Unlock the secrets to empowering survivors of domestic abuse as we chat with our guest Sam Fisher, the inspiring CEO of Trafford Domestic Abuse Service (TDAS). Through her personal experiences, we shed light on how TDAS supports not only Trafford residents but also those connected through work or schooling, offering crucial services under the Domestic Abuse Act.
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Samantha Fisher, CEO, Trafford Domestic Abuse Service
Samantha is currently the CEO of Trafford Domestic Abuse Services (TDAS) and has dedicated her career to the voluntary sector since 2007. She holds a degree in Psychology and initially aimed to pursue a career in college teaching. However, volunteer experiences during her studies quickly revealed a strong passion for direct support work, guiding Sam’s career in a new and fulfilling direction.
A deep commitment to service-user involvement has been central to Sam’s approach, rooted in her time as a Client Inclusion Champion while serving as a Project Worker supporting homeless women facing multiple challenges. This role highlighted the importance of centring service-user voices, a principle that continues to shape her work today.
In 2010, Sam joined Team TDAS as a Refuge Support Worker and immediately knew she had found a professional home. Now leading the organisation, she feels privileged to work alongside a dedicated team, providing person-centred, empowering support to families seeking freedom from domestic abuse.
Please find below a link to the TDAS website resource page to learn more about our organisation, what we do and the services we provide.
https://www.tdas.org.uk/resources
Tamsin Caine
Tamsin is a Chartered Financial Planner with over 20 years experience. She works with couples and individuals who are at the end of a relationship and want agree how to divide their assets FAIRLY without a fight.
You can contact Tamsin at tamsin@smartdivorce.co.uk or arrange a free initial meeting using https://bit.ly/SmDiv15min. She is also part of the team running Facebook group Separation, Divorce and Dissolution UK
Tamsin Caine MSc., FPFS
Chartered Financial Planner
Smart Divorce Ltd
P.S. I am the co-author of “My Divorce Handbook – It’s What You Do Next That Counts”, written by divorce specialists and lawyers writing about their area of expertise to help walk you through the divorce process. You can buy it by scanning the QR code…
Transcript
(The transcript has been created by an AI, apologies for any mistakes
Tamsin Caine:
Welcome to series 10 of the Smart Divorce Podcast. During this series, we're going to be speaking about the difficult subject of domestic abuse. Unfortunately, during my work, I come across people who are victim survivors of domestic abuse on a far too regular basis. So we're going to be talking to those who have survived themselves, to professionals working in this area, to solicitors, to hopefully help you to find the right support if you're in that situation. This is an issue that's not going away. So if you're going through this or you know anybody who is, I really hope this series helps you. Thanks for listening. Hello and welcome to the Smart Divorce Podcast.
Tamsin Caine:
Today we're continuing our theme of domestic abuse, and I'm very, very pleased to be joined today by Sam Fisher from TDAS, which is the Trafford Domestic Abuse Service, which is going to tell us all about what the service does, how it provides help and assistance for those who have been in or are in abusive relationships. Sam, thank you so much for joining me. I'm gonna let you give us a bit of a: This is why I do this, this is what I do and this is how I've come to be in this, in this position, because you're the CEO of CEDAS, aren't you? So you head up the service, so give us a bit of background on you and and how you got to where you are.
Sam Fisher:
Oh, wow, thank you so much for having me first of all, and I'm really, really pleased to be here. Well, I guess I mean I kind of fell into the work, to be honest. So I originally was training to be an educational psychologist, um, but during my time at uni I did some kind of um bank type work at a homeless hostel in salford and I loved it, absolutely loved it, um. And then the opportunity came up to work at um tdas it was trafford Women's Aid back then in 2010. We changed our name a few years after that, just kind of breaking the barriers for males wanting to access the service.
Sam Fisher:
Yeah, and I started working in the refuge in our family refuge as a family support worker. So, yeah, nearly 15 years ago, and again, loved it, absolutely loved it. So didn't kind of go with the career that I anticipated, loved the support element of everything that it was involved like, involved in, you know, supporting survivors through that journey, um, and kind of just really got the opportunity to progress within the organization and became kind of the service manager about four years after joining. And then, in early 2017, the then CEO left and the board said would you like to do it on an interim basis. I said, yeah, only interim, because I really liked the front line still working with people.
