Inside the Wicklow team supporting abuse survivors – ‘You will be listened to, supported and believed’

By Darragh McCann, The Wicklow People

Domestic violence remains a growing national concern, with An Garda Síochána responding to more than 65,000 domestic abuse incidents in 2024, an average of almost 1,250 incidents every week.

While the issue continues to dominate headlines nationwide, demand for domestic violence supports is also increasing at a local level, including across Co Wicklow.

For many experiencing abuse, the courts and specialist outreach services are often the first point of contact. In Wicklow, ANU Domestic Violence Supports plays a vital role in providing assistance to women and families in crisis.

ANU Wicklow operates under the umbrella of Bray Women’s Refuge, which offers safe emergency accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. The refuge has seven bedrooms and serves a wide catchment area, extending from Bray to Arklow, and as far south as Carnew.

During 2024, ANU supported 429 people across its services, with 377 women and 52 men accessing support. These figures highlight the growing demand for domestic violence services in Wicklow. On average, active cases in 2025 range between 140 and 160 people.

The organisation provides both outreach and court support services. While these services operate separately, they are delivered under the same organisation and are fully client-led. Supports are available to both women and men, depending on individual circumstances.

As part of its outreach programme, ANU provided satellite clinics throughout the county. Weekly clinics were held in Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole, Wicklow town and Arklow, with a monthly clinic operating at Carnew Health Centre.

ANU’s court support service remains on the frontline and is often the first point of contact for individuals seeking protection under the Domestic Violence Act 2018. In 2024, a total of 322 internal referrals were made to the service, with 270 women and 52 men receiving court-based support. Other orders made through solicitors are not included in these statistics.

Throughout the year, the ANU team provided 940 court accompaniments. These included support for protection orders, interim barring orders, breaches of domestic violence orders and other family law matters, including maintenance, childcare issues and appeals of domestic violence orders.

ANU plays a pivotal role on family law days, court sittings when the District Court hears and deals with applications relating to domestic violence protection orders, maintenance, custody and access arrangements.

All days are different, said a court support service staff member. Duties can vary from explaining the aspects of an application to helping clients navigate the court process. If a man or woman’s risk is serious and they are in crisis, “everything else goes to one side”.

Elaine Byrne, court support and court accompaniment social worker said “most people who go to court are vulnerable, and you don’t know what they have experienced”. She added: “If someone can’t read or write, I will help them with other applications from separate services, such as a legal aid form. We are led by clients’ needs.”

The most common cases faced by court supporters relate to domestic violence orders, with a noticeable rise in cases involving financial abuse. Some serious assaults were also reported over the year.

We talk them through all scenarios that could possibly happen and help link in with gardaí and other services, said Hayley Murphy, outreach coordinator.

Ms Murphy and Ms Byrne highlighted challenges with family law lists, which are often excessively long, leaving victims waiting months for cases to be heard.

“Family law days are very, very long,” they said. “You could apply for an order and be waiting three or four months for the hearing to come, and cases can often be adjourned. A lot of it comes down to funding.

"It’s not fair on the judge, it’s not fair on court staff, and it’s not fair on the practitioners working within the court. Most importantly, it’s not fair on victims, who can be left sitting around all day waiting, only for their case not to be heard because the list is so long. Some cases can take an hour or two.”

The pair also highlighted the need for properly resourced, family-friendly court spaces for people seeking protection.

“We need properly fixed family courts that are family friendly for victims who are seeking support. If someone is seeking protection, it’s already challenging. People have jobs, families and children, and there are issues around parking and the cost of attending court. Criminal court buildings are not ideal environments for families or for people who are already under stress.”

Ms Murphy said the role can take an emotional toll, noting that judges’ remarks can carry a lot of weight on mothers and children. She added that staff do as much as they can to support mothers and children, describing it as sad seeing kids eating their lunch and doing homework on a family law day.

Ms Murphy believes current legal protections under the Domestic Violence Act 2018 are strong, but said abusers can still use the court system to manipulate their victims. “Mental fear never leaves,” she said. One voice can trigger trauma.

A testimonial from a recent service user, explained more about how they help.

“My court support worker explained the procedures in detail, what to expect and how to complete the form for the protection order,” it read. “She was very supportive and made a very stressful situation much easier. On the day of the court case, the procedures were explained again, which made my whole experience easier to deal with. I was able to ask any questions I had and everything was clearly explained to me. The service is fantastic. It makes a very daunting situation much easier. The outreach workers are so knowledgeable and show such empathy and understanding. I cannot thank them enough.”

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic violence has been the focus of sustained national campaigning, with increased attention placed on coercive control and the often hidden forms of abuse that can exist without physical violence.

As part of Go Purple Day, an initiative led by An Garda Síochána with the support of domestic abuse services nationwide, figures were released highlighting Ireland’s position as one of only three countries to introduce a specific criminal offence for coercive control. Since its introduction, 52 prosecutions have been brought under the legislation.

Ms Murphy said: “A lot of men and women come wanting to be heard. They don’t see themselves as victims because they don’t have a bruise.”

She added that awareness of coercive control has grown due to social media and public figures such as Nikita Hand.

“If anyone is unsure of what is happening to them, but feels something’s not right, they are not alone,” she stressed. “We are 100 percent here, and any person’s abuse is their abuse. There is nothing that is not abuse enough to be linked in with our service. If anybody is feeling unsafe or unsure, or their gut is telling them something isn’t right, pick up the phone and call us. You will be listened to, supported and believed.”

She added: "Wicklow District Court judge David Kennedy is very supportive of the work we do. We are very grateful, as when I speak to services outside the jurisdiction, it’s not the same.”

Court support staff work closely and collaboratively with court staff and legal professionals involved in the process.

New challenges now face staff at ANU, including an increase in asylum applicants and women who have fled the war in Ukraine. Training is also now available to legal professionals, including solicitors and barristers, to help them better understand the impact of domestic violence on those engaging with the legal system.

As demand for services continues to grow, ANU remains a lifeline for families across Wicklow, providing support, advocacy and practical help to those experiencing domestic abuse.

With dedicated staff, expanding outreach and strong local partnerships, the organisation continues to ensure that no one facing domestic violence in Wicklow has to navigate the legal system or life-changing decisions alone.