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We offer domestic violence and abuse support across Somerset via our service, Paragon.

To browse roles available within this service in Somerset, please navigate to our Somerset roles or Paragon page.

Who are Paragon?

Paragon are a dedicated and diverse team of people working since 1985 in the domestic abuse sector. Our team comes from many different communities. Some have lived experience and some with worked experience – constantly learning from each other. We are passionate about our work together with adults and children who are living with abuse, and work with other teams, organisations and within our communities.

Our foundations are in working with female victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This started with a refuge and a single women’s safe house in Portsmouth. Here we could support women more effectively if they had additional complexities such as substance misuse or mental ill health.

In 2010, we changed our model to You First, to meet the changing face of domestic abuse, opening our doors to male victims. We embraced our learning and increased our knowledge about how domestic abuse can be impacted by intersecting issues including BAME, LGBTQ+, and where a person lives.

This led to developing teams to support work in different communities. Rural communities, for example, face different circumstances than urban areas, prompting the founding and growth of the Dragonfly Project.

Experience, research, and accredited training informs all our interventions. We base our work on what matters to the person we are working with, individualised for their needs and wishes. During 2020/21, we understood that our work was changing again. We were not only working with individuals but also with families. We were also working with families/couples who didn’t want the relationship to end.

In 2021 You First changed to PARAGON

Our domestic violence and abuse teams deliver integrated interventions, holistic family work, and the successful Dragonfly programme with victims and survivors at the core of all we do. We have moved, as have many of our colleagues, to work more together and in partnership with individuals, communities and other agencies. With the feedback and comments we receive, we understood that ‘You First’ no longer represents how we perceive our values and our work.

Where do we work?

We are predominately based along the South Coast with teams working from Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire Dorset and Somerset.

For a list of jobs available in Hampshire, please visit our Hampshire page. ​We offer a range of services within Hampshire -

Paragon Hampshire:

​Since 1985, our diverse team has supported adults and children affected by domestic abuse. Starting with a women’s refuge in Portsmouth, we expanded in 2010 as You First to support a wider pool of victims and address intersecting issues like identity, location, and lived experience.

We developed community-based teams, including Dragonfly for rural areas, and increasingly work with whole families. In 2021, we became PARAGON, reflecting our values and collaborative, holistic approach—always putting victims and survivors at the centre.

We offer a Care & Support service which covers the following:

• Supported living

• Registered care homes

• Support and enablement

• Mental health

We also offer a Counselling Service which includes Rehab and Recovery counselling and Sexual Trauma and Recovery counselling (STAR)

We also offer Community Wellbeing Services, which include:

• Advice services in Portsmouth

• A Portsmouth Personalised Care Team, which includes

• Social Prescribing Link Workers

• Care Coordinators

• Health Coaches

Our Central Services Team is also based in Hampshire.

​

We offer domestic violence and abuse support across East Sussex via our service, Paragon.

To browse roles available within this service in East Sussex, please navigate to our jobs or Paragon page. ​

Who are Paragon?

Paragon are a dedicated and diverse team of people working since 1985 in the domestic abuse sector. Our team comes from many different communities. Some have lived experience and some with worked experience – constantly learning from each other. We are passionate about our work together with adults and children who are living with abuse, and work with other teams, organisations and within our communities.

Our foundations are in working with female victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This started with a refuge and a single women’s safe house in Portsmouth. Here we could support women more effectively if they had additional complexities such as substance misuse or mental ill health.

In 2010, we changed our model to You First, to meet the changing face of domestic abuse, opening our doors to male victims. We embraced our learning and increased our knowledge about how domestic abuse can be impacted by intersecting issues including BAME, LGBTQ+, and where a person lives.

This led to developing teams to support work in different communities. Rural communities, for example, face different circumstances than urban areas, prompting the founding and growth of the Dragonfly Project.

Experience, research, and accredited training informs all our interventions. We base our work on what matters to the person we are working with, individualised for their needs and wishes. During 2020/21, we understood that our work was changing again. We were not only working with individuals but also with families. We were also working with families/couples who didn’t want the relationship to end.

In 2021 You First changed to PARAGON

Our domestic violence and abuse teams deliver integrated interventions, holistic family work, and the successful Dragonfly programme with victims and survivors at the core of all we do. We have moved, as have many of our colleagues, to work more together and in partnership with individuals, communities and other agencies. With the feedback and comments we receive, we understood that ‘You First’ no longer represents how we perceive our values and our work.

Where do we work?

We are predominately based along the South Coast with teams working from Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire Dorset and Somerset.

​We operate our services Paragon, First Point Dorset and Young Lives across Dorset.

To browse roles available, visit our Dorset jobs page.

Who are Paragon?

Since 1985, our diverse team has supported adults and children affected by domestic abuse. Starting with a women’s refuge in Portsmouth, we expanded in 2010 as You First to support a wider pool of victims and address intersecting issues like identity, location, and lived experience.

We developed community-based teams, including Dragonfly for rural areas, and increasingly work with whole families. In 2021, we became PARAGON, reflecting our values and collaborative, holistic approach—always putting victims and survivors at the centre.

Who are First Point Dorset?

We work alongside people aged 16+, providing help and support to reduce homelessness, poverty, poor physical or mental health, or social isolation. Through our central point of contact, you can speak with one of our friendly team about your situation. We also help with returning home from a hospital stay.

Who are Young Lives?

We aim to help young people gain the skills needed to live independently by developing confidence, self-respect, and the ambition to achieve their goals.