Sam Fisher:
But yeah, yeah, that was nearly eight years ago
Tamsin Caine:
please tell me they've given you this position permanently now.
Sam Fisher:
Yes, yeah, that was yeah, they absolutely did, and it was more me. It was more because I just I was really conscious of not doing front line. I loved the interaction with, you know, survivors and their families and um, but you know, doing this job it's still so rewarding because you know you're still you're heading up an organization that is changing people's lives. Um, it just took me a little time to kind of, you know, break away from from wanting to to be frontline, but yeah, so I think a lot of a lot of on the job experience, um, and then some of the things kind of naturally came to me in terms of, you know, managing an organization and the funding elements, things like that. So, um, I had really really good board of trustees who believed in me and a really really supportive team. The previous CEO did a lot of development with me as well. So, yeah, um yeah, nearly eight years as CEO now wow that's amazing.
Tamsin Caine:
And am I right in saying, obviously we're talking to you as Trafford Domestic Abuse Services, because I live in Trafford and our business was used to be based in Trafford Domestic Abuse Services, because I live in Trafford and our business used to be based in Trafford, although we're in Manchester now? Um, and you're, so you're my local domestic abuse service. Am I right in saying there is a domestic abuse service accessible in most, if not all, areas of the UK?
Sam Fisher:
Yeah, yeah, there is, um, what that looks like can be different in areas. Unfortunately, it can be a little bit of a postcode lotteries for survivors because, again, funding dependent I mean everywhere has to have safe accommodation now due to the Domestic Abu se Act. So every local authority will have some form of safe accommodation. And yeah, so I mean we also deliver services in Salford as a part of a partnership, which is an amazing service. That's really kind of collaboration across partners and delivering different elements of support, and so that's fantastic.
Sam Fisher:
But yeah, you know, the majority of places will have some domestic of support. So that's fantastic. But yeah, the majority of places will have some domestic abuse support. What that looks like it really does depend on the area, but there's national support helplines as well for people if needed to access, and I think it's important to kind of get across that it's not necessarily happening to be living in that area for us anyway, you know, people can work in that area or have children go to school in Trafford and we would still support them.
Tamsin Caine:
Yeah oh, that's interesting, fabulous, okay. So when we spoke um, when we were talking about the possibility of you coming on the podcast, we talked about um, so I think I asked you the question can you tell me about the services that? And I think about 45 minutes later we came up for breath because they you really do do so so much stuff. So I'm gonna break it down a little bit this time because I feel like that question was too big because there's so much that she'd asked him. So so let's start off with if somebody is currently in an abusive relationship they haven't been able to leave, for whatever reason um yet um, or it may not even be on the card, because they might not even think it's feasible for them to leave. So they're in currently in a domestic abuse relationship. How can TDAS help? How can they access your services safely?
Sam Fisher:
yeah, and I think that's it's really important that you've raised that, because there is still some assumptions that services won't support people if they're still in an abusive relationship. And they absolutely will. We do. I mean, there's a lot of safeguarding and safety planning that has to come with this, so we do have a one kind of front door approach. So we have a support line that is accessible for survivors and professionals and also family and friends, if anybody wanted advice. So that would be mainly the first port of call. If there was no other professionals involved and the professionals wasn't making the referral into our service, it would be the support line.
Sam Fisher:
Referral into our service it would be the support line and that can also be just for advice and guidance at that very early stage that you know we don't even need to take details of the person calling if they don't feel it's safe to do so. We would always try and encourage that because obviously it's a support. But you know this is it's their journey, it's what they're you know they're experiencing. So it's important that we you know it's person-centered and we follow their lead. So initially, yeah, contact the support line for advice or guidance and support, and we do have other avenues. So you know people can go on our website and use the contact form. Then there's we do have social media and we wouldn't always encourage victims to use that as the first call to contact. But if it's the only safe way to do so, then again you know that could be picked up from there. But ultimately it would be contact our support line. For that initial advice and guidance brilliant and and to keep them safe.
