Professionals in jobs from hairdressers to financial advisors, retail staff to restaurant and bar workers, tattoo artists and nail technicians to care workers and cleaners can play a vital role in spotting the signs of domestic abuse, listening as a trusted confident and signposting to support, and this free training from Domestic Abuse Consultant Martin Lakeman in partnership with Herefordshire Council will give people the confidence and knowledge to act. 

An estimated 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales during the year up to March 2025. More than 350 domestic murders were recorded by the police in three years from March 2022 - 2024 alone.

Cllr Carole Gandy, Cabinet Member for Adults,  Health and Wellbeing said

“Whether you’re in a beauty salon, bank or barbers, you could make the difference by helping someone getting the professional support they need to stay safe in the future and even to save their life,” 

“A shocking 30% of women have reported experiencing domestic abuse since they were 16 – this has to change and we have to do more to protect people. Staff who work with customers one-to-one are often uniquely trusted and have those private conversations, as well as working physically close to their client. A lot of domestic abuse in our county stays hidden, but the closeness of relationships customers have with people in these one-to-one roles can offer a unique and privileged opportunity to listen to what they are going through and to help.

“By offering professionals this free training, we aim to give them the confidence and knowledge to act.  If you’re properly equipped to know the key things to look for, what support is available, and how to have confidential conversations and suggest options to get that support, you could help someone in a dire situation, and even save their life. We hope this will further grow the movement of people in our county who are committed to the fight against domestic abuse.”

The half-day training, delivered by specialist Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Consultant Martin Lakeman, covers areas including:

• What domestic abuse is and its impact on adults and children
• How you can recognise the signs of domestic abuse and coercive controlling behaviour in your clients
• What to do if a client says that they are being abused
• How to have that difficult conversation and ask the right questions
• Which services you can sign post clients to
• Examining why it’s so difficult to leave an abusive relationship

All attendees will also receive a directory of services to use in the workplace.

You can sign up on Eventbrite for the free training on the following dates 

Hereford

Monday 5 October and Thursday 10 December - 10am, Hereford Town Hall

Leominster

Thursday 15 October, 2pm - Leominster Multi-agency offices, Conningsby Road

Ross-On-Wye

Friday 13 November - Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close

The #CutitOut campaign originally started locally in Norfolk following the tragic murder of Kerri McAuley in 2017, who had spoken to her hairdresser about the situation, but they had not realised the seriousness. The approach of equipping customer-facing staff to play a vital role has been taken on by various organisations including Herefordshire Council.