Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) service directory

What this service directory covers

Any victim of abuse deserves to access support and help regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

The directory is aimed at those who want help and professionals who would like to refer people experiencing abuse, as well as perpetrators of abuse, to supporting services.

Please note that details for specialist services change on a regular basis due to insecure and uncertain funding streams, so please check that details are correct before giving out to service users.

What support services are available?

If you select more than one tag, all support services that have any of the selected tags will be shown.

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What is violence against women and girls?

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is both a form of discrimination and a violation of human rights. Which includes a wide range of abusive behaviours including physical, sexual, financial, emotional and psychological abuse.

The 3 Rs - dealing with disclosures

Receive

• Create a safe space - speak in privacy
• Listen to what the victim is saying
• Try not to interrupt or ask lots of questions
• Don’t worry if they stop talking - silences are ok
• Explain confidentiality - they need to know what will happen and that you have a duty of care. They will appreciate your honesty and transparency

Reassure

• Affirm, validate and believe
• Do tell them immediately that you believe them
• Take it seriously – remember how difficult it is to disclose abuse and ask for help
• Be non-judgemental – they should not feel that they are being pressurised or judged by people they approach for help, even if they have made a previous decision to return to or take back their abusive partner
• Contain your own feelings. It’s important not to look shocked or horrified as this may reinforce feelings of shame
• Acknowledge their trust in disclosing to you and highlight their courage and strength in taking the positive steps to getting support

Respond

• Be sensitive to their needs – be wary of who you use as an interpreter; some communities are small, and the interpreter may know the victim and their family
• Help them make their own decisions and when presented with options, empower them to make their own choices - don’t take over
• Offer appropriate referrals for support and signpost or refer as client wishes
• Ensure that they are aware of who you are going to tell
• Feedback what they say (mirroring) if you need to respond
• Stress to them that the abuse is not their fault and that no-one deserves to be abused, no matter what they do
• Don’t forget to ask for help if you need support
• Prioritise safety – this could be their one chance to get help. Do they have somewhere safe to stay? Help them to plan how they will keep safe
• Know your safeguarding duty – have you made appropriate safeguarding referrals? Are there matters of national security to consider?

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Referral forms

• SASS referral form
• Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference - MARAC referral form
• MARAC professional Pack
• DASH Risk Assessment form
• Tower Hamlets Prostitution Partnership referral form (THPP Referral Form)

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VAWG strategy

The 2024-2029 VAWG strategy aligns with our Strategic Plan committed to the outcome of making ‘people feel safer in their neighbourhoods and anti-social behaviour is tackled’.

The VAWG Strategy has three key priorities:

• support and protection for victims
• bringing perpetrators to justice
• engage with communities and challenge misogyny.