Download pdf - CWRC Annual Review 2012

Review 2012

Cambridge Women’s

Resources Centre

Changing the lives of women and

their families since 1982

Changing Women’s Lives...

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Forty years after the Gender Pay Act, women still earn and own less than men, and are more likely to live in poverty. They do not have the same independence and financial security that men do, and they are underrepresented in public life. The recession and cuts in government spending will inevitably hit women hardest. The vital work of CWRC in enabling women to respond to economic challenges and improve their, and their families’ lives, is needed now more than ever. The Centre itself has not escaped the funding cuts, and over the last year we have streamlined our structure and activities to enable us to better respond to the coming challenges. The recent changes meant that, regretfully, we have had to lose some staff, and I take this opportunity to thank them for the many years' dedicated service that they have given to the Centre. Their work has made huge positive

differences to women's lives in so many ways, and their legacy will continue in the Centre going forward. These changes have also been challenging for the current staff, and I also thank them for their inspiring dedication, hard work and great ideas. Staff are, by far, our greatest asset, and they are the reason we can continue to support and develop the women that come to us. Thank you! We acknowledge, too, the continued support of our funders, and look forward to working with them to tackle the challenges of the future. Last year over 400 women made use of the training, guidance and support that we offer. Each of these tackled different challenges and , with our help, made positive changes to her life and those around her. It's the personal stories, some of which we touch on in this report, that continue to remind me how important our work is. Long may it continue!

Liz Hide, Chair of Board of Trustees


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The last few years have seen many changes at the Centre, and they have provided a valuable opportunity to review the Centre's work and to reaffirm our core values. We continue to be about women working together to provide practical ways to support and empower women, but the way in which we do this will change to reflect the changes in the society in which we work. Our simpler, more effective management structure gives us a stronger voice outside the organisation, and I look forward to continuing to work with our many partners and funders as we go forward. We aim to maintain and develop a working environment where women’s voices are heard and where good ideas can be nurtured, while making sure the Centre's is best placed within our changing sector.

Cambridge Women’s Resources Centre has been changing the lives of women and their families in our community for 30 years. We estimate that since we opened 1982 over 10,000 women have used our services. To celebrate this we have launched our much needed 30:30 vision campaign: We are hoping to capture the stories and experiences of as many women who have participated in the activities at the centre as we can. In addition we are asking women who have used the centre or who share it’s values to fundraise or donate £30. If 1,000 people contribute we will raise £30,000 which is essential to help to secure our future for a further 30 years.

Nicky Wrigley, Chief Executive


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CWRC was founded 30 years ago by women in the local community who had the vision of women working together to support, educate and empower one another. Many different projects have flourished at the centre since its conception. Women have learnt new skills, received practical and emotional support, made changes - inspiring them to make life enhancing decisions, creating positive outcomes for themselves, their children and their families.

Our team of staff, volunteers and members of the CWRC all value the vision of the CWRC, contributing to a vibrant culturally diverse community. We are constantly reminded that women have much to learn from one another, and are committed to help with providing the resources and support they need throughout their lives.

In a recent survey 89% of those who responded to our stakeholder

survey said that there was still a need for a dedicated women only

centre in Cambridge.

A survey carried out in November 2011 amongst people and

organisations working in the field of mental health found that 100%

thought that there was a need for dedicated women only services

for women with mental health problems.

Background

Are we still needed?

Job search advice and support 88.2%

English and Maths 87.4%

Basic Computer skills 86.6%

Creche 93.3%

Confidence building 91.6%

Informal networking 73.1%

ESOL 80.7%

Supporting vulnerable women 97.5%

Working with women offenders 79.0%

Volunteer opportunities 79.0%

Internet cafe 75.6%

The table on the left

shows our current

services and how

important stakeholders

felt it is that we

continue to provide


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Working in Partnership

Return to Work

Psychology

Course

Anxiety

Management

On-site

Crèche

Samaritans

Art Group

Informal Drop In Pregnancy testing

Craft Skills Share Volunteering opportunities

Working with

women offenders

ICT Freedom Programme

Internet Café

One to One Support

Make the Best of You

Emotional and

Practical Support

English for Speakers of

Other Languages

Maths

Information, Advice and

Guidance

Job Search Workshops Outreach

Upholstery

What we have done in 2012

New things planned for in 2013

Parenting support Support for mothers of

young offenders Dedicated support for women with

mental health problems

Domestic violence support

for Asian women

Cross cultural

friendship group

Upcycling

Creative writing

Cambridge women’s

heritage project


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Learning Opportunities

Gaining Skills

Growing in Confidence

Moving on

Our courses enable women from diverse backgrounds to gain basic

skills. We offer courses for women in a friendly and supportive

environment, often allowing a learner to take their first steps towards

a recognised qualification. In the last year we have seen women

meet their goals in English, maths, computing, and English for

Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). This year we also had a

group of women learning upholstery, some members of this group

have decided to continue with upholstery as a career option.

