Outreach Services
There are significant numbers of women who, for a range of different reasons, will never enter a refuge, but who nonetheless need help in dealing with the effects of domestic abuse in their homes. For these women, Women's Aid Leicestershire Ltd can offer an Outreach Service.
What is the Outreach Service?
The Outreach Service is a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL service based in the community supporting women whether they are currently living with the abuser or not. Our services cover Leicestershire and Rutland.
We offer one to one support based on individual needs and meet in safe, community venues where both service user and key worker can meet to speak in confidence and which are convenient and accessible for the service user. We can help with safety planning, accessing refuge if necessary, accompanied visits to other agencies, advocacy and support through court visits and referrals to other agencies with the woman's consent.
We also offer support groups, which are client led looking at issues such as legal workshops, benefits advice, budgeting, specific BME groups and peer support. We run a variety of social and educational programmes such as Confidence and Self Assertiveness sessions and The Freedom Programme.
The Freedom Programme is a 12 week rolling programme looking at what is healthy and unhealthy in a relationship.
The aims of the course are:
- To help women understand the beliefs held by abusive men
- To help women understand the impact of domestic abuse on children
- To help women to recognise potential future abusers
- To help women gain self-esteem and the confidence to improve the quality of their lives
When run in conjunction with our Confidence and Self Assertiveness sessions, service users become more empowered and better able to take back control of their lives.
Women and their children are invited to participate in trips and outings, usually during school holidays, allowing them quality time together in an environment where they do not need to fear that the abuser may turn up, putting them at risk. These occasions also give women the opportunity to meet others in similar situations and can often lead to long term friendships. We also mark various cultural celebrations such as Diwali, Eid, Christmas etc. Our Multi-Cultural Day celebrates a range of cultures and aims to promote an understanding of the wide diversity of our community. Women's Aid marks Domestic Violence Awareness Week which falls in March and November, by holding an event called "SurviveHER Day". We celebrate the fact that women can live free from domestic abuse and its impact whilst also thinking of those still living in abusive relationships. The service users then release red balloons to commemorate the women and children who have lost their lives to domestic abuse.
Evaluation forms are also completed by women and children after each trip, outing or group and on completion of their support with Women's Aid to enable us to gauge how effective each has been and to help shape future programme planning.
How can a woman make a referral to the Outreach Service?
A referral can be made, over the telephone by;
- Any woman experiencing domestic abuse
- An agency on her behalf and with her permission
- An individual (friend, colleague or relative), again with her permission
Our opening times are;
9.00am - 5pm Mondays to Thursday
9.00am - 4.30pm Fridays
For Outreach Services, please call: (0116) 242 6440.
Outreach services are delivered throughout Leicestershire & Rutland
For further details of the different Domestic Abuse Services available across the County, and how to make referrals to that service.