Sam Fisher:
It is always possible to use a friend's phone mobile number, computer address, email address whatever, and we would always, always ask safe times to contact, if it is even safe to. You know, we do have, we do support some survivors. Where we we just can't contact them, we have to wait until they contact us again. Um, so it's yeah, the safety element of it is key and it's vital. So we have to. Initially, before any advice and support is given, the safety is the main topic of conversation in how we can communicate.
Tamsin Caine:
How can we make sure that we can provide that guidance, that support, that advice, in a safe way that doesn't put them at further risk, of course, and if the victim does want to leave, does want to cut ties, are TDAS able to help them to do that and in what ways can they help them to do that and in what ways can they help them to do that? Because I know, I've heard, unfortunately, victim survivors take say to me that people have just gone. Well, why don't you just leave? And we know that, why don't you just leave? Is it's just, it's not as simple as that?
Tamsin Caine:
Because there's, there's money, there's, where do you go? There's will they be safe if they do leave? There's the and and there are other things tying them to staying in the relationship and staying, staying where they are, and it isn't as straightforward as it's just. Why don't you leave? So so, just back in track again, because I've got myself talking then and we'll get back to the question. So so, can you help people leave and, if so, how do you support them too?
Sam Fisher:
yes, absolutely, um, we can. We can support again, safety planning and risk management is key. So there would be a, you know, a real in-depth piece of work on what that would look like all the things that you just spoke about that people have to navigate. They have to consider, in terms of their children, it depends on whether they want to leave and look for elsewhere to live, whether that be a refuge, whether that be to go and stay with family and friends, or whether they want support in obtaining relevant orders or kind of putting target hardening interventions on the property. You know, if the you know the perpetrator if it's not a perpetrator's house, for example, they want to end the relationship or, um, so it's.
Sam Fisher:
It's really each individual case needs to be treated as an individual case because everybody's dynamics and what they've got to deal with are completely different. But the key is that that safety planning and that risk management have they got everything they need? Sometimes they just can't, sometimes they need to just go and then, once they're out of that situation, we can still support them to maybe then obtain stuff that they need to get from the property if they've had to leave, stuff that they need to get from the property if they've had to leave, um because but going back to what I know you said, you digress, but it's so, it's so key that like we really need to change that narrative of why don't we just leave? And it's like, well, why don't they just stop? That's the question that you know should be asked, because you know how hard is it to leave a non-abusive relationship with the amount of things you've got to think about.
Sam Fisher:
So when you add abuse into that mix, it's so difficult, um, and that's why that you know the our support staff that's the other priority is their safety, and they will. We need to make sure that it's not rushed. Sometimes it needs to be, sometimes they need to leave immediately, but if you know if it's safe for them to do this in a real planned way, that would always be the advice. And because you know survivors, the risk does heighten when they end the relationship. So you know that safety plan is absolutely key
Tamsin Caine:
yeah, absolutely, and I think what?
Tamsin Caine:
I think that that question that you, that makes you and me shiver, because it's not that simple. If you're not involved in this work, if you haven't worked or been an observer of Victims 5, it does feel like a straightforward thing to do Just get out, just go and stay with family, just go and stay with friends, just get out. And the problem is, I think, what a lot of people don't understand, is that that domestic abuse is about control and the perpetrators are controlling everything and what they tend to have done is isolated their partner from friends, from family, from finances, from having a job, even in a lot of cases. So they don't have that network of people that people in a non-abuse relationship have and therefore it feels very straightforward to go. Why don't you just leave? But actually there are so many reasons why people, that's not possible and it am I right in thinking that, um, it takes um, uh, something like seven times for an, on average, to leave an abusive relationship. Is that a figure you've heard, or?
