Help to Change
Changing abusive behaviour
The good news is that people who abuse can change. However they almost always need some help to do so, especially where abuse has been a pattern of behaviour for some time.
Local help
Cheshire East now has a voluntary programme for people who want to stop their abuse. It is called LIFELINE.
The main aim of Lifeline is to increase the safety of partners and children and to prevent future harm in any new relationship. It offers attendees the knowledge, confidence and skills to accept responsibility for their behaviour, stop acting in an abusive way and have more positive and productive personal relationships. Any current partners and their children are also helped through the Programme.
If you want to discuss a referral for yourself or someone you know or work with, please call My CWA (formerly known as Cheshire Without Abuse) on 0300 123 5101 (or 01270 250390 if you’re outside Cheshire East) or contact via the My CWA website.
National help
People who abuse and those who want to help them can get advice and support from Respect Phoneline:
The Respect Phoneline is funded by the Home Office, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Office.
No programme or helpline or other counselling or support should prevent the criminal justice process taking its course. It is important that anyone who harms others should be held to account.
Does it work
Changing behaviour is hard work – for everyone involved. However if we want to tackle the causes of harm, and not just the symptoms, we need to engage more people in change.
Help for women who harm
Women can also be abusive and some develop responses to being a victim that are also harmful. Our commissioned service, myCWA, offers support to women who harm through a programme called Evolve. This is a mixture of behaviour change and recovery work and many women have found it helpful.
Page last reviewed: 25 July 2022