Devon’s safe lives, strong communities plan – 2026-29

We want to stop harm, break cycles of abuse, and ensure people receive the right support when they need it.

Preparing to read our plan 

This plan looks at interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse, which includes domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls. 

It is written for everyone who wants to learn about Devon’s response to these harms, including victims, survivors, their children, and their families. 

The plan talks about domestic abuse and sexual violence, and we encourage you to read it at your own pace and seek support if needed. The Safer Devon website has a list of organisations who you can contact for support. 

What harms are we responding to? 

Our plan responds to interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse (IG-BVA).

This describes harms with serious and long-lasting impacts on people, families, and across generations. These harms include domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls. 

We use the words ‘interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse’ because they describe these harms in an inclusive way, recognising that anyone, of any identity, can be affected. 

Interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse can: 

• happen between people who know each other – this could be in families, friendships or romantic relationships 
• happen because of someone’s gender – these harms often target women and girls, but can affect people of all genders 
• include coercive and controlling behaviour, abuse, violence, harassment and stalking 
• happen in-person or online 
• take place across generations, creating cycles of harm and trauma within families and communities and from childhood to adulthood. 

Many groups are affected by, or involved in, these harms. 

• People directly affected – adults, children and young people who are victims and survivors. 
• Families, friends, and people connected to victims and survivors. 
• Communities – the effects of these harms can spread into our communities. 
• People who cause harm – we can only prevent future cycles of abuse and violence by working with those who cause harm. 

Who will this plan make a difference for? 

This plan will make a difference for everyone affected by, or involved in, interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse – victims, survivors and their children, families, friends and people connected to them, and people who cause harm. 

This includes: 

• children, young people and adults of all ages and genders 
• people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and other identities (LGBTQ+) 
• Asian, Black and other ethnically diverse people 
• people who are neurodivergent 
• disabled people, including people with learning disabilities 
• people experiencing multiple life disadvantages 
• people with intersecting identities. 

Who created the plan? 

Our plan was created by people working across Devon to address interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse, guided by people with lived experience. 

This includes organisations that directly or indirectly support victims, survivors and their families. 

What do we mean by Devon? 

Our plan covers the Devon County Council area. This includes Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon, West Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge and Torridge. It excludes Torbay and Plymouth.

How did we choose our words? 

The words we use in this strategy matter. We have chosen them carefully through conversation with people with lived experience and services that support them.

Everyone’s experience of these harms is unique, and we recognise that the words we use may not relate to everyone. 

What have we heard from people? 

People affected by IG-BVA are best placed to know what is helpful, what is not helpful, and how things can change for the better. Within this work, we aim to make these voices heard and ensure any actions take account of lived experience views, needs and expectations.

We have heard from many voices about the importance and focus of this strategy, and some of these are included below. 

“That one-to-one community contact, I think is something especially out in these rural areas that would really potentially benefit in the long run… if they’ve got that initial safe space contact (who) can then signpost, support, guide, take them to that first appointment, show them where to go, introduce them so they’re not afraid, and open them up to the opportunities.” 

“…(we) need people to understand that domestic abuse isn’t just someone punching someone, you know. There’s so many complexities to it and people aren’t aware, like the professionals that should be aware (but) really aren’t aware, of how it affects people’s daily lives, you know, and it just really needs looking at.” 

“(in my professional experience, other professionals) have said that they feel completely out of their depth. My own experience was when I finally (disclosed the abuse), two male (staff members) tried to be supportive and helpful. But at that time I was in so much trauma I didn’t want to talk to other men and they were really pushy with the assessment and they didn’t know how to put it across properly. So I lied (on the assessment) because I was terrified and that’s not helping anybody. So, you know, professional understanding around domestic violence and how survivors are feeling in that initial contact really needs to be looked at more.”

(Survivor with professional experience). 

“Many of our clients were unable to access treatment for their health due to language barriers, lack of trust in services and long waiting lists. In cases where support was accessed it was often not appropriate and counter productive.” (The Olive Project, which provides specialist support to black and minoritised victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence in Devon). 

“They knew the father was coercively controlling… but because my son didn’t report it, nothing was done.” 

What have we learnt? 