Sam Fisher:
it's probably more on average, right, yeah, okay, and, and that, and then figures do differ a little bit depending on whether people are deemed high risk. I mean, we have to, you know, in this sector we have. You know that is how you know we manage the support that we offer. You know we complete risk assessments and people are deemed high risk or medium risk. But I think what we also need to remember is risk is fluid, fluid and you know, and every everybody experiences domestic abuse deserves that safety and support um, to play, um or to end a relationship if that's what they wish to do. So, um, but yeah, it is, it is really difficult with, and it's it's only around education, and you know, it's not that, although, yeah, it does make us, you know, shiver when we hear them questions, but it is just an education piece, isn't it? In terms of, you know, and that's why it's so vital that things like this happen for the public to see, because it's just making that increase in that awareness. Because you know we should, we should be educating everybody on the dynamics of domestic abuse and on them, you know, changing the narrative and the typical things that we hear people say, and you know, going back to the isolation. Yeah, that does happen a lot.
Sam Fisher:
You know we have a lot of survivors that come to us and they've got no support network and it's a reason why they've stayed in that relationship for so long and that they might not be able to lead. You know fair-for-traitors are expert manipulators. You know to the outside world they may be the best thing ever because you know they hide it so well. So it is about that, the feeling that survivors often, you know, feel in terms of the guilt, the shame, the worry. Where will they be believed? What about the children? Like you say, the finances? Like you say the finances, your financial abuse is just.
Sam Fisher:
We see that time and time again, um, that she uses a means of control for them to stay in that relationship, um. So I think it's it's just so vital that we do educate people on the difficulties, um, and we launched not long ago our friends and family toolkit on this basis. We've got a kind of section on our website. It's got it's like a resource toolkit for friends and family on just the right things to say, the right things to do. Where to um signpost your friend or your family member who might be experiencing it, to go to um, because they might be the first person that somebody discloses to or they might not even disclose what that family or you know friend has got kind of them, concerns that something's going on, which is why the support line's available for people to access that advice as well. Um.
Tamsin Caine:
So yeah, I think that's the piece of work we're really proud of being able to to launch recently, because it's so key that we can support the people around the survivor as well absolutely, because, let's be honest, if one in four women and is it one in seven or one in eight men are victims of domestic abuse, we all know people, we all have friends in our networks, we all have family members who are in this situation. So we do need to change the narrative and hopefully, you know there's lots of us who are certainly trying to do that. You know there's lots of us who are certainly trying to do that.
Tamsin Caine:
So, moving on, let's talk about the post-separation, because there is this urban myth that once you've left, everything will be all right, which is why there's this. Why don't you just leave? Because everything will be fine once you've left and the relationship's over. But post-separation abuse is, in some ways, even worse than the abuse that was happening when you were in the relationship, because it seems to, in many cases, really ramp up once the relationship's over. So how can you support somebody who's left the relationship, even if they're not in the refuge or being supported by you for the leaving process?
Sam Fisher:
Yeah, again, it'll be really person-centred around what that individual needs. But we would support if there was housing that they needed to look at. You know housing options or, like I said before, again, you know the target hardening if they needed certain things put on their property to make them feel safe. We have group programmes that people can access, which is with, you know, other survivors. And again, when you've been isolated and you feel like you know you've got this guilt and shame them, environments can often be really comforting. They can be quite uncomfortable in the first session or two but after a bit, like you've got that peer support. And we have that for children and young people as well, because you know we have to remember if these children they're they're you know they're victims in their own right. They've experienced domestic abuse and you know as well um, but we support with um, you know, any financial support that they might need, whether that be, you know, if they've had to leave a job or they have to reduce hours or they need to now apply for benefits, we can support with that and any legal kind of advice and support. So we we try and work with local solicitors, firms that can offer like free 30 minute appointments to get that advice, because not everybody, especially if they've, you know, experienced financial abuse, can afford sure, fees, which is really it is a real challenge at the moment. Um, and then we can, you know, we can support with if they've had to move area, so we can support with helping them set up in that new area, with all that, maybe their physical needs that they may have. I mean, it's the list's endless.
