Homelessness, Domestic Violence & Abuse Preventative Work for Young People

Natalie Williams – Youth Prevention and Education WorkerRhys Benjamin - Education Link Worker

Cardiff Women’s Aid – 029 20460 566 Barnardo’s – 02920 497531 cwa@cardiffwomensaid.org.uk rhys.benjamin@barnardos.org.uk

Introductions

Staff Support

• Training key staff members – PSE coordinators, school counsellors, school nurses etc

• Awareness-raising sessions – Targeting all school staff to raise awareness of project, referral process and support available

• Partnership Development – Design of workshops to suit the needs of the group, incorporating Key Stage information

• On-going support – Continuing support with a designated worker

On average a woman is assaulted thirty-five times before seeking help (Welsh Women’s Aid, 2007)

Prevention Work – What We Do

Group Workshops

• PSE days and weekly/ fortnightly lessons

• One-off or part of an on-going programme

• Linked to Key Stage Curriculum and Welsh Baccalaureate

• Tailor-made to suit the group – ie. Reduced literacy groups etc.

• Interactive, informational and interesting

Domestic Violence is the one of the leading causes of homelessness for women (Rights for Women, 2008)

Prevention Work – What We Do

1-to-1 Support

• One-off information and advice sessions

• Continuing support with designated support worker

• Easy referral process

• Signpost to services – An holistic approach

• Targeting EWOs – Session may take place within the community

One of the most basic human rights is for somewhere safe and stable to live, yet homelessness continues to be one of the worst social problems in Britain today. (Barnardo’s Website)

Prevention Work – What We Do

Barnardo’s and Cardiff Women’s Aid

• Sharing paperwork structures

• Time monitoring

• Group supervisions

• Regular meetings

• Reciprocal Training

Barnardo’s believes in children, no matter who they are.

Partnership Work

• Targeting Yr10 – Partnership

• Target other Yrs as appropriate

• Targeting Hard to Reach schools highlighted by PSE Coordinator

• Targeting under 25’s to Freedom Programme (development of YP specific sessions)

• Targeting Statutory Youth Service

• Targeting Hostels and other young person projects

• Web development

75% of mothers reported that that their children had directly witnessed domestic violence, 33% had seen their mothers beaten up and 10% had witnessed sexual violence (NCH, 1994)

Where are we going?

• Quantitative and Qualitative Data

• Young Person Evaluated

• School/ Organisation Evaluated

• Self Evaluated

• Time Monitored

• Monthly Statistic Dissemination

Between April 2006 and March 2007, 1180 women and 1001 children passed through refuges ran by the 34 Women's Aid groups in Wales (Welsh Women’s Aid, 2007)

Monitoring

•Delivered workshops and information sessions in 14 comprehensive schools across Cardiff

•Working in partnership with Careers Wales to deliver workshops to groups of young people who are not in education, training or employment

•Working in partnership with CAMHS to target those young people who are the most vulnerable.

•Given support and advice to individual young people who have been affected by the issues that we raise.

•Delivered training sessions to staff, including EWO’s.

The average time between the triggers that lead to homelessness and when homelessness finally occurs is nine years (Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion, Routes into Homelessness, 2000)

What we have done so far…

The numbers…(As of the end of August 2010)

• We have delivered sessions to over 5200 young people aged between 11-25

• We have seen over 560 staff members whilst delivering our workshops.

• Since September we have delivered over 250 workshops to schools and youth groups across the whole of Cardiff.

MARACs improve victims’ safety because both police and victim data revealed that 6 in 10 victims had not been re-victimized (Robinson, 2006)

What we have done so far…

• Funding until March 2011 – with hope to secure more

• We will target those schools that we have not delivered sessions to so far.

• Continue building on the relationships that we have established with the schools that we have already been to.

• Continue raising awareness of our project and preventing young people from becoming homeless or victims of Domestic Abuse.

38% of children who rang Childline to talk about domestic violence, talked of being physically abused themselves. (Epstein and Keep 1995)

What next?

“We were delighted with the sessions that both of you provided for us. All of the Year 10 teachers commented that they the lessons were appropriate and well delivered. The resources were challenging and appropriate for the target audience and that you engaged them really well.” Cathays High School

“Barnardo’s and Women’s Aid have been working in Bishop Of Llandaff for almost two years and I cannot begin to explain the positive impact that they have had in PSE and in the school in general. I can honestly say that the Barnardo’s and Women’s Aid sessions have had the most positive feedback from both staff and pupils and if those sessions were not included in my scheme of work then pupils would be missing out.. – Bishop of Llandaff

“The delivery of the sessions was interactive, engaging and enjoyable for our pupils. They

responded extremely well to both the content of the sessions and speakers. They are coming back next term and we are hoping to continue working closely with them on future projects.” Glyn Derw High School

What they say about us

Thank you for a great year, we look forward to the next one!