About AbuseFreeLife
AbuseFreeLife is an independent safeguarding consultancy and training practice focused on domestic abuse, stalking, coercive control and complex safeguarding. I support professionals and organisations to make better decisions, spot escalation earlier and reduce harm.
Purpose and focus
Serious harm is rarely caused by a lack of tools. It happens when patterns are missed, information is fragmented, professional judgement gets diluted and escalation fails. AbuseFreeLife exists to strengthen how safeguarding systems function in practice across frontline work, supervision, leadership oversight, governance and independent review.
Read the approach: Functions, not apps
John Trott
I’m an independent safeguarding specialist with extensive experience across policing, independent review, training and consultancy.
I served for over 28 years in Devon and Cornwall Police and retired in 2016 as a Detective Chief Inspector with responsibility for public protection. I am an accredited Senior Investigating Officer and Interview Advisor. That background continues to inform how I think about risk, decision making, escalation and defensible practice in high harm contexts.
Since leaving policing, I have worked nationally with Community Safety Partnerships, police forces, health services, local authorities and third sector organisations. My work includes independent chairing and authorship of Domestic Homicide Reviews and Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews, as well as independent MARAC chairing and partnership assurance.
Independent review and system learning
As an independent chair and author, my role is to keep the process fair, rigorous and learning focused. I support partnerships to examine how and why decisions were made at the time, understand professional context, and identify where safeguarding systems did not function as intended. The focus is system improvement, not blame and not hindsight judgement.
Training and consultancy
I design and deliver evidence informed training and consultancy for practitioners, supervisors and senior leaders. The focus is practical: improving professional judgement, strengthening pattern recognition, and supporting earlier escalation and effective intervention in domestic abuse, stalking and coercive control contexts.
Public engagement and media
I contribute to media, documentary and public discussions on domestic abuse, stalking and safeguarding where it supports accurate and responsible representation of complex issues. This work is undertaken carefully and does not compromise independence, confidentiality or the integrity of chairing, review or assurance roles.
Values
Victims and survivors, and the impact of harm on individuals, families and communities, sit at the centre of this work. The objective is simple: improve professional responses so risk is recognised earlier, escalation is effective and safeguarding systems function as intended.
AbuseFreeLife works with professionals and organisations across the UK, supporting safeguarding practice through independent review, consultancy and training in high-risk and complex contexts.