VICTIMS of domestic violence will be able to reach a variety of services thanks to a one-stop service due to open in Stockton.

The Stockton Partnership on Domestic Violence is hoping to open its doors next year, offering practical and emotional support to victims of abuse.

The partnership, which is the first in the country, will involve the police, the council, women's groups and other agencies concerned with women's welfare.

Mal Watson-Dotchin, from the NSPCC, who is heading the project, said: "This is the first partnership of its kind in the country.

"We want to provide a seamless service for women needing help. We will have two social services staff and two police officers in the team as well as administration staff and volunteers from the Cleveland domestic violence forum.

"We will based in Stockton and will be able to offer joint agency support."

It is estimated that one in four women will suffer domestic violence at some time in their life, and every three days a women dies as a result of domestic abuse.

The team will concentrate on female victims but it is hoped one of the police officers on the team will be a man.

Dilys Davy, the development worker for the Cleveland Domestic Violence Forum, said: "A woman will try to leave an abusive situation seven times before she actually leaves for good. Many people in authority view women who keep going back as a waste of resources but the going back is all part of the process of eventually leaving.

"If a woman who asks for help is rejected by the agency she first approaches it will just reinforce her view that she is worthless."

Jane Humphreys, assistant director for Stockton council's social services department, said the project would help women and their families.

She said: "We are currently recruiting to the final posts and hope to set up the team in the very near future."

The partnership team is the latest in a series of initiatives set up by Cleveland Domestic Violence Forum and its outreach team.

The outreach group, which already works with victims of domestic violence, has started to train police officers in the Stockton area to deal with women in distress so they know how best to handle the situation