The borough is to host an international conference next month to examine how Europe's only Family Justice Centre (FJC) - based in Croydon - is working outside of America.

The centre in Park Lane - a joint initiative between Croydon Council, Croydon Police and Croydon Primary Care Trust which opened in December last year - will have helped more than 3,000 families who have fallen victim to domestic abuse by the time the conference meets.

By examining how the Croydon centre is working during the conference, it is hoped the idea can then be developed and rolled out across the UK and Europe.

Among those expected to attend on November 29 are Casey Gwinn, one of America's top lawyers and the first to prosecute domestic violence cases without the victim, and Gael Strack, director of San Diego's Family Justice Centre which helped Croydon to develop its centre.

Survivors of domestic violence from other countries will also gather at the event to speak about their experiences of violence and how they coped.

Borough Commander of Croydon Police Chief Superintendent Mark Gore said: "By swapping expertise with our international partners, we hope to further improve the FJC model which could be adopted in other parts of the country."