Chair’s Report Treasurer’s Report cont. This is our 3rd year as a board of trustees and whilst there have been challenges this has been another successful year for NDWA. The board has grown in its knowledge and skills to support the organisation. 8 family refuge units secured NDWA Expenditure NDWA Funding Streams The organisational business plan is reviewed yearly and I am pleased to report that key objectives from the plan 2012/13 have been achieved. One of the key outcomes of this plan was to secure a further 8 family refuge units, this has been achieved by the delivery of Shirley House. Annual Report We continue to work closely with the Universities of Derby and Sheﬃeld, providing placements for social workers and art therapists. We have broadened our relationship with Derbyshire Learning and Development oﬀering work based placements and apprenticeships. 2012 - 2013 The organisation continues to develop as a co-gendered service and this has been particularly satisfying for us to develop the male refuge and work with male perpetrators as this was a gap in services across the county. The organisation’s reputation continues to grow locally and nationally and we are proud of and support our forward facing and forward thinking senior management team who continue to develop and sustain services in a sector which has faced continuous challenges to funding. Treasurer’s Report This year as in previous years NDWA has faced the challenges of maintaining and improving services eﬃciently in a changing economic landscape across the sector and client’s needs. To rise to this challenge the ﬁnancial strategy we have employed to support NDWA sustainability has been to explore independent funding alongside maintaining relationships with the local authority and statutory organisations. We have continued to receive funding from Derbyshire Accommodation and Support for refuge accommodation provision. In October 2012 a new contract commenced which now covers refuge accommodation and ﬂoating support services, we deliver these services in partnership with Trident Reach the People Charity. Contracts with Derbyshire County Council Adult Care and Children and Younger Adults continued supporting delivery of Advice Centre Helpline, Drop In and Counselling services along with Community Outreach for Adults and Children and Young People (CYP) within Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and Chesterﬁeld Borough and CYP service in refuge. • Derbyshire County Council still continues to fund NDWA to provide county wide Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (IDVA) delivering dedicated support to those victims at high risk of domestic related homicide or serious harm. • NDWA continues to successfully deliver a three year funded programme secured last year from the Ministry of Justice for a court based IDVA covering North East Derbyshire and surrounding areas, providing a presence at the Specialist Domestic Violence Court in Chesterﬁeld. set up a £13,000 uge for f 3 bed re ms. ti ic v male • The Home Oﬃce and PCT continued to provide funding for a further IDVA who is based in Chesterﬁeld Hospital. • Adult Care funded the Derbyshire SAM project a county wide service for male victims of domestic abuse the funding ended March 2012. However a £12k grant received from the Home Oﬃce has provided a male service helpline and worker. • NDWA are in receipt of the second year of funding from Lloyds TSB Foundation Trust who provided £13,750 for 2 years to fund a part time advice line worker along with North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) who contributed £10,000 to part fund this post. • Awards for All Lottery funding of £8520 was received towards the set up costs of Paloma Modus a domestic abuse case management system perpetrator programme be rolled out by October 2013.. • We continue to provide placements for student social workers and receive voluntary sector placement fees paid by Sheﬃeld and Derby Universities. Team Leader Jennifer Calverley Refuge Staﬀ CYP Team Jadah Shah Nadine Bacon Suzanne Duﬃeld Charlotte Eales Sarah Taylor Diane Ward Jenn Worthy Vicky Riddell Beth Quinn Julia Stott CYP Team Apprentice Rebecca Gratton Male Refuge Heather Reed-Aspley Sarah Hartley £75k frreocmeived Derbysh ire Coun t y Counc il • NDWA have received grants from NDDAAG £9k, NEDDC £7.3k, Derbyshire community foundation £1.5k and Hope for Children £400 for refurbishment costs of a newly purchase property into a new women’s refuge. The purchase of this property was completed in Feb 13 and refurbishment begun. Donations received from: Westfield School, Holymoorside Ladies Guild to fund children’s projects in the refuges. NDWA are grateful and appreciate all the donations received and the hard work by its staﬀ in both securing the grants and delivering the services. Treasurer’s Report continues on the back Team Leader Carey Mowbray Relief Staﬀ Heather Myerson Gillian McGowan Hena Khalil Jan Melia Merryn Evans Victoria Harverson Amy Shillito Domestic Staﬀ Shirley Cowham Sue Evans Joanna Calverley Floating Support Kathy Shaw Sharon West Heather Reed-Aspley Chelsea Whiteman Handyperson Ian Hall Finance & Admin Kirsty Taylor Kate Witham Sarah Hartley Rachel Read Fran Cole Strategic