Learning in an all woman environment empowers our learners.

They find they can learn vital life skills, explore ideas and achieve

goals. Tutors tailor classes to meet individual needs and women

learn at their own pace. Learners enjoy the opportunity to share

experiences with other women and benefit from the rich cultural

diversity our centre offers.

We know that women see the benefits of their involvement with the

centre in many aspects of their lives. Following our courses many

women have gained full and part time employment or have gone

on to do voluntary work, or further training. After reaching good

communication skills in English many of our ESOL learners come

back to take further courses with us, and see the benefits in all

areas of their lives in Britain.

We provide high quality accredited and non-accredited

training to women.


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Kirsty Trigg, Courses Administrator

“ Working at CWRC I have realised how

many women there are in Cambridge with

many and complex needs. It’s a real

pleasure to be involved with a centre which

helps women move on with, and sometimes

rebuild their lives. ”

More than 90% of

our learners say one

of the best things

about our courses is

the friendly and

supportive

atmosphere

“I have been happy

in this course I feel

more confident I

would recommend

this course for

everyone”

More than 80%

of the people who

responded to our

survey felt that we

should continue to

offer courses in our

main subject areas.

Learning Opportunities

Excerpt from letter from a learner

“. . . at CWRC I had found focus, direction, recognition of my

abilities, a thirst for knowledge and a determination to continue to

invest in my own personal growth. The realisation that as an Adult

Learner, I had a lot to offer my fellow classmates, that I was seen

as an equal and I was celebrated as an adult learner was a great

boost to both my learning and confidence.”

Comment from Dr Bev Morris, consultant

“The Centre offers something special to women. It is a safe and welcoming environment that both supports and challenges learners to realise their potential. The different experiences and skills of all the women, learners and staff, are used to make this a learner-focused approach”.


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Supporting Women into Work

Supporting Job Search One to one sessions provide individualised support and advice,

giving participants the opportunity to look at options available and

relevant to their current position. The Return to Work course

provides the participants skills and space to make decisions, plan

and prepare for employment. Job Search workshops addressed

immediate issues such as interview practice and CV and job

application writing.

Our job search services give women the skills to use immediately or

to prepare for employment when they are ready, often this is

dependant on gaining further training or skills through volunteering.

For others it is a preparation for when their children are settled in

school.

At the Return to Work course Sue revised and updated her CV. She also worked on her confidence and greatly improved her interview skills. In addition Sue made friends with another participant and they supported and encouraged each other in their job hunt. Sue is now happily settled in a part time retail job which fits in with her family commitments, and she is still in touch with her new friend.

We work in partnership with Cambridge Housing Society who provide

a National Careers Service advisor who is based in our centre one

day per week for one to one careers advice and who also delivers

group sessions to some of our training courses.

This year we ran an ESF funded 7 week Return to Work Course and

a rolling programme of drop in Job Search Workshops. Fifty two

women attended this programme during the year.

Progression routes

Successful outcome


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Jo Burton, National Careers Service advisor

“This has been a very interesting and

rewarding year, working with a wide range of different women - supporting them in exploring career options and opportunities; and helping them in accessing courses and finding jobs".

Comments from women using our services

“ I found a job after I had a meeting with the guidance

worker, she was the one who helped me to write my CV and gave

me tips for my interview (Thank you very much!) “

“ With the help of CWRC I feel more able to plan my own future with confidence! ”

“ The Return to Work course was brilliant, I had a wonderful time and it definitely gave me a good idea of what to do when the time is right. But when I am ready I know what to do.”

50% of the women

who use the IAG

services have English

as a second or other

language.

There are 2 million

‘stay at home’ mums

in the UK. 50% of

them would like to

work but can’t find a

suitable job.

Some of the women

seen have never

worked; others have

lost confidence after a

break from work due

to ill health or bringing

up a family.

Supporting Women into Work

One of our strengths highlighted in an external assessment:

“The enthusiasm of staff to provide a proficient service,

demonstrating patience with service users at all times and

encouraging their progress and achievement throughout their

journey.”


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Dawn Project

Personalised Support

Positive Outcomes

The Dawn project has built very good partnership relationships

with a wide range of cross sector agencies to ensure that Dawn

clients are able to access the best and most appropriate

specialised support to meet their needs. Many partner

organisations meet the women in our centre. Our support

strengthens the likelihood of women’s successful outcomes with

other support agencies and reduces the likelihood or frequency of

re-offending.

Jo was signposted through Probation as part of an 18 month

supervision order. The Dawn team were able to identify that

housing was a fundamental issue relating to Jo’s offence. Through

multi agency working, safe and supported accommodation was

secured providing opportunities for Jo to establish further positive

changes in life. Jo has continued to engage with the Dawn Project,

having gained further guidance, encouragement and friendship

from within the CWRC community. Jo has not re-offended.

