Women’s Aid CEO, Polly Neate, explains the need for adopting an ‘equal rights, different needs’ approach to domestic abuse support services in her latest blog piece. Each year around 2.1m people suffer some form of domestic abuse –  1.4 million women (8.5% of the population) and 700,000 men (4.5% of the population). At Survive, we understand the value of tailoring support services to the different needs of different victims, supporting equal access but recognising that male and females should be supported differently is vital.

You can read Polly’s full blog piece here: “Equal Rights, Different Needs” 

The draft proposal sets out a change to how Bristol City Council prioritises victims of Domestic Abuse through Home Choice Bristol. Within the context of increasing demand for affordable rented properties our focus is to help those who are most at risk to move quickly. They are particularly keen to hear from practitioners who work with victims of domestic abuse.

Have your say by visiting the following link: https://bristol.citizenspace.com/neighbourhoods/prioritising-victims-of-domestic-abuse-home-choice/

Could you or your organisation sponsor a safe and comfortable night’s sleep for a child or woman in refuge? 

A comfortable night’s sleep is not a lot to ask when you have left your home to escape domestic abuse and often had to leave most of your belongings behind.

We want to provide new mattresses across our 3 refuges to give families a better night’s sleep.

£35 would provide a new cot mattress for a baby or toddler

£125 would provide a new firm and comfortable mattress for a child or woman

To donate:

Text SURV00 and the amount to 70070

Donate online via Justgiving

Send us a cheque payable to Survive and send to Survive, PO Box 61, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 8XJ

There is no excuse for domestic abuse or rape and sexual assault.

More information has been added to the ‘this is not an excuse’ website.

Designed by Avon and Somerset Police the website to raise awareness of domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual assault and to signpost to organisations that provide help and support.

The concept originated from a Scottish Rape Crisis campaign and has since been evolved by Avon and Somerset Police, Safer Bristol and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset.

Rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse are very serious crimes. It is a priority to protect adults and children who are at risk.

The website gives general information, as well as guidance on help and support you may need to make the decision that is right for you.

Take a look here: http://www.thisisnotanexcuse.org  

WISH

Some see a weed, others see a wish

Wish, is the true story of the survival of a young woman who suffered 11 years of abuse at the hands of her ex –partner. It follows a 16 year old girl and how she was gradually manipulated and mentally and physically abused, through to her escape.

Web: http://eviejameswish.co.uk  E-mail: info@eviejameswish.co.uk  Twitter: @eviejameswish

 10% of all profits will be donated to Survive.  Wish is now available to download from Amazon.

The wonderful Andrea is running 500 miles from 1st September to end of year to raise money for us.

She’ll be running on average 30 miles a week to meet her target (ouch!) – we’re wishing her the best of luck and will be keeping you up to date with her progress!

You can support Survive by donating to Andrea’s JustGiving page – click here to donate! 

HELP US HELP YOUNG SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

In just a few weeks Survive will be losing funding for its core children’s services. We will no longer be able to fully support children and young people who have been affected by domestic abuse.

Which means we will no longer be able to:

• Provide a full Play Service for children who live in our refuges
• Provide our unique Back on Track group programme for 11-17 year olds
• Provide our dynamic prevention programme Connect with Respect; including 1:1 support for children in schools
• Provide our bespoke 1:1 Outreach Service that supports young people in the community

We need your help

MAKE DONATION

Survive passionately believes that children experiencing domestic abuse have the right to be heard and to access high quality support.

• £5 can pay for a box of toys for a child in refuge
• £10 can pay for a worker for an hour to expertly support a child
• £50 can go towards providing a Back on Track session for a young person
• £100 can go towards providing a Connect with Respect prevention workshop in a school.

MAKE DONATION

#homeshouldntbescary

We’ve had a wonderful food donation for our refuges from The Wickwar Benefice (which includes The Parishes of Wickwar, Rangeworthy, Hillesley, Charfield and Kingswoood) – if you’re interested in doing something similar, give our office a ring on 0117 961 3065!

We’ve got a stand at the UWE Volunteering fair today. Looking forward to meeting students and getting them involved in fundraising and play work volunteer opportunities at Survive. We’ve also got information about the services we offer and our #homeshouldntbescary campaign. Expecting it to be a busy day!

Survive South Gloucestershire and Bristol has been awarded the Women’s Aid National Quality Mark today, demonstrating that it provides a high quality of service to women and children experiencing domestic violence in South Gloucestershire. The Women’s Aid Quality Standards are national standards which measure the quality of specialist domestic violence services on a number of factors. Survive South Gloucestershire and Bristol were particularly commended for their Children and Young People services, Preventative work and Accountability and Leadership.

Sarah Telford, Chief Executive Officer of Survive said:

“We are all delighted that Survive has been awarded the Women’s Aid National Quality Mark. We were established in 1974 by our founder Brenda Bishop. Brenda successfully campaigned for refuge provision in South Gloucestershire. Brenda is an inspirational woman who’s work is still very much needed in 2016. As a specialist domestic abuse provider we have overcome many challenges over the last forty one years. I am very proud of the Survive team, who consistently make a long lasting difference to the women and children that we work with and provide life changing support to those experiencing domestic abuse”.

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid Federation England said:

“We are very proud to award Survive South Gloucestershire and Bristol the Women’s Aid National Quality Mark for their excellent work supporting women and children in South Gloucestershire. Specialist, high-quality domestic violence services can make the difference between a full, independent life and living in fear of your life for women escaping abuse. The hard work and dedication of the team at Survive is making that difference, and I thank them for the very high quality of the service they provide.”