Head of Service Dena Trossell for Preventative & Community, AC, Counselling, Art Therapy, Perpetrator Programme and IDVA Team Leader Deb Critchley Art Therapy Student Counselling Coordinator Jane Townell Counsellors Gill Battison Christina Bell • NEDDC also provided £2,500 towards the delivery of our dispersed refuge accommodation. • Additional Funding was received from DCC alongside Big Lottery funding to deliver a 3 year voluntary Strategic Head of Service Fay Atkinson for Refuges, CYP, Floating Support, Finance & Admin Business Admin Apprentice Jessica Allen • A grant from Derbyshire Health and Housing provided £13,000 set up a 3 bed refuge for male victims. used across NDWA services. Members AC/Outreach Helen Mitchell Julie Cantrill Rebecca Linacre Catherine Atkinson Donna Garner Rachel Frampton Board of Trustees Chairperson - Louissa Adams Vice Chair - Jane Harrision Funders Warren Hayward Jo Hurst Domestic Staﬀ Elaine Day Jean Yeomans Wendy Lejeun Treasurer - Alison Chambers Trustee - Jean Ramsden Team Leader Sarah Cadwallader Perpetrator Programme Team Catherine Atkinson Mick Anderson Di Conneely Helen Myers Kym Byng Warren Hayward Mo Grayson Rachael Rice Trustee - Alison Lancashire Trustee - Maureen Coupe Sadie Betts Cheryl Walmsley Team Leader Irene Hadley IDVA Team Jackie Carvill Karla Woodard Rhiannon Seymour Sue Ready Wendy Deane Judith Stephenson Trustee - Rebecca Slack Trustee - Rachel Reed Hill Vicky Vallender Leanne Perkins Tara Fallon Trustee - Maggie Fennell North Derbyshire Women’s Aid (NDWA) is a voluntary organisation which was established in 1985, we are aﬃliated to Women’s Aid federation England whose aims we share www.womensaid.org.uk We are a company limited by guarantee, company number 2372121 and a registered charity number 1007317. Our Vision: NDWA is committed to delivering a specialist, quality service to women, men and children living in Derbyshire who may be at risk of, have experienced or been aﬀected by domestic abuse within an intimate or familial relationship. Our aim is to provide emotional support, safe accommodation and practical help to support the management of risk, safety planning and options to break the cycle of abuse and regain independence. www.ndwa.org.uk Freephone: 0800 0198 668 Strategic Heads of Service The sector continues to change along with this the challenge is to maintain our services whilst responding to funding and contract requirements whilst maintaining the ethos and integrity of women’s aid. Whilst our services predominantly continue to support women we are now established as providing gender inclusive services both locally and county wide. By astute ﬁnancial management we were able to purchase a building which has been renovated to a high standard as refuge accommodation for women and children. Funding successes amounted to 1.1 million and included - • The Big Lottery award to develop and deliver male to female perpetrator programme across the county. • We successfully tendered for the children and young people’s contract. • We secured funds from a variety of sources for deposit and refurbishment of the new refuge. • Awards for all funded the redesign of our website. • We have engaged with PCC to raise issues of domestic abuse, www.ndwa.org.uk meeting with the police and other commissioners. • We represent the organisation at the domestic and sexual violence co-ordination group, city “Being here ha refuges, as I al s changed my view of horrible placesways thought they ’d be total opposite , but this place is the of what I expe cted.” “My kids are happy here. I safe and they are very can live safelycan support them so we and not be fri ghtened.” “ The re Staﬀ arefuge here has refuge friendly and been brillian here hais welcoming supportive. t. future s changed myand homely. BThe for mys elf and life. I can see eing my son a now.” • We successfully tendered for accommodation and support services, refuge and ﬂoating support. This required the development of a new ﬂoating support service. • We could not have done this without the support and encouragement and at times sense of humour of the staﬀ team on a daily basis. “My time as a social work student with North Derbyshire Women’s Aid was invaluable. It has widened my knowledge and provided me with experiences and opportunities that will equip me in my future career. The support given by staﬀ was amazing and through this support and guidance I was able to successfully complete my training. EEvery member of staﬀ was approachable and the support they gave made me feel welcome, encouraged me and helped me to gain conﬁdence. Thank you for making my experience a pleasure.” Voluntary Perpetrator Programme NDWA secured money from the Big Lottery and Derbyshire County Council to deliver a three year project working with men who are violent and abusive to their female partners. The programme is a model that is recognised by the Home Oﬃce and the Ministry of Justice, and meets the safe practice standards of RESPECT the national organisation for voluntary perpetrator programmes. 