Sam Fisher:
We know we work really well, we collaborate with a lot of really good partners who can support and provide that holistic offer and so they can start their journey of, you know, breaking free from domestic abuse. But it can be a lengthy process and especially if you, you know there's proceedings and there's, you know, courts and practical help in whatever way they may feel is is right for them at that time. Because again, everybody's priorities are different at that point. Um, it might be they need new school places for their children or they need to put safety measures in place at the current school. I mean there's so many different things that you know we we can support with um and and advise and advocate. Um, and advocacy is a big one. So we do advocate a lot with other professionals if there's other professionals involved, um you know, with with the, um the family, um, yeah, it's a whole host of things. Real person-centred support plan on both practical and emotional aspects of their life Amazing.
Tamsin Caine:
And I think one of the important things that I've picked up from talking to you is that you're going to know things that the victim survivor might not think about. You know, there are areas that don't necessarily cross your mind when you've been going through all this stuff, that your experience will say well, what about this, what about this, what about this? Are these things that are going to impact you? And that helps to put things in place before the issues start and it's more. It's kind of preventative really, rather than kind of reacting to to what's happened, and so I think that's really important. You've used term a couple of times that I have no idea what it means, so I'm going to ask you I think it's target hardening.
Sam Fisher:
Oh yeah, sorry, yeah, sorry, do you know something
Tamsin Caine:
, that's all right.
Tamsin Caine:
No, don't worry, I was just like. I have no idea what that means.
Tamsin Caine:
So I'm going to ask
Sam Fisher:
. Yeah, I mean, honestly, there's so many things. We love an acronym as well, so if any of that comes out, please do let me know. When you're in it, you just kind of assume something like that no, no, not at all. So target hardening, so that is that they are kind of measures that you would put on a property that um could include um window locks, um a safe, um fire guard on a letterbox. It's all about safety aspects for a property where a victim survivor would like to stay in the property um, so it might be um security lights, security alarms, um.
Sam Fisher:
So yeah, I mean there's not much funding for it specifically and we work quite closely with our community safety team, um, and we do also raise, you know, do some fundraising campaigns for them specific things, but it's all about security and safety of a, of a property all right.
Tamsin Caine:
Well, didn't even know that was a thing.
Sam Fisher:
That's amazing everybody wants to leave do that. That's the biggest thing. They want to be able to stay in their own home and be safe. You know, you know refuges yeah they are. You know they're a vital, vital service. But if we can help somebody stay safely in their own home, then that's what we, you know we would want to do.
Tamsin Caine:
Yeah absolutely, absolutely. I totally get that. That makes complete sense. Um, how, how long so? And this might be how long is a piece of string, but how long do you tend to work can carry on working with people? Is it just until the everything's kind of I'm saying just everything's sorted, in terms of, obviously, a lot of relationships and marriages or civil partnerships, is it until, or is it until like like how long? Or could it be years and years, because they need ongoing support, because actually things are still going on well after everything's resolved.
Sam Fisher:
You know our services are trauma-informed. You know we want to offer the support for as long as we possibly can to enable them to cope, and we don't often say recover, you know, because not everybody does. Everybody kind of just learns to cope with what they've been through, but that's their journey. So our services, because we offer so many different kind of projects and different ways that people can access support, they could be within our you know. Know, in our service for you know, two years, um, I mean the average is probably around six months, um, on a kind of outreach basis. When we talk about accommodation, it's a little bit more complex because there's things external out of our control for them. You know your additional housing. But in terms of in the community, yeah, that is on our books. Some people will be accessing our service for 12 months, if not more, but that might look different. So it might be that when they first come to our service they're supported, you know, by one of our domestic abuse advisors who help them with that initial safety planning, the risk management we do. We sit down and do support plans with all our survivors. That is real person-centered to them, so it highlights the areas they want support with. Then, once we've kind of looked at them, we've put them interventions in place and they may no longer be in crisis as we, you know, as we say um, then it might be that they would attend one of our group programs, um, which is a six-week, you know, program on on kind of the the realities of domestic abuse, with the aim of, you know, reducing that social isolation, being around people who are in, you know, similar, you know situations or have experienced similar things. Their children then may want to access some of the group programmes or have, you know, one-to-one support with our children and people's workers.
