6 minute read

A day in the life of an IDVA

My name is Emily. I’ve worked for Stop Domestic Abuse for three years as an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA). My job is to work with the most high-risk clients in the community to manage their vulnerabilities and help them to stay safe.

8.30am: My day always starts with a cup of good coffee. That sets me up nicely for the morning. On my way into the office, I listen to the radio and sing along to get me into a positive mood! 9.00am: When I get to my desk, the first thing I do is check my calendar for the day’s appointments and go through my emails and messages. There are a couple of urgent emails relating to two of my current clients. Another one is from a client who I am due to see later. She’s received some paperwork from her solicitor and is asking if I can go over it with her. I give her a quick call to confirm our appointment and to reassure her that we will look at the paperwork together. 9.20am: My first appointment of the day is with a new client, who has been referred to us by the police. Before leaving the office, I check the referral information and risk assessment, then head out to meet her. This client has been assessed as high-risk, so I am keen to help make her feel safer and more in control of her situation. 9.45am: I meet the client and it’s clear that she is very frightened. She is experiencing fairly high levels of stalking from her ex-partner and feels unable to leave the house. This is having a massive impact on her wellbeing.

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During our appointment, I contact Hampshire Police’s Stalking Clinic to seek advice and support for the issues she is experiencing. The client and I arrange to attend a meeting together since she doesn’t feel safe to go alone. We also arrange an appointment with a solicitor to apply for a Non-Molestation Order. This would stop her ex-partner from contacting her directly or indirectly.

We complete a safety plan for the client to start using immediately. We will complete further work around her individual support plan at our next meeting, but we agree that she needs an immediate referral to our target hardening team, who can help to increase her security at home.

Before I leave the client, I check how she is feeling now. She tells me a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders. I leave with a smile on my face. 11.05am: Back in the car, I make a few notes about the appointment, which I will use to write up my full length notes once I am back in the office. A quick check of my phone shows that I have a missed call from another client. I call her back and she tells me that a court date has been set for the charge against her children’s father. She has been called as a witness and is feeling nervous.

I talk to her about what this means and make sure that she fully understands what will happen at the hearing. We have an appointment later in the week where we can discuss the criminal justice process in more detail, but I don’t want her to worry until then. 11.30am: Onto my next appointment, with the client who I spoke to earlier this morning. We go over a couple of things which were on her support plan: housing and benefits. Both of these are now being dealt with by the relevant agencies, but the client is anxious for an update.

She asks me to contact them and to ensure that they have all the relevant information. I suggest that we do this together, now, instead. By supporting the client to make the phone calls herself, I empower her to start taking more control of her situation.

We then go over the papers from the solicitor together and review some other outstanding items on her support plan. We also check that everything in her safety plan is still relevant and that she doesn’t have any concerns. I arrange to meet the client at the solicitor’s office the following week. 12.55pm: I have a message from my next client cancelling our appointment at the last minute, so I head back to the office and grab a quick bite for lunch with a couple of colleagues. We talk about our holiday plans – normal stuff! It’s nice to unwind a little after a busy morning.

1.25pm: I write up the notes from this morning’s appointments and make the referral to the target hardening team. I make a few phone calls relating to some other clients’ cases and call back two clients who had left messages for me in the office. One of these clients is still living with her abusive partner, so I have to be careful not to contact her when he might be around. Luckily, I saw her message just in time, as her partner finishes work at 2pm. 2.45pm: I meet a client at a local solicitor’s office. He is applying for a Non-Molesation Order against his wife.

This client has been experiencing abuse for around 18 months but had previously been reluctant to engage with support services. This is a big step forward.

I have met with him on several occasions over the past six weeks and through the work we have done together he has been able to acknowledge his experiences and gain a better understanding of his wife’s abusive behaviours.

The solicitor tells us he will prepare the application and I reassure my client that once he receives this, I will recap the next steps with him before it goes to court. I also confirm that I will accompany him to court to support him, which he is very relieved about. We arrange a further meeting for the following week and I complete a six week review risk assessment with him. 3.50pm: When I get back to the office, I update all my notes and go through my calendar for the following week. I add in the new appointments which were made today.

Afterwards, I turn my attention to the final paperwork for a client whose case I am closing now that our work together is complete. I will be passing this case over to our outreach team for ongoing support. I catch up with the outreach worker to discuss some details about the client. I then pass the closing paperwork onto our Senior IDVA to review. 4.55pm: The working day is drawing to a close, but there’s a few final tasks to prepare for tomorrow.

My first appointment tomorrow will be supporting a client in court. I give the client a call to confirm the arrangements and to check how she’s feeling. I remind her that we need to enter the court from the rear entrance and reassure her that she will be able to wait for the hearing in a separate location to her expartner.

We have requested that special measures be put in place so the client will have the protection of a screen when she gives her evidence. She and her partner will also be brought into court at different times to make sure they don’t see each other, as she is still very scared of him.

I call the court to check that screens will be available for the hearing. I then call the client back to confirm that everything is in place. 5.20pm: I just have time to record these conversations on our system before finishing for the day. Early start tomorrow as I am picking my client up at 8.30am to arrive at the court in good time! 5.30pm: I go home ready to do it all again tomorrow and hoping for a successful outcome in court. I will sleep well knowing that, because of my help, my clients feel a little bit safer tonight.

Did you know…?

7.2% of adults in England and Wales experienced stalking by a partner, ex-partner or family member in the year to March 2018

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