Tegan's story

That was the final straw.

Tegan mustered the courage to leave her abusive partner and press charges.

Sadly 1 in 4 children experience domestic violence*. This can impact a child’s physical, social and mental development and wellbeing. Barnardos supported Tegan and her children to find safety and rebuild their lives, breaking the cycle of abuse and helping them to recover and thrive again

Tegan was referred by the Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service to Barnardos’ LINKER service. The service provides emotional and practical support to women in Western NSW through after-hours phone calls to ensure women feel safe overnight from 5pm-9am. This is when other services are unavailable and women often return to violent relationships because they feel vulnerable and alone. Tegan says the reassurance she gained from speaking to her support worker each night for over three months made her feel safe and supported and gave her the courage not to return to the relationship.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now without Barnardos. I think in hindsight, I probably would have gone back to him because I was scared. Sometimes it would have been easier to go back. But I’ve done the hard thing, I haven’t gone back and now we get to be safe and we get to stay safe. The cycle ends with him,” she says, referring to her precious two-year-old son Hudson whom she holds in her arms. “They supported me to be strong for my children. They are my focus now. And knowing that I am supported, I feel stronger than ever!”

Tegan is in her final year of study for a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at University and wants to help other women experiencing domestic violence.

Together, we can help more women and children like Tegan find safety from domestic violence.
Please donate today.

*Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse 2011, The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children: A Literature Review.