Hello, my name is Julie Johns and I am the Founder and Managing Director of Safe Space Consultancy,  My career path has led me to my current position of being a leader and local expert in raising awareness and helping business and organisations achieve best practise in understanding and response to domestic abuse, stalking and sexual harassment in the workplace.  I help business achieve this through bespoke consultancy services, accredited training and support.

My personal vision is world free from violence and abuse.  My business aim is to contribute towards this vision through engaging businesses to create safe and healthy workplaces where the message is abuse, stalking and harassment is unacceptable.

Experience and training:

I have 20 years’ experience of working within the field of domestic abuse. Through founding and managing a therapeutic arts-based domestic abuse charity, The Butterfly Foundation, I have gained extensive, first-hand knowledge of this very complex subject. In addition to this I have co-created innovative art therapy programmes for children affected by domestic abuse as well as preventative and educational programmes i.e. Safer Relationships into Schools and Healthy Relationships for young people.

Within this time, I have identified how prevalent and endemic the problem of domestic abuse is, as well as the related issues of stalking, sexual harassment and gender inequality within our society and how these issues insinuate into people’s lives on so many levels and into the workplace.

Besides my experience I have a Diploma in Art & Design and a BA(Hons) in Dance with Visual Practise.  I have worked previously as a community artist, developing art workshops for adults affected by domestic abuse and co-creating a programme of dance for survivors of domestic abuse.  I am trained as a Freedom Programme Facilitator, AVA Project (OCN) Delivering Domestic Abuse Services for Children and Young People, Youth Worker, Safeguarding, Youth Arts Management into Schools, Marac and CAADA-DASH Risk Assessment Model. I have received further training in Sexual Violence Awareness, HBV/FGM/Forced Marriage and Child Sexual Exploitation.  Due to my experience and specialist training, I believe I am the best person to contact to support employers on understanding the complexity of these issues.

Funding:

I established Safe Space Consultancy on the 6th of April 2015 and was fortunate to receive a start-up Social Entrepreneur Award from UnLtd in March 2016. UnLtd supports individuals who have their social ventures firmly rooted in delivering positive social change.

In July 2017 and December 2018 I received Funding from the Christian Seedbed Grant, based in Poole, who recognise the social value of my business and what I aim to achieve.

Partnerships:

To deliver training on Awareness of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace I am very pleased to work in partnership with STARS_Dorset who are clearly the experts on this subject.

I also work with hArt charity who offer creative therapeutic activities to support mental health and wider social issues, such as Art Therapy groups and 1-2-1 Art Therapy for Children, Young People and Adults.