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Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service is a county-wide service designed to reduce the level of domestic abuse and improve the safety of victims and their families. We operate in all districts offering a variety of support programmes for women and men over 16 years old experiencing domestic abuse.
GDASS offers a range of bespoke packages of support to help you to live safely and to move on from abuse. The packages of support are tailored around you and the support needs you have identified. GDASS work with both women and men.
GDASS offers a Helpdesk service that operates Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
It is managed by support workers who are able to offer immediate support and advice and take referrals for the GDASS support packages.
Phone: 01452 726570 or Email: support@gdass.org.uk.
Click here for more information.
The GDASS Floating Support Team offers a 12-week package of support, completely tailored around you and the support needs you have/may identify. This can be done face-to-face, over the phone, or by email, or any mixture of these to best suit your needs and lifestyle.
Click here for more information.
Our IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) are members of staff who have been trained to work with women and men who have been assessed as being at high risk of serious harm through domestic abuse.
Click here for more information.
GDASS employs two full-time Health Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (HIDVAs) based across Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) and Cheltenham General Hospital (CGH). They cover Monday to Saturday and work 9am – 5pm.
The objective of the HIDVA project is to provide effective intervention to those experiencing domestic abuse at the earliest opportunity. The vast majority of domestic abuse victims will attend a hospital at some point during the period that they are being abused.
A large part of the HIDVA role is up-skilling hospital staff to identify domestic abuse and to create effective discharge and safety plans. The HIDVAs offer training to individuals, wards and departments around domestic abuse and the referral pathways for further support.
GDASS has a member of staff who is specifically trained and accredited to support young people at high risk of serious harm from domestic abuse. The GDASS YPVA will work, on a one-to-one basis, on issues experienced by our younger clients and liaise with schools and other agencies to create a multi-agency plan to reduce the risk to the young person.
We have two specialist Court IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) who work exclusively with people going through the Criminal Court System.
Click here for more information.
GDASS offer a number of group work programmes. All of the GDASS programmes are completely free of charge.
Click here for more information about the Phoenix Programme and Breathe.
Here's what to do if you are, or someone you know is, being abused.
Firstly, it is not your fault. The responsibility for abuse, in all cases, lies with the abuser. This section offers some advice around keeping you safe while living with an abuser. Your safety, and your family’s safety, is the most important thing when considering your options.
You can contact GDASS at any stage throughout your relationship, or situation, for advice, support, and to discuss your options.
Always remember that your computer history will show the websites you have visited. Find out more about deleting your history.
Find out more about staying safe on social media (Facebook and Twitter) here.
Find out more about what to do if you have recently left your property here.
Having an emergency bag means that if you had to flee your house you can take some basic belongings with you easily. Find out more about what to take here.
In this section you will find tools, resources, leaflets, and referral forms for use if you are working with someone who is experiencing domestic abuse.
GDASS can support you through working with someone experiencing domestic abuse. Call us on 01452 726561 if you would like more information.
Biderman’s Chart of Coercion
The Chart of Coercion is a tool created to outline coercive control behaviours. It was originally designed to demonstrate the abusive tactics used to break the will of prisoners of war.
Safety Advice
Some information about how to keep safe if you are, or someone you know is, being abused.
Young Peoples DASH Completion Guide
For advice and information on referring to MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference) please see here.
GDASS offers bespoke training for agencies. If you would like to talk to us about what we offer, please contact us on support@gdass.org.uk.
Professionals Line: 01452 726561
Click here to see the posters for 'Becoming trauma informed: a training course for service managers' on 2 July 2018, and 'Children under ten years old and domestic violence' on 11 July 2018.
GDASS employ three GP Development Workers who are working across all 81 GP Surgeries in Gloucestershire to improve Domestic Abuse early identification and risk assessing.
The GPDWs support GP surgeries to identify a domestic abuse champion who receives specialist training to support their surgery to deal with domestic abuse disclosures. The GPDW will support the champion to promote referrals to GDASS and putting in effective support for victims of domestic abuse. The GPDWs offer support and training to surgeries and support them to become safe spaces for disclosures of domestic abuse.
If you work in a GP surgery and would like to discuss what we can offer you, please contact us for the following areas:
• Stroud and Berkeley Vale; Tewkesbury, Newent and Staunton; and Gloucester City: abigail.dunn@gdass.org.uk
• Cheltenham; and Forest of Dean: nicholas.farmer@gdass.org.uk
• North Cotswolds; and South Cotswolds: emma.beckett@gdass.org.uk
Useful resources for GP surgeries:
The GP Development Team sends out a bi-monthly Health Professionals and Domestic Abuse newsletter to share relevant information, learning events, and more! Click here to sign up.
The GDASS leaflets:
The leaflets are also available as simple text files that can be used with translation software.
Domestic abuse is defined by the Home Office as ‘Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or who have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to:
Domestic abuse includes so-called ‘Honour’-based violence, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation.
Click here for more information.
Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) is a county-wide service designed to reduce the level of domestic abuse and improve the safety of victims and their families. We operate in all districts offering a variety of support programmes for women and men over 16 years old who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) is delivered by GreenSquare Group.
Mission Statement
We believe that everyone has the right to a life free from violence and abuse. Domestic abuse is a violation of adult’s and children’s rights and is a result of an abuse of power and control.
We aim to empower victims to live independently – free from fear and abuse. We will do this by supporting them using a response-based approach.
We will keep the voice of the victim at the heart of everything we do, and challenge the disadvantages that result from domestic abuse.
We will develop partnerships to work towards a society in which domestic abuse is no longer tolerated.
Phone: 01452 726570 or Email: support@gdass.org.uk.
Professionals Line: 01452 726561.
Useful links
Online referral form | Feedback form
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