Special training was given to 24 professionals from island services and charities to help stop domestic violence.

The Joanna Simpson Foundation (JSF), a UK charity that focuses on children affected by domestic abuse, funded a two-day training event run by SafeLives - another UK charity that works to end domestic violence.

Government delegates, nurses and members of the police and island charities attended the event on Monday (May 21) and Tuesday, which covered how to spot signs of domestic abuse and how to help support victims.

Jo Morrish, head of learning and accreditation at SafeLives, organised for two representatives of the charity to carry out the training in the island: Tess Biddington and Sara Dilworth.

Diana Parkes, a co-founder of the JSF along with Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, said: ’Recognising that someone is in an abusive relationship, that’s the hardest part. It’s about giving the professionals a first line tool kit.’

Diana has been campaigning against domestic violence since her daughter Joanna Simpson, who was brought up in the island, was killed by her husband in 2010.

She continued: ’The event went amazingly well and the trainers were brilliant. It’s the perfect time to be holding this and we must highlight domestic abuse in the island.’

She referenced our report in March about a Douglas man who was sentenced to four months’ custody by magistrates, suspended for 18 months, after dragging his partner around by the hair and grabbing onto her throat in front of her children.

’A suspended sentence only for 18 months will stop someone in an abusive relationship who is too scared to come forward, which is a totally wrong message to be giving out,’ Diana said.

Jessica Welch, a probation service officer who attended the event, said: ’The information that I have gleaned from this training will be cascaded and shared with the entire probation team who work directly with perpetrators of domestic abuse, as this will help to inform their one to one interventions.

’I was also very grateful to be there as this gave me the opportunity to network with other great services on the island and to refresh my already qualified skills on various matters such as motivational interviewing.’

The JSF are extremely grateful to the Hospice for their generosity in providing their seminar room with refreshments.