The Dawn project offers women information, personalised support

and an opportunity to look at aspects of their lives that they would

like or need to change. One-to-one and group support addresses a

wide range of needs. The project aims to work with women to find

ways to break the sometimes chaotic cycle, helping them to increase

in confidence and to be able to live safer and more fulfilling lives.

The Dawn Project works with women who are in or are at risk of

being in the criminal justice system.

Making Links


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Roz Naderer, Development Worker

Part of my role is about networking, which involves meeting people out in the community, and everything I do touches other people lives, this adds meaning to my life and work. Since working at CWRC and the Dawn Project I feel part of an ownership, which motivates me in my work, to always look

for positive outcomes in all situations that I encounter.

97.5% of stake-

holders surveyed felt

that we should be

supporting vulnerable

women.

“The service you

provide to the

community is truly

a blessing”

More than 250

women have

benefited from the

services of the Dawn

team in Cambridge.

Dawn Project

Comment from Dawn client:

“Coming to the CWRC through the Dawn Project has helped me

change and re-establish my life. It is somewhere that I have been able to begin my life again. It is a really important place for vulnerable women, like myself, to be able to access the support and guidance I received then and continue to receive now. I know it is somewhere I can come back to.”

Anthony Owen, Solicitor at TV Edwards

“The Dawn Project at CWRC has impressed me beyond any that I have worked with in terms of its lack of judgmental attitude and willingness to work with anybody in desperate need. They care for the whole person... In these days of cutbacks and public indifference to the plight o the most needy the Dawn Project shines a beacon of light creating hope for those for whom all hope has been lost.”


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Other Activities

Volunteer run groups

Internet Access

Supporting women’s groups

We currently have three volunteer groups running in the centre:

A weekly Art Group run by Audrey where participants create their

own work, participate in community art projects and explore

famous artists including visits to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

A psychology group which has been run by Marion and Margot for

3 years gives women the opportunity to understand more about

themselves and their relationship with others.

We have a craft based Skills Exchange group which meets one

Saturday per month. A variety of skills have been covered but the

most popular has been knitting and crochet.

CWRC also offers a variety of other classes and support to women

who come to the centre. Volunteers play a key part in the delivery

of this provision.

Public internet access points in our reception and coffee room are

used on a daily basis for a wide range of reasons including job

search, keeping in touch with family and friends and for Home

Link search and bidding for housing.

CWRC offers space for a Women’s Consciousness Raising Group

which meets monthly and for a Lesbian and Bi-sexual Feminist

Group which meets fortnightly. Both of these groups are unfunded

women’s groups and we are pleased to be able to support them in

this way.


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Other Activities

“When I first came to the centre, I’d been through a lot. It’s changed my life and helped me move on to who I am today. I didn’t even know I could do art!”

(Joy)

Making Links

Partnership working is very important to us, it benefits the

organisation but more importantly it gives our centre users the best

possible options for specialised services. We have formed a number

of formal and informal partnerships and engage in relevant local,

regional and national networks.

We also have a dedicated group of volunteers who ensure that we

have a visible presence at many of the key events in Cambridge

such as the Big Day Out, Arbury Carnival and Mill Road Winter Fair.

“The Art Group is lovely, relaxing, friendly - and educational too! Every week I look forward to coming and meeting others. It gives me a real boost.”

(Amelia)

Comments from members of the Art Group


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Volunteering

There are many reasons why women volunteer with us. Some come

to use our services and are identified as having the potential to

become peer mentors supporting other women experiencing similar

issues. Others take courses and realise they have skills that they can

use here. Many women who volunteer with us have experienced

domestic violence, mental health problems or financial issues and

benefit from ongoing support whilst contributing to the work of the

centre. For women from overseas it is an opportunity to practice

language skills and build a friendship network.

Volunteers bring huge added value to the CWRC, making us a

more diverse, responsive and in-touch organisation, and offering a

springboard for women to develop confidence in their own personal

resources.

New opportunities Volunteering roles at CWRC are tailored to each volunteers skills

and interests. Current roles include classroom assistance, reception,

fundraising, Trustee Board, cake making, supporting women and

raising our profile.

Our volunteers have found that volunteering has had a wide range of

benefits including: learning and developing new skills; increase in

employment options; increase in motivation and sense of

achievement; sense of being part of a community; putting something

back into the centre; meeting a diverse range of people; developing

new interests; sharing of life experiences; support and inspiration.

Building self belief

Positive gains from volunteering


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Maggie, ex Volunteer—now in employment

“ I came to live in Cambridge in April 2010

fleeing domestic violence. I was very distressed

and suffering from a lack of confidence. I came to

the Resources Centre a week after I arrived in

Cambridge. The staff were welcoming and

friendly; I found emotional and practical help.

