About Follow My Lead

Follow My Lead was an initiative which resulted in the publication Follow My Lead. The project was designed to build understanding of lived experience, outlining what being ‘safe to talk to’ means, and how significant responses are.

Follow My Lead speaks from the voices of people with lived experience of domestic and family violence (DFV) who need the professionals and their social networks to be more prepared to respond effectively. More prepared to respond in ways that uphold dignity and build on safety.

Being safe is no simple or single decision, or task. When we (any person responding to someone experiencing DFV) are ‘aware’ of DFV but don’t have an understanding of it our responses can be unhelpful and worse, harmful.

Many publications and resources speak about DFV and about the people who experience it. Few publications and resources speak from the first person voice of people with lived experience, outlining what being 'safe to talk to' means, and how significant responses are.

Follow My Lead is designed to not only build on awareness of what DFV is, it is also designed to build understanding of lived experience. We hope that ‘Follow My Lead’ will contribute to more positive social and service responses to people experiencing DFV.

Development process
Follow My Lead was informed by the ‘Concepts of Safety’ project. In early 2018 Follow My Lead was circulated in prototype for feedback across contexts. The feedback has been collated into a Follow My Lead – Feedback Summary Report. The report includes the feedback that has been provided by individuals, including people with lived experience of DFV, and how this feedback has informed the content and format of the first edition.
Information about the first edition of Follow My Lead.

Acknowledgement and thanks:
Domestic Violence Service Management would like to thank all contributors, critical friends and communities, who have engaged directly or indirectly with our Concepts of Safety Project and this Follow My Lead resource. In particular, the Insight Exchange team would like to thank Dr Linda Coates and Dr Allan Wade and their colleagues at the Centre for Response-Based Practice, Canada for their visionary and pioneering work on social responses, resistance, language, and the upholding of dignity.

Most significantly, our thanks goes to all people with lived experience of domestic and family violence who have courageously shared their insights for the benefit of others.

If you have a question about Follow My Lead contact us