Stop Domestic Abuse Together (SDAT)
A safeguarding initiative led by Derbyshire Police, working with Children’s Social Care, Health Services, schools and other agencies. It is an early notification system for schools, to quickly notify them of any incidents of domestic abuse where the Police have attended a household where children live.
Domestic Abuse comes in many forms including: Psychological, Physical, Sexual, Financial and Emotional
Witnessing domestic abuse is distressing and scary and causes serious harm to children. They may experience any of the following as a result:
anxiety and depression
difficulty sleeping
nightmares
easily startled
physical reactions, such as tummy aches or headaches
bed wetting
display challenging behaviour
display inappropriately aged behaviour
refusing to go to school
display aggressive behaviour
poor self-worth
self-harm
difficulty forming positive relationships
They may feel:
guilty - because they think they have done something wrong
powerless - because they can't stop the violence
confused - because it doesn't make sense
angry - because it shouldn't be happening
sad - because it's a loss
afraid - because they may be hurt, they may lose someone they love, others may find out
alone - because they think it is only happening to them
SDAT Notifications
Our aim is to ensure children are protected from the impact of domestic abuse. Schools are notified so that they can observe and offer appropriate support to children who have been involved in, or witnessed, a domestic abuse incident.
Information will be received securely and confidentially by the Safeguarding Team.
All schools have a duty to share any information with other organisations if they feel a child is at risk of harm.
