A new preventative approach to coercive control initiative has secured funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The Family Law Company’s Green Flag Project takes a preventative approach to coercive control by helping secondary school students recognise unhealthy relationship behaviours before they become established.
The project, beginning in schools January 2027, brings together family law and domestic abuse specialists, psychologists and educators to develop a programme covering coercive control, healthy relationships and friendships, and how young people can recognise concerning behaviour and seek help.
Director Carrie Laws, a specialist domestic abuse lawyer and director Amelia Davey who is a public law lawyer along with Kerry England, The Family Law Company’s communications specialist and marketing director, have been fundamental to the planning and development of the pilot.
The firm says the concept is to create an initiative that can easily be replicated at other schools. As such, there is potential for it to become part of any school’s personal, social and health education activity.
The Green Flag Project will reach approximately 330 young people in the two pilot schools.
The Family Law Company says about the project: “Initially a workshop was run in a secondary school to ensure the concept would engage the target audience. The professional educator and psychologists involved all work with this age group, so are highly effective in understanding what approach and focus is apposite.
“We have developed two different styes of workshops to gauge which works best in the educational setting; a full assembly and a class-sized session. We are also creating original animated video content.”
The firm continued the project team has been “blown away” by the response from both the local community and the schools involved.
Dr Anna Gough, consultant clinical psychologist: “As a clinical psychologist, I have worked with men who have displayed coercive and controlling behaviours as well as women who have been subjected to these behaviours.
“Therefore, I am delighted to be part of The Green Flag Project to raise awareness of these issues. It is hoped that early intervention will improve young people’s knowledge and skills about healthy relationships which in turn will lead to improved individual and social outcomes”.
