Rachel Green has been called the champion of domestic violence victims. Women's Editor Christen Pears meets her.

I FIRST saw Rachel Green on the Kilroy programme. County Durham's Strategic Domestic Violence Co-ordinator had been asked to talk about the sort of help available to victims and although she had only a few minutes, it was obvious she's passionate about her work.

Meeting her in her office in Spennymoor police station, I can see she's just as enthusiastic off camera. In fact, she's so keen to tell me about the projects she's involved with, I can barely get a word in edgeways.

Rachel's post is part of a government-funded initiative to reduce violence against women. Her role is threefold: to assess the rate and type of violence in the county; to join up all the existing services to create a multi-agency approach and raise awareness of the issues surrounding violence in the home.

She took up the post in February last year and although the funding was only for a year, alternative sources have been found to allow her to continue.

"We've done a lot over the last year but there's still so much more to do. To be honest, with something like this, you spend the first six months just doing the groundwork. You need more time if you're going to make a really big difference," she says.

One indication that Rachel's role has been a success is a rise in the number of incidents being reported.

"Some people have said they're worried by this, but they shouldn't be because it's actually a good sign. Victims are obviously feeling more confident about coming forward and reporting domestic violence, which is why the number of incidences are rising, but it's always a while before you start to see a reduction in the number of reports."

Rachel first became interested in domestic violence when she worked as a police officer in Middlesbrough.

"We were dealing with domestic violence all the time - more than I would have liked - and I used to find it very frustrating," she recalls. "I never felt I was doing enough or doing the right thing. I remember one woman who had finished with her partner but because they had children, he still came to the house. The little girl always used to intervene when he was violent but on one occasion, she just walked past, turned on the television and started watching it.

"That really stuck in my mind. Had she just got to the stage where she was going to accept it or was she just cutting herself off, trying to pretend it wasn't happening? I knew there were so many other people in the same situation and I started to think what I could do to help."

When the strategic co-ordinator post came up, Rachel knew it was what she wanted to do. She already had a lot of experience from her time in the police but while that tended to focus on the specific, her new job requires her to take a full overview. It's been a steep learning curve, she says, but she's thoroughly enjoying it.

One of the main initiatives of the last year has been the development of a website, which includes details of all the services available to domestic violence victims in County Durham and Darlington. Another has been training 16 people to deliver the Freedom programme, a course designed to educate women and give them the understanding and confidence to take control of their relationships.

Domestic violence can affect anyone. Although the overwhelming majority of victims are women, men can be abused too. Rachel wants to ensure there is help available for them, as well as victims within gay and lesbian relationships.

She's also keen to help children who may be affected by domestic violence. In Sedgefield, which has the highest rate of domestic violence in County Durham, out of 124 incidents, 207 children were affected. They were not necessarily victims but were in the same or the next door room and may suffer long-lasting psychological effects. Children tend to become victims themselves when they're older, usually from the age of 16 onwards, and Rachel's desk is buried under dozens of newly-printed booklets, offering advice and guidelines to youngsters.

"We also want to work with abusers - men who haven't got into the system yet, who haven't been to court and genuinely want help with the problem." she says. "Obviously working with victims is a priority but if we can stop people becoming victims in the first place, it's a breakthrough."

Although her role is all-encompassing, Rachel is focusing on the service provided to victims across the county and a conference for professionals will take place next month. One of the main problems, she says, is that agencies tend to be unaware of the other's roles and responsibilities and a woman can be referred to ten different people before she gets the help she needs.

"Statistics show that a woman suffers 35 incidences of domestic violence before she reports it. My worry is that if they go to someone who can't help, they may never call back.

"For me, it's not enough that the police and CPS are providing a good service. If the victim goes on to someone else and they provide a bad service, the chain breaks down. We want to make sure that everyone maintains a consistently high level of service and everyone knows what everyone else is doing."

After just over a year in post, Rachel is pleased by the progress she and agencies across the county have made but she is by no means complacent.

"I'm not saying we've eradicated domestic violence by any means. There is still a huge amount to do but I do think things are changing.

"I am a point of resource for so many people and that is what has been sadly lacking until now. If anyone wants help of any kind, I'm there. Some people have called me the champion of domestic violence victims, which I find very encouraging. It shows we're on the right track."

* You can visit the website at www.dv-realityrevealed.org. The Women's Aid national helpline is 0845 7023468 or you can contact Victim Support on 0845 3030900.