Sabyn* was suffering from domestic violence at the hands of her hearing family. It affected her confidence, self esteem and she became more and more vulnerable as the abuse continued.
 
The social worker sign-posted Sabyn to Royal Association for Deaf People’s (RAD) advocacy service as her communication needs were quite complex. Sabyn was distressed when she first met the advocate – she obviously felt unsafe and wanted to stop feeling controlled by her family and for the abuse to cease. To achieve this she wanted to escape the controls of the family and find somewhere safe to live.

RAD formed a link with another agency called Stay Safe which specialises in supporting victims of abuse. Together RAD and Stay Safe supported Sabyn in attending the domestic violence unit in Waltham Forest.  Sabyn was deemed high priority by the council and an offer of temporary accommodation was forthcoming.  Sabyn agreed to accept the offer and RAD continued to support the client through the relocation process.
 
Over the last six months, there have been a number of professionals working with this client to maintain her safety and independence. She has now moved into permanent accommodation. She is sad to have had to cut ties with her family but is happy that she now feels safe.  In September she will commence training courses in Basic English, Maths and IT, and RAD continues to work with her to build her confidence. Sabyn also receives five hours a week support from an assigned support worker to teach her basic independent living skills including budgeting skills and food hygiene.

^{*not her real name - photo pose by model}