A Torpoint-based charity supporting children exposed to domestic abuse has appointed a new patron.

Dame Vera Baird QC, who is the Police Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, says she is honoured to be involved with Operation Encompass.

The brainchild of David and Elizabeth Carney Howarth, Operation Encompass is an early intervention scheme which promotes communication between police and schools.

It trains key adults in schools to receive information from the police prior to the start of the school day, ensuring that a child who has witnessed domestic abuse at home is supported while at school.