Sam Fisher:
I think the one thing that does determine the length often is when there's court proceedings and because of the delays in them. But we have a really um, a fantastic volunteer service. We have the most amazing volunteers um that dedicate their time, um to our service who can once, once a lot of the crisis intervention and the risk for that individual is reduced. It might be that our volunteer then continues some of that support and then if there is court proceedings, for example, then our workers can step back in when the court hearing and when they need support with that. So it can really depend. But I think we don't like putting a time limit on it.
Sam Fisher:
I think, historically, there used to be such a big emphasis on outputs instead of outcomes, and it was like, how many people can you support in 12 months? And it's like, well, it's not just about you know, these are people. They people, they're not numbers. We need to be making sure that they're in a place where they understand about domestic abuse, they recognize the warning signs and they're less likely to enter an abusive relationship again in the future. And, even if they do, they know what to do in that situation, in that situation. So I think we need to be able to offer an intervention for as long as we can to prevent that cycle from repeating um, yeah, which is why having so many different elements of the service is is just brilliant, because people can choose what's right for them at what time. Yeah, oh absolutely.
Tamsin Caine:
You mentioned about um court proceedings and about your workers. Um, perhaps coming back in when there's court proceedings, how do you support people who are who are in court proceedings?
Sam Fisher:
so our staff, um, where capacity allows, we would always try and they would help, you know, attend court with them.
Sam Fisher:
We have to remember it varies as well for each individual person because, you know, if there's not a criminal conviction, then that can be really difficult, especially if there's like divorce proceedings. Um, again, you know, child arrangements. So we, you know, we'll help them with attending court and, you know, and being there as a support for them if, if they require, we would link them in with our local solicitors firm to get that, initially, that advice and support. Um, it's yeah, it's just it is a lengthy process though, uh, and that's why having, that's why having that volunteer service really helps book for in between that time. So they're still getting that ongoing emotional support, but they would help them with, if they wanted support, with kind of any statements that they need to give or any arrangements for attendance at court. You know, sometimes survivors don't want to be like, visible in a courtroom with the perpetrator there. So liaising, yeah, liaising, you know, with all the other professionals involved in that to support that process, um, yeah, and just being that advocate with other professionals and just so their voice is heard.
Tamsin Caine:
Yeah, absolutely. That is fantastic, and just before we started recording, we were talking about your incredible lunchtime learning sessions. So tell us a little bit more about those, who they're aimed at and what your aims are for for running those series.
Sam Fisher:
Yeah, so one of our key objectives is to raise the public's awareness about domestic abuse Like it is everybody's business. It really is, and that's not to say that everybody needs to be a specialist in it, and it's about just having that awareness. You know, like you said before, about changing the narrative and knowing what's not to say. You know, like you said before, about changing the narrative and knowing what's not to say. You know um and just and where to signpost to. So we we offer professionals training in trafford um for trafford um professionals, volunteers, the community um and the they.
Sam Fisher:
We've got quite a large library of what we offer. So we have domestic abuse awareness. We do a session on civil orders there's so many different ones but we have a lot of lunch and learns. So they're like 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and they cover so many different topics that be housing stalking, one specifically on gaslighting. I mean, even at christmas we do one around domestic abuse and christmas and the impact of and the. You know the correlation between certain um things for that time of year, um.
Sam Fisher:
And yeah, the aim is just to educate as many people as possible on domestic abuse in different areas of what, because it's so complex. I mean, we did say, before we started recording as well, that we could literally probably talk for a week about all the you know the aspects and the issues and the challenges and you know, and the rewards and the good things that come, you know, for survivors and the rewards and the good things that come for survivors, but them Lunch and Learn. They're free, people can access them through our website and, yeah, I just encourage as many people to take the time out and see which ones they feel are right fit, what they want to learn more about and yeah, so that's kind of the key aim is to raise that awareness. That's thanks to funding from Trafford Council as well, who really are, you know, they really really want to educate the whole of Trafford on domestic abuse, which is why we're able to offer that for free as well.
