also working with JSF to help sufferers of domestic abuse.

Janet Bailey of the Centre, who is also a JSF trustee, said one of her concerns is about victims and their children having to be ’uprooted from home’ to stay at a shelter. ’It’s the perpetrator who should be moved,’ she said.

’Children lose their structures that keep them safe. School is probably one of their safe havens, but if you cannot attend school because it’s 17 miles away from the refuge and your parent doesn’t have a car, that’s not quite right. They need to stay in their family home and that’s what I’m advocating for - the best interests of the children.’

She said the Centre is in discussions about Operation Encompass with the JSF, but added that Covid-19 has affected their ability to do that. ’We need to keep up the momentum with this and the Bill,’ she said.

’Domestic abuse is a very hidden situation and it definitely happens here, but it’s not just violence, it’s financial and emotional abuse. Children are the silent witnesses of this. We need to be their voice.’

Looking at domestic abuse more generally is S4A, which aims to improve understanding within the community and with employers, on how better to recognise abuse and support their staff, colleagues, neighbours, friends or family members who are affected by it.

JSF is offering help with its launch, which was postponed due to coronavirus.

Behind this new organisation is domestic abuse trainer and advocate with over 11 years of experience working in specialist domestic abuse services, Jess Welch, and Tam Wedgwood, a survivor of domestic abuse and long-time campaigner for improvement in domestic abuse provision for victims and survivors in the island.

S4A is in response to ’the experience of many people on the island, the evidence in court reports, media coverage and victim experience that domestic abuse is not fully understood and the lack of specialist trained domestic abuse workers and services’.

Jess said: ’The organisation was set up and is run as a social enterprise in order to bridge the gap between survivors and communities and since our founding the enormous rise in reporting during Covid-19 has highlighted how much our service is needed.

’Businesses have training and policies on fire safety, first aid, COSHH, H&S, smoking etc yet their employees are more likely to be adversely affected by domestic abuse than by any of these.

’We passionately believe that every workplace needs to take domestic abuse and its impact on the workforce as seriously as any other safety/wellbeing issue, to have policies in place and to have people available for victims to talk to.

’S4A is here to equip them to achieve that. We also campaign and lobby on domestic abuse and coercive control issues.’

S4A will first be running three projects, which include: Own My Life Course Pilot, run in partnership with the Children’s Centre; Ask and Act, a scheme for small businesses; and Domestic Abuse Workplace Champions, which will run in conjunction with the Introduction to Domestic Abuse course.

S4A will also be encouraging island businesses to sign up to its workplace Charter on Domestic Abuse. Details for these initiatives can be found on the website: www.space4action.info