Blog

6 September 2019

Spotlight on Warrington

Our Warrington Domestic Abuse Service comprises four Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA), one outreach worker and one young person’s advocate. As part of this vital service we also run a local helpline. We are delighted that over the period of time our team of experts have seen great growth in the numbers of clients we support.

The team is based in an office close to the town centre but our IDVAs also co locate across two hospitals to ensure early intervention to support women experiencing abuse. The team also delivers training to frontline professionals such as doctors and nursing staff on a one-to-one and group basis.

Our outreach worker runs a domestic abuse support group called Wings, a group for women, where we talk about domestic abuse, its impact on victims, children and parenting, and what healthy relationships look like. We receive very positive feedback from clients who attend the group for example:

“I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for your support.  It has given me the strength to draw the line and battle on to freedom.”

“To the Wings support group, thank you for helping my daughter to understand what has happened to her.  We have seen her grow in confidence, return to her usual self, and be relentless for seeking help with my granddaughter In short, she has her wings and she is raring to fly.”

Our young person’s advocate works with young people aged from 12-17 and is often based within local schools. Following positive feedback from clients and the schools, our young person’s advocate has been asked to promote the service at a wellbeing fair. Parents will then be invited to attend and will be able to discuss support for them and their children.