Through listening to the voices of people affected by IG-BVA, the voices of support services, and exploring our data, we know that: 

• More people understand these types of harm and how serious the impacts are. But shame, stigma and myths still stop many people from speaking up. 
• Some people in Devon cannot get the support they need at the right time. 
• Support is not always shaped by what people really need, or by their choices and experiences. 
• Services don’t always think of the whole family, including children who are victims and survivors. 
• Services can feel confusing, disconnected and hard to navigate. 
• Some people in Devon face bigger barriers, particularly people with protected characteristics and different needs. 
• Prevention is essential. We need to do more to break cycles of harm early and work with people who cause harm to help them change.
• Communities matter and play an important role in preventing harm and supporting people. 
• We need to recognise the full effects of these harms on people throughout their lives. 
• Everyone who works with victims and survivors needs the right awareness, knowledge and tools to offer the best support. 

How are we responding? 

We have created a three-year plan for responding to IG-BVA in Devon, preventing harms from happening, and breaking cycles of violence and abuse.

It has been created by people working in organisations across Devon to address IG-BVA, guided by people with lived experience.

To respond to IG-BVA we need to change the way we work across many different organisations, networks, and activities. Some changes can be made quickly, others may take several years or longer.

We will prioritise what we can achieve in 3 years, alongside beginning longer-term changes which will continue after 2029. 

What we want to achieve 

We want to stop harm, break cycles of abuse, and ensure people receive the right support when they need it. 

What guides us 

Our work is guided by our values that underpin everything we do: 

• Person-centred – the most important thing always needs to be the people this strategy is for.
• Shared mission – we need to work together to achieve common goals across organisations, networks and systems. 
• Trauma-responsive – we need to recognise the trauma these harms cause, and act with kindness, understanding and awareness. 
• Innovation and learning – we listen to learn, reflect and find different and creative ways of solving problems. 
• Trust-based relationships – we need to support each other and treat everyone with respect so we can gain and give trust. 
• Voice and influence – we need to ensure that everyone has a voice and is valued. We are working towards creating equal voice and influence for people with lived experience and for organisations that support them. 
• Inclusion – we need to make sure everyone can get support, that we treat people fairly, recognise different experiences, and give more power to communities. We take an inclusive, anti-oppression, intersectional approach.

Who will the plan focus on and how will we respond? 

Our plan will focus on everyone affected by, or involved in, IG-BVA. This will make sure victims and survivors are supported, we break cycles of harm, and prevent future violence and abuse from happening. This includes: 

• Victims and survivors, recognising the complex and long-lasting impacts of IG-BVA, centring their voices and experiences, and amplifying less-heard voices. 
• Children and young people as victims in their own right, recognising the unique harms they have experienced and prioritising support early in life. 
• People who cause harm, holding them to account and supporting them to recognise and change their behaviour. 

Our plan will respond in the following ways: 

• Prevention – acting early to stop harm, supporting people as soon as problems start, and helping everyone to build positive, healthy relationships. 
• Support and recovery – supporting people when harm is happening and helping them recover afterwards. 
• Communities – recognising how much these harms affect whole communities and recognising the importance of communities in teaching, preventing harm, reaching people who need help, and creating social change. 
• Systems – changing how services and organisations work together to address these harms, and creating joined-up support. 

What will we do? 

Our plan has 8 priorities. Each year, we will create an action plan to help achieve each priority. 

Make services accessible to all 

We want to make support available to everyone affected by IG-BVA, regardless of background, circumstance and barriers. 

Empower people through knowledge, choice and voice 

We want to empower people to share their voices and make informed choices about the harms they have experienced or have carried out. 

Relationships as the foundation of support 

We want to create consistent, trusting relationships between professionals and people accessing support, and make support more joined-up. 

Support and empower our workforce 

We want professionals and volunteers to feel well-supported, skilled, have autonomy and feel psychologically safe. 

Support through community-led responses 

We want to give local people, volunteers and workplaces the confidence to spot signs of harm and respond with care and kindness 

Communities can help us reach more people, build trust, listen to people’s experiences, offer immediate support, challenge harmful behaviours, guide people towards services, and drive real change. But we do not expect communities to support people in the same way that services do. 

Increase the voice and influence of people with lived experience 

We want people with lived experience of IG-BVA to directly influence our response. This includes adult and child victims, families and friends. It also includes people who have caused harm, have recognised their actions and are seeking to change.

Work towards a trauma and shame-responsive Devon 

We want everyone in Devon to better understand trauma, shame and stigma across our services and communities. 

Create a connected, collaborative learning system 

‘System’ means all the people, services and organisations involved in responding to IG-BVA in Devon. We want to create a system that learns, changes and collaborates to best meet people’s needs. 

What change do we want to see after three years? 

We do not feel we can decide the impacts of our plan in advance. This is because our actions may create many different, sometimes unique or unexpected, changes in people’s lives.

