ML Domestic, Choosing The Right Person Is Important,
Let Me Introduce Myself.
With over 30 years experience supporting and advocating for victims and perpetrators affected by abuse, trauma, substance misuse, mental illness, and crisis situations.
With over 30 years of hands-on experience, I’ve dedicated my career to supporting children, young people, and adults impacted by abuse, trauma, substance misuse, and mental health challenges
Starting out as a youth worker after earning my diploma in Performing Arts, I worked with children, aged 5 -16, who had additional physical needs and behavioural issues
Many were neurodiverse and many were living with or affected by abuse and trauma. I organised play schemes and adventure holidays, creating safe, supportive spaces for those with complex needs.
For 10 years, I managed the Visitors Centre at HMP Leeds, reinventing the role and raising its profile within the prison and the wider community. I secured funding and oversaw its transformation into the Jigsaw Healthy Living Visitor’s Centre. This centre offered a variety of services and activities focusing on five areas of health, benefiting prison visitors, prisoners, staff, and the local community.
To extend the support from the Visitors Centre, I partnered with a serving prisoner to set up a support and advice project at Leeds Crown Court. This project ensured families of new prisoners received the information and support they needed. Additionally, I co-delivered Alcohol Awareness and Anger Management courses to prisoners and developed an OCN-accredited Healthy Relationships course, which prisoners completed with their partners—a UK prison first.
In 2007, after 10 years of working with perpetrators and supporting their partners and families, I chose to leave the prison to specialise in domestic abuse. Initially I delivered training for Leeds City Council but after relocating to Merseyside I managed the Independent Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy Service (IDSVA) covering Knowsley. For 7 years whilst managing the service, I also held a case load and worked directly with victim survivors who had been assessed as high risk of serious injury or murder by their partner or ex-partner. I advocated and supported them through the Criminal Justice System, Family Courts, child protection process, housing, assessed and managed risk completed safety planning and offered emotional and practical support
Between 2016 – 2018 I was the Regional Development Officer for Women’s Aid Federation England (WAFE) supporting all the specialist domestic abuse services across the North West of England. I left this role after being asked by the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner to create and establish a Merseyside Domestic Abuse Workplace Scheme. The scheme launched in 2019 and I managed to keep it going through the Covid lockdowns when no one was in the workplace but victim/survivors needed support even more. I left the OPCC in May 2023 to focus on my training and consultancy business.
I have been a qualified trainer for over 25 years and have written and delivered interactive, thought-provoking training courses to professionals from every sector as well as to serving prisoners and victim/survivors. I established my own domestic abuse training and consultancy business in 2016 which I developed alongside my various employed roles. As demand increased, I made the decision to concentrate on my business full time.
Client Experiences
ML Domestic Abuse Training & Consultancy Independent Specialist
©Malka Livingstone
Designed by Mutatio Creative Agency
