A Lifelong Commitment to Ending Domestic Abuse: In Conversation with Suzanne Harris
Mental Health Awareness Week Spotlight | By Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse
When we sat down with Suzanne Harris, Community Safety Manager at Somerset Council, it was clear we were speaking to someone with deep expertise and long-standing commitment to tackling domestic abuse at every level. With nearly two decades of public service and 14 years specifically focused on domestic abuse, Suzanne is one of those rare leaders who combines policy expertise, frontline experience, and relentless compassion.
Her role—originally designed as a joint post between public health and the local authority—was created in recognition of one essential truth: domestic abuse is a public health issue. “From the start, my post was about collaboration,” she tells us. “It was a conscious recognition that the health impacts of domestic abuse are significant, and that addressing them requires more than just one agency’s intervention.”
As we mark Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s a poignant reminder that health doesn’t begin and end in hospitals or clinics. It’s found in safety, in homes free from violence, and in systems that recognise, respond to, and prevent harm.
A Systemic Issue, Not a Siloed One
Suzanne’s journey began in housing, where she witnessed firsthand how tenants affected by abuse often fell through the cracks of disconnected services. “Housing, health, policing, social care—these are all parts of the same puzzle,” she says. “Domestic abuse touches every part of society. No one agency can fix it alone.”
This belief is what drew her to the Coordinated Community Response (CCR) model championed by Standing Together. The CCR is not just a theoretical framework—it’s a practical, powerful approach to multi-agency collaboration that centres survivors and holds perpetrators accountable.
“Too often, people think they’re working together just because there’s goodwill. But good intentions aren’t enough,” Suzanne stresses. “CCR brings structure, shared accountability, and a strategic lens. It stops domestic abuse from being everyone's job and no one’s responsibility.”
In other words, CCR doesn’t remove responsibility—it ensures it’s clearly owned, coordinated, and delivered across the system, so survivors aren’t left to fall through the cracks.
One misconception Suzanne is keen to dispel is that domestic abuse is somehow a “city problem.” Somerset, a predominantly rural county, has a population of over half a million — and domestic abuse thrives in its quietest corners.
“There’s this idea that it doesn’t happen in small towns or villages. But I’ve heard the stories — the isolation, the lack of nearby services, the silence. The abuse is there. We just have to look.”
One of Suzanne’s greatest concerns is how easy it is for society to become desensitised to domestic abuse. “There’s this dangerous belief that things have improved, that it’s an issue of the past. But domestic abuse is still pervasive—and often invisible.”
She notes that abuse doesn’t always look like what we see on TV. It happens in rural areas, in quiet villages, behind closed doors of affluent homes. “Somerset is a rural county. People assume domestic abuse only happens in cities. But isolation can be even greater here. Services are far away, and communities are close-knit—there’s stigma, silence.”
This rural perspective is often overlooked in national conversations—and it’s why she advocates for tailored responses, continuous training, and accessible education. “You can't just put a policy in place and call it done. You need to keep asking: Are we embedding this? Are people following it? Is our training actually being used in real-life decisions?”
Learning, Always
A significant part of Suzanne’s role is commissioning services, coordinating Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), and leading strategic development. She's also a trained and accredited Home Office DHR chair. “Every single review is different,” she says. “Yes, the themes—like agencies not sharing information—repeat. But every person’s story is unique.”
One of her proudest contributions is the development of free, online domestic abuse training modules, accessible across the UK. These are designed not just for professionals but also for members of the public—family, friends, and colleagues who may not know how to help.
“Training can’t be a tick-box exercise. You don't do it once and move on. This is about saving lives. We need to beat the drum continuously.”
A tireless advocate for lifelong learning, Suzanne’s approach to training is simple: it should never be a one-off. Under her leadership, Somerset has redeveloped a suite of online domestic abuse modules, available nationally. Some are designed for professionals needing to make referrals; others aim to empower community members who may be worried about a friend, family member, or colleague.
This belief goes beyond professional development — it’s about cultural change. Suzanne is clear: policies alone are not enough. Strategic leads must ask hard questions. Is the training embedded? Are staff following protocol? Are policies actually being implemented?
A Call to Action: Join the CCR Network
As we launch our new CCR LinkedIn page , it is leaders like Suzanne Harris who remind us that domestic abuse is not only a criminal justice issue — it is a human issue, a social issue, a public health issue. And that addressing it requires all of us.
Suzanne’s message to other local authorities and professionals is clear: join the CCR network. “It will help you move from scattered good practice to coordinated excellence,” she says. “It elevates your response. It helps services speak the same language. It gives domestic abuse the priority it deserves.”
In a time where public services are under pressure and attention spans are short, the CCR provides consistency, accountability, and—most importantly—hope.
“Ending domestic abuse takes more than good people. It takes good systems. And CCR is that system.”
As a core member of Standing Together’s CCR Network, Suzanne is passionate about the Coordinated Community Response model — not just as a concept, but as a practical, everyday tool for change.
“So many people think they’re working in partnership — and in some cases, they are — but it’s often based on goodwill, rather than strategic, deliberate effort. CCR is about turning that instinct to collaborate into a structured, accountable system.”
In her view, CCR helps to overcome one of the most dangerous pitfalls in domestic abuse prevention: fragmentation. From her extensive experience coordinating MARACs (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences) to leading the redevelopment of Somerset’s domestic abuse training offer, Suzanne understands that when agencies work in silos, people fall through the cracks.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we invite you to think beyond the surface. Health is not just the absence of illness—it's the presence of safety, dignity, and equity. By investing in coordinated responses like the CCR, we are not just responding to crisis—we are building healthier, safer communities for everyone.
Learn more about the CCR Network and how your organisation can get involved.