Instead, we have agreed four overall ambitions for all our work in the next three years. 

• A collaborative, skilled and trauma-responsive workforce – everyone who works in our services will work well together, have the right skills, respond with understanding and care, and provide support and challenge. This means that people get the support and they need, at the right time and in the right way. 

• Strong, confident communities that can make a difference – communities will have the knowledge and tools to help prevent harm, support people when something happens, play a part in recovery, and challenge harmful behaviours and lead social change. 

• Lived experience leads change – lived experience voices will shape decisions around how support works and how the system improves. 

• A more accessible and inclusive system across Devon that works for everyone, whoever they are and whatever they need – services will be easier to reach, fairer, and more responsive to victims, survivors, their support networks, and people who cause harm. 

How will we know what difference we are making? 

Our plan will allow us to see our progress. But our actions will create many, often unique and unexpected, changes in people’s lives that we will not know about in advance.

Instead, we will use learning cycles to see the difference we are making.

Learning cycles involve: 

• Bringing people involved in our work and people with lived experience together to talk about what we’ve done – we might use data, case studies, reflections from people accessing services and from service providers.

• Spotting the changes that happen from our actions and exploring why these have occurred.

• Adapting what we do – doing more of what is working well and making changes where things have not worked so well. 

• Repeating the learning cycle to keep an up-to-date understanding of the difference we are making and the changes we need to make to our response. 

Learning cycles come from Human Learning Systems, which believes that public service exists to support human freedom and flourishing. Learn more on the Human Learning Systems website. 

Glossary

This glossary explains some of the words used in the Safe Lives, Strong Communities Plan 2026-2029.

Anti-oppression

Anti‑oppression means noticing and challenging unfair systems that give some people more power than others. It is about listening, learning, and taking action so everyone is treated with respect, has equal opportunities, and can participate fully. Anti‑oppression asks us to recognise harm, reduce barriers, and work together to create safer, fairer communities for all.

Coercive and controlling behaviour

Coercive and controlling behaviour is a range of acts that allow someone to gain or keep control of another person. When someone is experiencing this from a partner, ex-partner or family member, it is domestic abuse.

More information about coercive and controlling behaviour, including examples, can be found here: What is coercive control – SafeLives.

Interpersonal

Interpersonal means between people — how people behave, act, or communicate with each other. In the context of domestic abuse or sexual violence, ‘interpersonal abuse’ means harm or behaviour that happens from one person to another person.

Intersecting identities

Identity is multifaceted and changeable, often evolving over time as we grow and experience new things. It’s a crucial part of how every one of us sees ourselves and how we are perceived by others. It encompasses various characteristics, including personality, values, interests and background as well as legally protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010. Those protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, race (ethnicity, nationality/national origin and skin colour), religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Intersectionality considers how different aspects of our identity interrelate, and in many cases they can have a cumulative impact on a person’s opportunities or outcomes in life. For instance, someone with a disability who is from a minority ethnic group and living in a deprived, rural area could face different challenges and opportunities compared to someone with the same disability who is White British and living in an affluent, urban area.

More can be found about intersectionality on the Devon County Council Website: Diversity Guide – Intersectionality – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Lived experience

When we talk about ‘lived experience’, we mean people who have personal experience of the harms this plan responds to.

People may have experienced abuse directly, or it may be through being a friend or family member to someone who has experienced abuse.

It can also include people who have caused harm to others.

Plan

We have used the word ‘plan’ to describe our strategy. A strategy is a plan that helps to get from where we are now, to where we want to be. This plan aims to answer the questions:

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to be?
• How will we get there?

It is not a detailed plan, instead it explains the overall path and goals.

Psychologically safe

Means feeling able to speak, ask questions, or make mistakes without fear of being judged, blamed, or harmed. It is a space where you feel respected, listened to, and emotionally safe.

System

A system is all the people, services and organisations that work together around a particular topic. For this plan, the ‘system’ means anyone and any service who is involved in preventing, supporting and responding to IG-BVA (interpersonal and gender-based violence and abuse).

Trauma-responsive

Means understanding that people may may have been hurt in the past and making sure that our actions do not cause further harm. It is about being gentle, flexible and supportive so people can feel safer.

Victims and survivors

In this plan, we use the words “victims and survivors” to describe people who have directly experienced violence or abuse.

People have different feelings about these words. Some prefer “victim”, some prefer “survivor”, and some do not like either term.

We use “victims and survivors” together because it recognises both the harm people have experienced, and the strength people have in surviving, whether the abuse is happening now or happened in the past.