Dr. Stephanie Holt:

Echoing the point I made earlier, domestic violence is rarely the presenting issue to a range of professionals and that includes those who work in the area of local authority housing. It is usually buried way underneath a pile of other problems, including addiction and mental health issues. It takes a certain skill set and a certain understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse to be brave enough to ask the questions. Part of it involves professionals being interested. It is also about their training, their awareness and their ability to work together. I am sure it is not the first time a committee such as this has heard that about professionals working together to share that skill set and an understanding of the dynamics involved. It goes back to a much earlier preventative point about when people are in danger of becoming homeless and the support they receive at that stage.