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Service Provision

ALL SWACA SERVICES ARE CONFIDENTIAL, PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE

AND ARE SERVICE-USER LED

 

Sefton Women's & Children's Aid (SWACA) are committed to provide free and confidential services to women, children and young people who are survivors of Domestic Violence.  All services are service-user led and address the emotional and practical needs of each individual.

 

Assessment - new referrals are received from a wide variety of agencies across Sefton.  Each new service-user receives the following provision:

  • The creation of a personal plan with the service-user
  • Risk Assessment
  • Needs Assessment
  • Referrals to SWACA's specialist service and to external agencies
  • Follow-up monitoring to ensure that service provision has been accessed and the outcome of that service provision

The assessment service is delivered by telephone and through face to face appointments which can be accessed in a variety of venues throughout Sefton.

  • Information and guidance to external agencies is also provided through this service.

New referrals received 2008/2009: 1,215 families


Specialist Services

Children's Services - The Children's Service delivers services to children and young people up to the age of 17 years, who have been living with Domestic Abuse.  The service is delivered across Sefton and within a wide variety of settings including schools, children's centres and social settings.

Provision includes:

  • One to one sessions with children to assess risk and need
  • Time limited programmes of work which are reviewed every six weeks for progress
  • Advocacy in appropriate settings including Case Conferences, Core Groups and Court
  • A bridge for discussion with other family members particularly with the non-abusive parent
  • Support for children and young people where contact with the absent parent is problematic
  • Ensuring that their voice is heard in the management and delivery of services particularly where they are subject to a high risk of harm
  • Support for children and young people to return to main stream activitiers and re-establish social networks
  • Network support across all children's centres in Sefton

The agency attends all Initial Child Protection Conferences in Sefton where Domestic Violence is a significant indicator (80% of conferences), in order to engage with the family at an early stage to reduce the risk of harm to children and young people within the family.

Number of children and young people receiving direct support 2008/2009: 289

Number of direct support sessions delivered to children and young people 2008/2009: 954

Family Services - Services are delivered to a wide variety of families whose major issues are around re-establishing the family unit after the breakdown of adult relationships due to Domestic Abuse.  These lone parent families face additional challenges having lived in an abusive home sometimes for a considerable time.

Provision includes:

  • Safety and Action planning with the service-users, ensuring risk and needs assessment is continuing
  • Practical interventions to support the family towards independent living
  • Parenting support
  • Confidence building
  • Advocacy where needed
  • Access to additional services including: benefits advice, financial planning, legal advice etc.
  • Support in re-establishing extended family and social networks
  • Support in return to work and education

The family service links closely with children's service provision and will also include attendance of FSA meetings.

This service links with the CAF system and provides the role of Lead Professional where appropriate.

The following services are provided to both families and adults without children:

  • To ensure that the civil and criminal law is used to maintain service-users safety within their own property
  • To link service-users to other safety initiatives i.e. Sanctuary
  • To access service-users to the correct housing advice and work with specialist service providers such as Shelter, to protect service-user rights
  • To work with social and private landlords to maintain tenancies or to establish new tenancies after the abusive partner has left
  • To work with mortgage lenders to establish manageable payment plans to avoid repossession
  • To establish financial  planning to meet household bills
  • To negotiate payment plans where debt has escalated
  • To support women through divorce settlement hearings

Number of families receiving direct support 2008/2009: 666

Number of children receiving indirect benefit from the service 2008/2009: 2,218

Dawn House - Dawn House is the current refuge service and accommodates up to 3 families sharing, at any one time.  Each family has at least one bedroom each but share living accommodation.

Provision includes:

  • Daily support while living in temporary accommodation
  • Creating move-on plans whether that is to return home or relocate
  • Ensuring safety plans are in place if returning home
  • Ensuring all children within the family continue to attend school while living away from home
  • Supporting women to maintain their jobs wherever possible
  • Linking families into local service provision
  • Providing the link to continuance of service provision after leaving the accommodation

Number of women staying in refuge 2008/2009: 12

Number of children staying in refuge 2008/2009: 15

The agency is also an active member of MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference)

 

Additional Information

In addition to the above services, SWACA delivers Domestic Violence Training making the links with Safeguarding Children and protecting Vulnerable Adults.

SWACA provide student placements for Social Work Students, probationary Police Officers, Medical Students and school placements.  Volunteering opportunities are available throughout the organisation's activities particularly in a variety of fundraising initiatives.

The organisation runs a Charity Shop which provides an essential service for the wider communtiy as well as acting as a discreet reception area for service-users.