BY HANNAH GRAHAM

A PIONEERING new scheme that will aim to work with domestic abuse offenders in Dorset is being launched.

The Up2U intervention programme is being launched in Weymouth, Portland and Poole as a pilot scheme and seeks to change behaviours in order to create better and healthier relationships.

It has been described as an ‘innovative programme for people who use domestically abusive behaviours in their intimate partner relationships’.

The programme can be tailored and altered in order to suit different needs, relationships and risks, such as same sex relationships.

The scheme is based on the belief that the root solution to stopping re-offenders of domestic abuse is tackling them and helping them to reform and change their ways in order to carry on in life without resorting to domestic abuse against their partners.

Of course, it’s not just the victims that can suffer from the after effects of domestic abuse.

Young people who witness abuse taking place can also suffer horribly, which can lead to mental health problems.

For many young people in these situations, the fear of telling authorities or trusted people is increased.

Lots of young people suffer from issues surrounding mental health and it’s also a problem that is being tackled all over Dorset.

Campaigns and workshops are taking place all over the county in order to increase the amount of young people seeking help for their mental health problems.

Importantly, those campaigns are also geared towards aiding those young people in getting the help that they require in order to improve their situation.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “It is vital to fund domestic abuse perpetrator programmes as I am keen to see the cycle of domestic abuse broken.”

He added: “Families affected by domestic abuse are often a hidden population.

“Victims don’t often report abuse or ask for help because of the perceived impact on their relationship.”

These problems are all consistent with what we know about mental health and the effects that domestic abuse has on families, including putting a serious strain on personal relationships.