130 The key aims of the project are: new clients Floating Support In October 2012 NDWA set up a new ﬂoating support service funded by Derbyshire Accommodation and Support Team (DAST) within the new contract. A new team was recruited to deliver this service. In the ﬁrst 6 months, the team picked up a total of 130 new clients (8 male and 122 female), referrals are consistently high. Refuge Accommodation We have been able to oﬀer refuge accommodation to 14 families at any one time in both of our Women’s refuges. The refuge has nearly 100% occupancy throughout the year. This level of demand led us to project plan the increase in our refuge provision and subsequent identiﬁcation and purchase of suitable property. Counselling service We have to say a great big Thank You to our volunteer counsellors who have seen a total of 54 new clients. The counsellors have oﬀered 1591 sessions to their clients in total over the year; clients attended 1027 of these. Therapy was drawn to a close for 52 clients. We continue to provide space for women with no recourse to public funds which we support through charitable donations. We have supported two women to apply for indeﬁnite leave to remain under the domestic abuse rule and have managed to reclaim Sojourner Project funding for these women, which has been a valuable source of advice and income. Refuge workers can assist in many areas: • Finding nurseries and schools. • Help in ﬁnding a safe new home. • Safety planning. • Budgeting and welfare beneﬁts. • Training, education and employment. • Accessing health services. • Accessing local community and cultural services. • Gaining legal advice, including accompanying women to appointments and court. 92 Women and 85 Children have accessed sa fety through living in our refuge s. NDWA refuge services are dedicated to forging strong links with other agencies including the Police, Housing, Social services, Education and Health in order to improve the support available to women in the greatest need. We also attend quarterly meetings with Parish Councils in the areas of the refuges to maintain good community links. Our preventative and community services team provides adult outreach services in the community for women, men and children who are experiencing domestic abuse and having been identiﬁed as at medium risk. The service operates in Chesterﬁeld, North East Derbyshire and South Bolsover district. This year 203 women received a service in the community, and 3 men. The sessions support clients to develop a safety plan to reduce risk of harm from others and improve self-esteem and wellbeing. We also look at housing, money, physical and mental health issues. We work in partnership with other agencies, such as police, MATs, Social Care and Health, signposting where appropriate. Adult outreach workers also run Freedom Programmes in the community, which is a support group looking at the dynamics of domestic abuse, and training sessions for agencies, such as Freedom Programme tasters, and Domestic Abuse Awareness Raising. This was a huge success last year with 94 women attending the groups. This service now incorporates drop in and telephone helpline services, during the year we supported a total of 438 drop-in clients. The women’s helpline received a total of 631 phone calls from women or agencies requesting support for someone experiencing violence or abuse. The men’s helpline took 72 calls from men or agencies who wanted support relating to domestic abuse or violence. The CHAT survivors group saw 32 women engage in art activities and reported increased self-esteem and conﬁdence. Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) Provides high risk crisis management including IDVA support at Specialist Domestic Violence Court in Chesterﬁeld and a Health based IDVA based in a local hospital. This year we have been working alongside the NHS Health Trainers to ensure the women in our refuges are aware of their options and are supported to achieve their goals. Both refuges have worked alongside the local food banks to be able access them in emergency situations. The Team Leader for the refuge service has been part of a consultation panel for a local surgery to improve access for referrals to refuge that may require urgent medical attention, including accessing medication. All NDWA IDVA receive specialist accredited Training and hold a nationally recognised qualiﬁcation. We are thankful to the support from Connecting Families who have made many happy memories for these families. • To improve the safety of women and children • To reduce the incidence of abusive behaviour • To work as part of a coordinated community response to Domestic violence across Derbyshire. 