Together we focus on the young person’s strengths to help them identify what they want to help them build a better future. We’re an integral stepping-stone to a young person’s independence, helping their families, too.

We offer domestic violence and abuse support across Wiltshire via our service, Paragon.

To browse roles available within this service in Wiltshire, please navigate to our Wiltshire roles or Paragon page. ​

Who are Paragon?

Paragon are a dedicated and diverse team of people working since 1985 in the domestic abuse sector. Our team comes from many different communities. Some have lived experience and some with worked experience – constantly learning from each other. We are passionate about our work together with adults and children who are living with abuse, and work with other teams, organisations and within our communities.

Our foundations are in working with female victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This started with a refuge and a single women’s safe house in Portsmouth. Here we could support women more effectively if they had additional complexities such as substance misuse or mental ill health.

In 2010, we changed our model to You First, to meet the changing face of domestic abuse, opening our doors to male victims. We embraced our learning and increased our knowledge about how domestic abuse can be impacted by intersecting issues including BAME, LGBTQ+, and where a person lives.

This led to developing teams to support work in different communities. Rural communities, for example, face different circumstances than urban areas, prompting the founding and growth of the Dragonfly Project.

Experience, research, and accredited training informs all our interventions. We base our work on what matters to the person we are working with, individualised for their needs and wishes. During 2020/21, we understood that our work was changing again. We were not only working with individuals but also with families. We were also working with families/couples who didn’t want the relationship to end.

In 2021 You First changed to PARAGON

Our domestic violence and abuse teams deliver integrated interventions, holistic family work, and the successful Dragonfly programme with victims and survivors at the core of all we do. We have moved, as have many of our colleagues, to work more together and in partnership with individuals, communities and other agencies. With the feedback and comments we receive, we understood that ‘You First’ no longer represents how we perceive our values and our work.

Where do we work?

We are predominately based along the South Coast with teams working from Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire Dorset and Somerset.

​We offer domestic violence and abuse support across West Sussex via our service, Paragon.

To browse roles available within this service in East Sussex, please navigate to our West Sussex roles or Paragon page.

Who are Paragon?

Paragon are a dedicated and diverse team of people working since 1985 in the domestic abuse sector. Our team comes from many different communities. Some have lived experience and some with worked experience – constantly learning from each other. We are passionate about our work together with adults and children who are living with abuse, and work with other teams, organisations and within our communities.

Our foundations are in working with female victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This started with a refuge and a single women’s safe house in Portsmouth. Here we could support women more effectively if they had additional complexities such as substance misuse or mental ill health.

In 2010, we changed our model to You First, to meet the changing face of domestic abuse, opening our doors to male victims. We embraced our learning and increased our knowledge about how domestic abuse can be impacted by intersecting issues including BAME, LGBTQ+, and where a person lives.

This led to developing teams to support work in different communities. Rural communities, for example, face different circumstances than urban areas, prompting the founding and growth of the Dragonfly Project.

Experience, research, and accredited training informs all our interventions. We base our work on what matters to the person we are working with, individualised for their needs and wishes. During 2020/21, we understood that our work was changing again. We were not only working with individuals but also with families. We were also working with families/couples who didn’t want the relationship to end.

In 2021 You First changed to PARAGON

Our domestic violence and abuse teams deliver integrated interventions, holistic family work, and the successful Dragonfly programme with victims and survivors at the core of all we do. We have moved, as have many of our colleagues, to work more together and in partnership with individuals, communities and other agencies. With the feedback and comments we receive, we understood that ‘You First’ no longer represents how we perceive our values and our work.

Where do we work?

We are predominately based along the South Coast with teams working from Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire Dorset and Somerset.

We offer domestic violence and abuse support across on the Isle of Wight our service, Paragon.

To browse roles available within this service in on the Isle of Wight, please navigate to our East Sussex roles or Paragon page.

Who are Paragon?

Paragon are a dedicated and diverse team of people working since 1985 in the domestic abuse sector. Our team comes from many different communities. Some have lived experience and some with worked experience – constantly learning from each other. We are passionate about our work together with adults and children who are living with abuse, and work with other teams, organisations and within our communities.

Our foundations are in working with female victims and survivors of domestic abuse. This started with a refuge and a single women’s safe house in Portsmouth. Here we could support women more effectively if they had additional complexities such as substance misuse or mental ill health.

In 2010, we changed our model to You First, to meet the changing face of domestic abuse, opening our doors to male victims. We embraced our learning and increased our knowledge about how domestic abuse can be impacted by intersecting issues including BAME, LGBTQ+, and where a person lives.

This led to developing teams to support work in different communities. Rural communities, for example, face different circumstances than urban areas, prompting the founding and growth of the Dragonfly Project.

Experience, research, and accredited training informs all our interventions. We base our work on what matters to the person we are working with, individualised for their needs and wishes. During 2020/21, we understood that our work was changing again. We were not only working with individuals but also with families. We were also working with families/couples who didn’t want the relationship to end.

In 2021 You First changed to PARAGON

Our domestic violence and abuse teams deliver integrated interventions, holistic family work, and the successful Dragonfly programme with victims and survivors at the core of all we do. We have moved, as have many of our colleagues, to work more together and in partnership with individuals, communities and other agencies. With the feedback and comments we receive, we understood that ‘You First’ no longer represents how we perceive our values and our work.

Where do we work?

We are predominately based along the South Coast with teams working from Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire Dorset and Somerset.