After a few weeks I began volunteering for the Dawn Project. I did

one day a week, but beginning to regain my confidence I became

more involved. I believe the Resources Centre is unique. For me,

the CWRC has been a lifeline, not only for helping me regain

control in my life, but also I hope a better future. ”

55 volunteers have

become involved with

the centre since 2009.

“I think that the

CWRC is a

wonderful place

with wonderful

people in it!”

28 volunteers

coming to the centre

have had direct

experience of issues

particularly relevant to

the Dawn project.

Volunteering

Noreen Jones,

Student, Volunteer and Trustee

“ I started coming to CWRC in 2004. Initially I did

courses in computing, and have done course in literacy

and numeracy. I became a trustee of the centre in 2006

and enjoy coming in regularly to volunteer. I get great

satisfaction from seeing women achieve their learning

goals.“


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Opportunities for children

On-site crèche

By providing structure and learning in a group setting our crèche is

good preparation for school or nursery giving children the security

they need to make friends and to trust and enjoy new experiences.

This gives mothers the confidence that their children will settle well,

which in turn gives them the opportunity to look for employment or

further training.

Children receive individually tailored care giving them the

opportunity to explore, socialise and learn in a safe and supportive

environment. We see children form friendships and grow in self-

esteem and confidence. Crèche staff help children to build on their

strengths and to try new things.

The crèche is a central feature of the services we provide, enabling

women with children to commit to regularly using our services.

Crèche

We offer a free on-site crèche for women using our services. For

many children it is the first time that they have been away from

their mothers outside of the family network. Our crèche offers a

safe place for children to interact and play with other children from

diverse backgrounds. For many women, knowing that their

children are happy and well cared for is an essential part of

accessing learning or support services.

Moving on


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Crèche

Rachel Stevens, PBD assessor

“ I thoroughly enjoy coming into the setting as it is very

obvious that the team works extremely well together, constantly

communicating with one another to ensure the care of the children

is continuous, meeting individual needs. The cultural diversity is

not only supported but celebrated and it is a warm and inviting

place to come.”

Sholeh Rahimi, Crèche Manager

“ I am committed to the core principles of

CWRC: to support women as well as to provide

information in an empowering and non-

judgemental place. ”

Comment from crèche user

“ Many years ago my son came to the crèche and he was

very, very happy here. Over the years the staff have changed but

the high standards of the crèche have remained. Now my

grandchildren use the crèche and they always enjoy coming. The

staff are very friendly, kind and caring, and know what they are

doing. If you have a problem you can ask a member of staff and

they are sure to sort it out.”

Crèche facilities were

provided for the

children of more than

80 women in 2011 -

2012

“Your provision of on-

site child care is still

unique and

empowering to

women”

More than 90% of

stakeholders

responding to our

survey felt we should

be offering crèche

services to women.


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In this year we have received project funding from:

Skills Funding Agency—to deliver accredited training

Cambridge City Council

Cambridge and Peterborough Probation Foundation

Corston Coalition Funders

Cambridgeshire County Council

European Social Fund—Community Grants

We are members of:

GET Group, Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service, Women’s Resources Centre (London), WAVET, Clinks, Cambridge Women’s Voluntary Sector Forum, Women’s Breakout

We have worked in partnership with:

Peterborough Women’s Centre

Cambridge and Peterborough Probation Foundation

Cambridge Housing Society

Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre

Cambridge Women’s Aid

Cambridge CAB

Addaction

Cambridge Samaritans

NACRO

Illuminate Charity

Trussell Trust Food Bank

Beson Trust

Dhiverse

Richmond Fellowship

Papworth Trust

Making Space


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Vision and Mission Statements:

CWRC Vision is that all women in Cambridge

and beyond realise the potential in themselves, their

families and their community.

CWRC Mission is to provide training, activities and

support to enable our vision to succeed.

CWRC Aims:

• To increase women’s skills, confidence, motivation and self-esteem

• To increase women’s employability and their ability to make positive live choices

• To increase the number of women playing an active role in their communities, increase social cohesion and improve the quality of relationships and social interaction


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“ The centre provides support and advice specifically tailored to women's needs locally that they could not get elsewhere in Cambridge.“

“ I think it is really important and so valuable to all women that the centre is there, for times of need and for all the help it gives to women over the years.“

“This is an invaluable resource. Providing space where women are supported and their needs understood. CWRC can help women who have childcare or cultural needs as well as women who may have had negative experiences in education.“

Contact us:

Phone: 01223 321148

Email: [email protected]

or [email protected]

Find out more:

www.cwrc.org.uk

www.facebook.com/cambridgewomensresourcescentre

To contact the board or to enquire about becoming a

board member: [email protected]

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