Tamsin Caine:
Excellent, well done Trafford Council. God, I know that's amazing. So, other than the awareness and the learning for the general public, I know you also have um services for professionals who who work with victim survivors on a regular basis, people like myself, people like um solicitors, divorce coaches, etc. What's available to them? And also how? How do they? Because I know that they can refer somebody to your services if they feel that they they would benefit from that. So can you talk to us a bit about how they would refer somebody as well?
Sam Fisher:
yeah. So, again, we that could either be through the support line if they wanted to call us or on our website, um, they could just signpost somebody so they could give you know, a survivor, victim survivor, our details and all all the information is on our website in terms of referrals into our service. If, if people know exactly what service they want to access, then they can do that. But a lot of the time it might be they, yeah, yeah, and then we determine maybe what service it is that might be be right for them. Um, but we, we do have a training offer for corporates as well, um, because, again, I mean, unfortunately this one isn't funded.
Sam Fisher:
So there is, you know, know, there is a charge for it, but we said before, didn't? We around you know one in four women, one in six men, so it's happening within your workplace. You know the amount of time that's lost, you know, due to because domestic abuse happening and it affects people's ability to work, people's ability to to work and that. So we have a corporate offer as well, where we and it's really bespoke to up to organizations and it's around supporting whether that be line managers or the HR team, around how to support somebody within your organization who might be experiencing domestic abuse and how to you know, make sure you've got a domestic abuse policy in place, how you communicate that you will support people within your workplace who are experiencing domestic abuse. So that's you know. That's key as well for people to have that awareness, because it might be your staff that you're referring into or it's not somebody you're working directly with.
Tamsin Caine:
Absolutely. It's massively important. As always, we're coming to the end of our time together. I knew this would fly and we'd end up wishing we'd got service yeah, all time, but have I missed anything? Is there anything else that you want to let us know about?
Sam Fisher:
that tdash does no, I think we've've covered. I mean, again, we have accommodation services and I spoke about the outreach and I think I mean I guess the main thing is around that awareness raising and the fact that our services are available for professionals and family and friends and people who may be concerned and just want some advice. I think that's a big thing to get out there, that we are there to give advice to other people who may be concerned about somebody else. I think we have to remember we are not going to be the first service somebody comes to who is experiencing domestic abuse. We're just not so. That's why it is so important that people are aware about what domestic abuse is, how it can affect people and where to signpost to or ring for some advice and support.
Tamsin Caine:
Yeah, absolutely Massively appreciate you joining me, sam. Thank you so much, and all the details for contacting TDAS will be in the show notes for contacting TDAS will be in the show notes. If you or somebody that you know is experiencing domestic abuse, whether it's pre or post separation, please do reach out to them. If TDAS isn't your local service, then please do get on Google. I think there's an app I'm sure somebody told me the other day, I think it's called Bright Sky. Does that ring a bell to you? Is that one? And I think you can look up your local domestic abuse service on there. Obviously, only download the app on your phone if it's safe to do so. If not, please get a friend to do it. And yeah, thank you, sam. Thank you for having me. My pleasure, thank you for joining us, and if you have found this useful, then please do um give us a five-star rating, and that enables us to get this information out to further and wider, to more people.
Tamsin Caine:
So many thanks, hi, and I hope you enjoyed that episode of the Smart Divorce Podcast. If you would like to get in touch, please have a look in the show notes for our details or go onto the website wwwsmartdivorcecouk. Also, if you are listening on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify and you wouldn't mind leaving us a lovely five-star review. That would be fantastic. I know that lots of our listeners are finding this is incredibly helpful in their journey through separation, divorce and dissolving a civil partnership. Also, if you would like some further support, we do have a Facebook group now. It's called Separation Divolution uk. Please do go on to facebook, search up the group and we'd be delighted to have you join us, and the one thing I would say is do please answer their membership questions. Okay, have a great day and take care. Bye.