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Domestic abuse service marks three years of supporting Norfolk’s most vulnerable people

Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS) has received over 10,000 referrals since opening its doors in January 2022.

Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS), the county-wide partnership funded by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, South Norfolk and Broadland District Councils, is celebrating three years in operation since the service began on 3 January 2022.

During that time, NIDAS has received over 10,000 referrals to support medium and high-risk victims of domestic abuse, whilst also training over 500 professionals to spot the signs of domestic abuse and provide a safe response.  

NIDAS was created by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk to end the postcode lottery of medium and high-risk domestic abuse support in Norfolk, ensuring that all residents in the county are able to access services, regardless of where they live or who they are. 

This service is the first system of its kind in the county, offering a fully integrated service, making one-to-one support, multi-agency response and help towards practical solutions available for those experiencing domestic abuse.

Since 3 January 2022*, NIDAS has:

  • Received 10,332 referrals for people aged 16+ into the service
  • Accepted 776 referrals for child and young person support (5-18)
  • Modified 136 properties of victims to increase their protection
  • Trained 569 professionals through the DA Champions Network

*All figures correct up to September 2024

This work has included supporting 789 men, 367 LGBT+ victims and 292 people aged 65+.

Sarah Taylor, Police & Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, said:

“This county-wide approach ensures that victims of medium or high-risk harm only have to tell their story once in order to get the right support, preventing the constant retelling of their trauma.

“Domestic abuse transcends gender, class, race and sexuality so it’s crucial people know about the existence of NIDAS. Anyone experiencing domestic abuse can be confident in reporting it and confident that they will get the necessary support to help them recover more quickly.”

Charlotte Richardson, NIDAS service manager, added:

“As the Tier One provider, Leeway Domestic Violence and Abuse Services, in collaboration with our partners Daisy Programme and Safe Partnership, are incredibly proud of NIDAS, and the hard work, dedication, and passion that our teams have shown in order to deliver and develop the NIDAS service across Norfolk.

“NIDAS is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse are able to access high quality help and support when they need it, regardless of circumstances or where they live in the county. We are also committed to raising awareness of domestic abuse, providing training to our funding partners and to our Norfolk Domestic Abuse Champions Network, as we strive for a standardised approach to the identification of domestic abuse across Norfolk.

“We believe that the people of Norfolk have a right to be safe and free from abuse and, as a service, will continue to work with partners across Norfolk to make this happen.”

Stalking & Harassment Campaign

This week NIDAS launched their Stalking and Harassment campaign which will run until 28 February 2025. The social media campaign has been designed to highlight this particular area of domestic abuse which has been identified by the service as high-risk and misunderstood by target audiences.

In addition to the social media campaign, NIDAS will be publishing weekly blogs on their website.  The first blog is: What is stalking and harassment?