What is an IDVA and why are they necessary?

What is an IDVA?

I’m an IDVA - Independent Domestic Violence Advisor. That’s a big title, right?

It’s also an important role to fill and here’s why. IDVAs like myself are trained to provide specialist advice and support to victims of domestic abuse. IDVAs often specialise in advocating for victims in under-represented groups, and for the first time, Hourglass will have a dedicated IDVA service for older people.

Did you know? 2.7 million people across the UK have experienced abuse as an older person, or know someone who has. IDVAs train to have the skills, knowledge and expertise to provide emotional and practical advice, guidance and support to help an individual to become and remain safe in their home and community. We advocate. We guide. We plan. We work on each case in a person-centred way. Focusing on you and your needs.
 
And why are they necessary?

At Hourglass, our IDVA team work to support older victims of abuse. Our service covers East and West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove.

We can support older victims of abuse and neglect who are not currently advocated for. There are nearly 12 million over 65s in the UK to date. An estimated 10,000 people turn 65 every single day. Each one should enjoy a society that enables them to age safely. But that’s not always the case. Many will need our support to ensure their risk of harm, abuse and neglect is minimised, others will need our more specialist IDVAs to intervene in the most serious cases of abuse. That’s why IDVAs are so important.

Elizabeth Fox
November 2021