72 calls from or agenciesmen The project comprises two distinct strands of work; • Structured programme for men We deliver group work to male perpetrators, facilitated by staﬀ with specialist training. The programme is structured, delivered in 2 hour weekly session over 35 weeks. The programme rolls continuously so men can join at any point and requires weekly attendance. A follow up of maintenance sessions is oﬀered to men when they have completed the programme. • Partner support Specialist support workers for female partners who regularly risk assess, identify client needs and support clients by safety and support planning. The group sessions are being delivered at four locations across Derbyshire: Buxton, Chesterﬁeld, Ilkeston and Swadlincote. Preventative and Community Services Advice centre, Telephone Helpline and Drop In service: IDVA is short term early intervention at crisis point. Assessment of risk is an ongoing process during the time when discussing options and developing safety plans. Referrals are made via a joint referral scheme to IDVA and MARAC. (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference). IDVA provide an advocacy service for clients at MARAC. Referrals are from various sources e.g. Police, Victim Support, Housing, Other DV Agencies. Statutory and Independent organisations whose services involve direct contact with victims of DV. We acknowledge that part of the power and control exercised by a perpetrator means for these families that treats and activities have been missing from their lives. We therefore mark certain events throughout the calendar year by encouraging mums and children to allow for fun, games, play and laughter. This enables them to rebuild the bond with their children in a safe and secure environment. The refuge itself has had a full coat of paint and new curtains. Community links in the area of the refuge are now well established and the residents have beneﬁted from being oﬀered voluntary work on the local farm. Male Helpline The men’s helpline took 72 calls from men or agencies who wanted support relating to domestic abuse or violence. Therapeutic Services Art Therapy has been provided during the year by 2 student art therapists from Derby University and Sheﬃeld Hallam University. They worked with a total of 12 adults and 8 children. Some of these were group work activities but mostly they were individual therapy sessions. Every woman in the refuge is escaping abuse, which means they can share their experiences and oﬀer each other support. Our refuges recognize that some women have cultural needs or preferences depending on their ethnic or cultural backgrounds and will ensure that these needs are met. Male Refuge Male refuge has had a successful year in providing support to men and their children. We provide 3 family rooms and have worked with 11 men and 2 children this year. Male refuge staﬀ have made links with other services throughout the UK who also provide support to men who are experiencing Domestic Abuse. We have experienced a steady stream of referrals throughout the year. “I have had a brilliant experience doing my apprenticeship with Women’s Aid. I’m so glad I decided to come and work for Women’s Aid and have found it such a rewarding job to do. Everyone was so welcoming when I started and showed me the ropes. It gave me the opportunity to see a diﬀerent side to working with children as I had only worked with children in education.” Refuge Services for Women The refuges have shared communal living spaces, including a fully equipped kitchen and playroom. Refuge is a place where women can be sure they are safe, where they can access emotional and practical support. All NDWA services provide support for men. We have also been able to oﬀer placements for students. This year we have supported two Social work students and two Child Care Apprenticeship placements. and countywide. LGBT Support and Advice for Men Some residents reﬂect on the accommodation we provide: If you would like any more information or to make a referral, contact the project team on 01246 551889. Children and Young People’s (CYP) service Through 2012-2013 we supported children in the community, 161 one to one sessions, 15 schools awareness sessions and 2 non- school awareness raising sessions were delivered. The children living in refuges were supported with access to local schools, links to children’s centres, play groups, doctors and other support agencies. In April 2013 we launched our new Targeted CYP service. We have recruited 4 new workers and an Apprentice. We work with 31 children at a time for up to 6 – 8 weeks. Children who we work with can be aged from birth – 18 years old who are either living in the community or in one of our refuges. The CYP service also delivers group work to refuge children and children in the Community. We deliver Helping Hands, CRUSH, and Me2 group programmes. 4 new workers and an appren tice We have made good links with the MAT teams, social care, the police and schools. We cover the CBC, NEDDC and Bolsover areas and have seen an equal amount of referrals from all areas. The work we do with the children is focused on safety planning, self esteem, personal growth and development opportunities and making connections with local services. Within our refuges the work we do is supported by an invaluable Domestic Abuse Health Visitor. IDVA team compromises of 5 full time CAADA Trained workers across the County of Derbyshire. All IDVA’s are based at Head Oﬃce in Chesterﬁeld but have a hot desk in various agencies across the County. • 384 referrals were received across the county • 79 referrals were received for the Court based IDVA support • 24 referrals were received from the Chesterﬁeld Royal Hospital • CAADA Leading Lights accreditation is still in progress. www.ndwa.or g.uk Freephone: 08 00 0198 668 Thanks to all our staﬀ and funders this year NDWA services have supported 2384 women, men and children and young people.