In 2017, Kerri McAuley was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Joe Storey. In the attack on the young mother of two, every bone in her face was broken. Storey was jailed for at least 24 years.

Just weeks before she died, while having her hair cut, Kerri confided in her hairdresser about the abuse she was suffering at the hands of her ex.

As domestic abuse is largely a hidden crime, it’s hard to get a full picture of its prevalence, but according to the Office for National Statistics, for the year ending March 2019, an estimated 1.6 million women aged 16-74 had experienced domestic abuse during the previous 12 months. And throughout the Covid pandemic, the figures have risen (see box, below).

But action is being taken. Following Kerri’s death, Northamptonshire Police launched Cut it Out - a campaign that recognises the crucial role that hairdressers, barbers and beauticians could play in spotting the signs of domestic abuse and, crucially, helping victims.

The campaign has gathered momentum since its inception in 2019, gaining support from industry titans such as Nicky Clarke (see box, below). And it is filtering down to colleges, too. Over the past year, college group Activate Learning has been working with Thames Valley Police to develop an e-learning course for trainee hairdressers and beauticians, focused specifically on supporting victims of domestic abuse.

Mark Burrows is director of curriculum for the lifestyles faculty at Activate, and has been leading the design of the course alongside Thames Valley Police.

“It’s all about making sure what happened to Kerri doesn’t happen again,” he says. “We want learners not just to have the tools to spot the signs, but to know how to report things and who to report to.”

The approach is trauma-informed and is all about developing the skill of conversation around the issue of domestic abuse.

“For example, if the hairdresser says, ‘How are you?’ and the client responds with, ‘Yeah, I’m fine’, we know that when someone says they are ‘fine’ or ‘OK’, there’s probably something a bit deeper there,” says Burrows. “It’s about being inquisitive and curious, but also keeping within the boundaries of that professional relationship.

“We’ve designed the course so students know how to build on that conversation. There are multiple selections on how they might respond and the right way to respond so that they can really support that person and signpost them to the right people for them to get help. But they also learn how to report it themselves, if they get agreement from the client.”

The course takes just 30 minutes and Burrows plans to extend it beyond Activate.

“I said to Claire Furness [a Thames Valley Police sergeant who works with the force’s Violence Reduction Unit], if we’re doing it for 450 students and it’s the right thing to do, why don’t we just have it for everybody? We’re raising awareness so that all colleges within the Association of Colleges, or within the Collab Group, and actually nationwide, can access it,” he says. “It goes beyond students and colleges, too. We want to educate our employers, educate those already out there in the industry.”

Burrows is clear that, when delivering the course or discussing domestic abuse, teachers and leaders need to ensure that they offer follow-up pastoral support for students; they may have been victims themselves or come from a home where abuse is prevalent, and it’s crucial to be mindful of that, he says.

“We do have support in the college, so if it touches home with one of our learners, we understand and monitor that, and we make sure that they have the pastoral support around them to deal with some of the tough topics within the programme,” Burrows explains. “But overall, learners have received it very well. And actually, instead of causing a lot of anxiety, it’s given them the realisation that domestic abuse does happen. It’s very, very unfortunate [that it occurs], but actually, they now have the tools to tackle it.”

It’s not just the hairdressing and beauty trainees who can be trained to play an active role in supporting domestic abuse victims, though. “In all the service industries that we work in - whether that’s healthcare, personal training or hospitality - people do have these interactions,” Burrows adds.

“We’re encouraging all our learners across the college to really use that model, although it’s very hair- and beauty-focused [currently], and really progress it and use it as a starting point to gain those skills.”

Those who are already in the workplace can benefit from better awareness in this area, too. In Scotland, Medics Against Violence has been educating doctors and nurses, as well as vets and firefighters, for more than a decade on how to spot the signs and support victims of domestic abuse.

Christine Goodall was instrumental in setting up both this organisation and ASC, its sister organisation, which specifically focuses on domestic abuse. She says it’s critical to consider all genders, and to remember that men and LGBT+ people can also become victims. “It’s really difficult for men because there’s a lot of shame and stigma associated with being the victim of a woman’s violence, and it’s very difficult for them to talk about and admit to it,” she says.

“There isn’t really an awful lot in the way of help; there are a lot of women’s refuges around the country, but there’s hardly anything for men. It’s really, really difficult for them.”

So, when they are teaching trainees in public-facing roles to support all victims of domestic abuse, what factors do colleges need to be aware of? Goodall says educating people on the three stages involved in providing support would be a great start.

Look for the signs

Goodall says 40 per cent of domestic abuse cases feature violence - and most people who are assaulted have injuries to their head or neck. “You might see strangle marks around their necks, or if somebody’s got a short-sleeved top on, for example, you might see fingertip bruising around their arms where they’ve been grabbed by somebody,” she says.

Where people are being abused mentally, it’s crucial to look out for behavioural changes, Goodall adds.

“You might see somebody, whom you’re used to seeing wearing make-up and attractive-looking clothes or clothes that might show off a bit of their body, all of a sudden becoming dressed quite dowdily and not wearing make-up because their partner wants them to look invisible,” she explains.

Other signs could be that they receive a lot of calls and texts, they smell of alcohol or someone is waiting outside for them.

Ask the question

The next stage is to ask, Goodall advises. The conversation needs to be private, so you can take someone to another area, or if you’re in a noisy environment, you may not be overheard anyway. “It’s really just about asking ‘Is everything OK? I’ve noticed that you’ve got these bruises on your neck - did somebody hurt you? Do you feel safe?’ and just introducing a conversation very gently that way,” she says.

“One really important thing to do, if someone does disclose to you, is to be very clear in saying ‘I believe you. I believe that this has happened to you, and you don’t deserve this to happen to you. This is not your fault.’ Because a lot of people who are in an abusive situation believe that partly it’s their fault that this is happening, and of course it never is.”

Refer the issue

Whether or not someone does disclose an issue of abuse to you, you should always refer the matter, just in case, Goodall urges.

“Offer them something with the domestic abuse helpline number on it, just to take away,” she adds. “You can say, ‘I know you’re saying it’s not happening to you, but it might come in handy for somebody else, so just take it’.”

Giving them access to a phone and space to make the call there and then is important, too, as their own phone may be being monitored and they might not have the opportunity to be alone at home. Putting up posters in the toilets, such as the popular Ask for Angela campaign - in which customers can ask staff for Angela as a code word to say they feel unsafe - can be effective, she says.

And for industries such as hairdressing and medical professions, getting clients booked in for, and following up on, future appointments is important.

Goodall is clear: everyone, no matter what their profession, can help tackle domestic abuse. “One thing I say to people is to try not to walk past this. It’s something that everybody can see in plain sight if they just notice,” she says. “It’s a problem that’s very pervasive in our society and it’s something that everybody has a role in preventing.

“Don’t think that, because you’re a hairdresser, barber or beautician, you can’t do something about this. You can.”

Kate Parker is an FE reporter at Tes

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Respect Men’s Advice Line: 0808 8010 327
ManKind, for male victims of domestic abuse: 01823 334 244
Galop, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity: 0800 999 5428

This article originally appeared in the 18 June 2021 issue under the headline “How hairdressing students are learning to tackle domestic violence”