Welwyn
Hatfield Women's Refuge is a local voluntary agency (
Registered Charity No. 1070035 ) providing services for women and
children who
have experienced domestic violence or abuse. We are an independent
organisation
run by women, for women and we are full members of the Women's Aid
Federation of England ( WAFE ).
The
organisation was set up in
1990 when concerned members of
Welwyn Hatfield Council invited women in the community to a public
meeting to address the locally unmet needs of women living with
domestic violence. Welwyn Hatfield Council remain as supportive of us
and our work as they were in 1990. We would not be
able to operate without their continued
commitment.
OUR
AIM
To
provide safe
accommodation and help and support in the community to women and
children who
have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Welwyn
Hatfield Women’s Aid seeks
to work towards and end to violence against women and children in the
home and
outside. Towards this ultimate end we seek to meet the following
objectives:
- To
provide safe temporary accommodation, advice, support and information
to women and children fleeing domestic violence and abuse.
- To offer
specific services for children.
- To
provide Outreach support to women who choose not to use the Refuge for
temporary accommodation and to ex resident women
and children.
- To offer
counselling to women who have experienced violence and abuse.
- To plan
and facilitate Domestic Violence Awareness and Good Practice training
to external agencies.
- Multi-agency
work and networking.
Women from all cultures, races,
classes, sexualities, ages and levels of ability experience domestic
violence
and abuse. Whilst each woman’s experience is unique to her we are
aware that
many issues may profoundly affect her, for example her access to
services, who she can
confidently ask for help, what she is likely to lose if she leaves the
relationship,
whether she feels she will be believed, does she risk losing her
children? We are always mindful
of each woman as a unique individual and how her difference can affect
her life
and the choices she makes. We will endeavour to ensure that informed
choices
may be made. We will promote self determination and offer support to
achieve
this.
We recognise that not all women are ready to permanently
leave abusive relationships. They may use the Refuge for respite rather
than
making a final break, they may simply want to talk to Refuge staff or
join a
group. We will support them in any decision they make, providing no
child is at risk of abuse.
Children are a large proportion of
our client group and we have a priority to provide services to them. It
is important
that they know they have a right to live free from violence in our
Refuge. To
this end children in Refuge must not be smacked or physically punished.
We encourage and
support women to find non abusive ways of disciplining their children.
We are
also aware that recent research has shown links between domestic
violence and
child abuse.
Some women may
continue to need our support when they are safely resettled in the community. To this
end we
will make our services available through regular drop in groups and the
telephone helpline.
We
will work positively with
external agencies – both statutory and voluntary – to try
to ensure that women
and children who have experienced violence and abuse receive
sympathetic
treatment. We will also assist external agencies with domestic violence
training events, awareness raising and good practice issues.
CONTACT US
By
post at: PO Box 486
By phone on: 01707 373743 By email:
admin at(@) whwr.org
Welwyn Garden City
Herts
AL7 9GN
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