Domestic abuse is endemic in the UK. Many find it difficult to talk about the problem due to shame, fear and self-blame. Consequently, domestic abuse becomes accepted as the norm.

But a new pilot scheme in Wales is challenging the usual approach to domestic abuse, using a radical new approach to community problems called positive deviance.

Positive deviance delivers change from within the community, engaging those not normally involved in community activism. The community looks for people who face the same challenges as others in their community, but who successfully address these challenges by acting differently. The community owns the entire process, from defining the problem through to action and evaluation. Previous examples of the approach include dealing with infant malnutrition in Vietnam and reducing antisocial behaviour in the south coast English town of Gosport.

In Blaenau Gwent, reported domestic abuse has increased by 38% in the last three years. On behalf of Safer Blaenau Gwent, Blaenau Gwent domestic abuse service (BGDAS) is delivering a positive deviance community coaching pilot. This is one of three pilots being funded by the Home Office. Woodward Lewis is mentoring all three groups through the process, and running training and action learning sessions with local and Home Office teams.

The first step in the Welsh project was for the community group to define the problem. They defined the problem as people not talking about domestic abuse. The community group then found people who were open to talking about domestic abuse and who were able to get others talking. This successful strategy was replicated through a "diary room" video process at community venues. As part of this people were asked to record their views or experiences of domestic abuse.

Cath James, the project manager of the Blaenau Gwent service says the videos gave people "permission" to speak. "For some this broke a lifetime silence, unblocking the belief that abuse is a private issue and creating a change in their behaviour."

Over 100 people have been involved and this is expected to double before the project ends. Sergeant Andy O'Keefe of Gwent Police, says getting people to talk about domestic abuse will hopefully encourage those already in abusive relationships to receive help. "The community is tracking the referrals to the police."

Chief constable Carmel Napier from Gwent Police, who leads on domestic abuse in England and Wales for the Association of Chief Police Officers says breaking the taboo and talking about domestic abuse is powerful. "It takes an insidious, frightening crime that goes on behind closed doors out into the open, building the confidence of people to talk about and address it together."

This new approach provides motivation and creates a lasting solution; it enables relationships with professionals and agencies to be redrawn. Simon Kerss, the lead on another Home Office funded project in Cambridge, says that without positive deviance, he doubts whether the learning and knowledge of the community would have been sought and collated in such a positive manner. "The greatest benefit of positive deviance is that community members are given a voice and, in the process, de-victimised."

But there are other benefits – getting people to talk about domestic abuse reducing repeat incidents and that, in turn, saves money. According to the figures from Cambridgeshire, the saving could be more than £15,000 – that is the cost of a recorded incident of domestic abuse.

The three community driven projects have each taken a different approach to the problem of domestic abuse, and all are delivering promising results. Cambridgeshire adult services is now implementing the positive deviance approach to improve services internally, as well extending it to teen pregnancy and substance misuse.

The key lessons for public leaders are:

• Projects based on positive deviance take time to settle down but deliver quick results with good facilitation.

• They excite and empower people. A new kind of facilitative community leader is emerging and helping communities to "act their way into a new way of thinking".

• They significantly change agency perceptions of the public and the resilience of community members.

• They tackle deep problems, but at a level that is realistic for the community to influence.

• They use resources effectively and promote community responsibility, rather than creating demands for "another youth centre" or "more police on the beat".

Jane Lewis is a partner at Woodward Lewis, a social enterprise that is reinvesting its profits into the development of positive deviance community coaching in the UK

• This article was amended on 12 August 2011 to remove reference to a

statistic that it takes 34 instances of abuse before a victim seeks help.

This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Public Leaders Network to receive regular emails on the issues at the top of the professional agenda.