Over 30 state and community agencies are attending a major Domestic Violence training seminar in Longford today.
Organised by Longford Women's Link, the event has brought together 147 participants from 31 agencies including Gardaí, Tusla and the Prison Service.
It's part of the new Interagency Working Group Model established recently to introduce best practices across the board when it comes to helping victims of domestic violence. The conference got underway at Longford Rugby Club this morning with guest speaker Professor Jane Monckton Smith highlighting the danger of homicide, coercive control and stalking in Domestic Violence.
Speaking to Shannonside FM news this morning at the event, DV services Manager at Longford Women's Link, Natalie O'Reilly says it's vital that these services are trained properly:
''It does give us hope for change and it's the first of it kind in the midlands. Hopefully the first of many events and we've got around 37 agencies that have registered and will be attending and that gives us great hope that these people are coming forward because they are interested and want change. They are promoting a new way of thinking and that's what we're doing, we're trying to collaborate the agencies together that we're all on the same page that's there's a mutual understanding around domestic violence.''
