Case Study – Solace Women’s Aid - Ascent advice and counselling partnership – moving towards accessible services for deaf and disabled users.
About Solace Women’s Aid
Solace has 40 years’ experience of providing excellent support for women and children experiencing domestic and sexual violence. We are the largest specialist provider of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) services in London, working across a total 21 boroughs. We have an excellent track record of delivering high quality services, ranging from:
- Refuge services in 6 London boroughs. We currently operate 11 refuges, subcontracting an additional 3 to provide specialist accommodation for South Asian women in Lambeth. Our current provision includes a specialist complex needs refuge in Camden (funded by London Councils), one of only 2 in London.
- Advocacy and floating support services. We currently hold contracts in Barnet, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Islington, Haringey, and Southwark. IRIS advocacy and education services in Enfield, Camden, Islington and Southwark.
- North London Rape Crisis operating across 7 boroughs. Having delivered this service for 5 years we have developed specialist expertise in supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence.
- Family & Children’s services Including young people’s prevention work and case-work in the 4 major trauma hospitals in London.
. - Specialist projects for survivors from specific communities, including women over 55; Irish and Irish Travellers (in partnership with the Irish Traveller Movement), Albanian speaking women and young people (in partnership with the Shpresa Programme).
- Complex needs outreach work. We have a dedicated staff post that carries out case work as well as training for staff across the sector to equip services to support women with complex needs who have experienced gender-based violence.
- We are the lead agency for the advice and counselling strand of the pan-London Ascent partnership, working with 14 organisations to deliver advice and counselling services across 33 boroughs.
About Ascent Advice and Counselling (A&C)
The Ascent- A&C partnership is comprised of 14 organisations. All partners have a wealth of experience of working with women and girls affected by Sexual Violence or Domestic Violence. This pan-London collaboration provides specialist and generic counselling and advice services to women and girls affected by gender-based violence. Services include 1 to 1 counselling; individual advice; and group work. Services operate via 2 London Hubs; 1 in Ealing operated by the Women and Girls Network and 1 in Islington operated by Solace and from spokes across London boroughs. The hubs provide a first point of phone contact but women and girls can access services via the hubs and/or the spokes. The Hub and Spoke model increases accessibility for service users while mitigating the risk associated with women’s reduced access to service when they cross borough boundaries. Specialist advice and counselling services are available to women and girls in all London boroughs. Specialist providers offer services in community languages within target boroughs which can be accessed by women and girls from across London. Legal advice is provided by Rights of Women via a dedicated London advice line, a website and via training and legal handbooks. Users who have no recourse to public funds have access to limited assistance via emergency funds administered by Southall Black Sisters.
What prompted our approach?
Ø As a partnership we used our monitoring data to identify gaps for certain protected characteristics groups and specifically deaf and disabled users
Ø We identified the need for training and so commissioned some bespoke training from Inclusion London and the HEAR Network
Ø Whilst part of the training was awareness raising we also wanted it to have a very practical focus – separate frontline and manager days.
Ø We created an important space to express fears and to have a safe space to discuss issues in a non-judgemental way
Ø This training and guidance energised us into developing next steps
Steps:
We worked in partnership- internal and external
- We developed and maintained a working relationship with the HEAR Network to guide and support us and to help reduce the fear!
- At Solace we also used an Equality and Diversity (E&D) consultant to help guide our practice across the Organisation.
- We made equality and diversity a standing agenda item for all our meetings and made sure that it was a live issue at every level.
Some challenges and achievements to date
- We overcame the initial fear and uncertainty and worked closely with HEAR for guidance
- All partners trained around how to create more accessible services for deaf and disabled users.
- We have in place a shared statement of intent outlining how we will work together to create more accessible services.
- Signed off by all partners
- We have developed a London service directory of disability organisations
- We’re now reaching more service users
- In Solace we have Equality and Diversity Champions who vigorously champion and defend equality and diversity issues across the Organisation.
Our Statement of Intent, which is now in place for the strand, States we will:
• Build a culture that is welcoming and inclusive.
• Include disability training within induction processes for all staff.
• Make websites as accessible as possible to deaf and disabled people, e.g. use of plain English; by including information about travel routes, accessible parking.
• Ensure publicity materials are as accessible as possible.
• Make adjustments such as signage, colours etc. to the environment where services are delivered.
• Provide information on Ascent services and build and promote strong links with organisations working with deaf and disabled people.
• Work in partnership and collaboration with local user-led disability organisations.
• Consult with deaf and disabled people about the services, what has/ not worked well and suggestions for improvements
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation tools measure the uptake of deaf and disabled people in services provided. Regularly discuss, review and put strategies in place.
• Encourage and support deaf and disabled people to volunteer within our organisations
• Ensure sound equality and diversity practice.
What we’ve learnt so far
• We have made some great progress, small things can make a difference!
• It’s a continuous journey and there’s always more we can do
• We don’t need to reinvent the wheel as there’s lots of expertise out there
• We need to work closely together across all sectors to enable greater choice and enhanced services to users
• We need to involve users every step of the way and ask what they need
• Evaluation/ Impact Analysis is vital in understanding how effectively we are delivering our services.
The London for All Access Award
Winning the award has spurred us on and we are using the training fund to help develop our action plans around accessibility. These action plans will guide the work for all 14 partner organisations within the Ascent Advice &Counselling strand.
For further information please contact:
Solace Women’s Aid:
HEAR Network: