AT this very moment a woman is being beaten, stabbed or raped by her partner or ex-partner somewhere in the UK.

This is the reality of domestic violence.

Every minute of every day a domestic violence assault is reported to the police.

One in four women will experience it at some time in their lives and, every week, two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner.

Domestic violence isn't just physical violence, it can be emotional and psychological abuse, sexual and financial abuse. It can happen to people of any social group, class, age, race, disability, sexuality and lifestyle.

This is why in Preston, the different organisations and agencies who work with people experiencing domestic violence, formed the Preston Domestic Violence Inter-Agency Forum. We meet every month to look at how we can better support people in this situation. Key partners include the police, health service, Crown Prosecution Service, local solicitors, Victim Support, Preston City Council Housing Department and Preston Women's Refuge.

In June we launched the second edition of our agency directory which lists all the organisations in Preston who work with people in a domestic violence situation.

Research has shown that a person may contact ten different agencies before they are able to get the help they need. The aim of our directory is to try and ensure that appropriate information is available immediately.