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Home-Start Shepway is awarded almost half a million pounds for its work with victims of domestic abuse
The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £499,876 to Home-Start Shepway for its 'New Beginnings' project which will support families affected by domestic abuse.
The grant will enable Home-Start Shepway to provide intense support for women and children suffering from domestic abuse.
This will have a huge impact, allowing faster, more effective services at crisis point. The project will also enable women to access services and improve personal development and life skills.
In Shepway alone Home-Start is currently supporting 14 families who have suffered from some form of domestic abuse. This can be physical violence, emotional abuse, bullying, verbal abuse and witholding of money.
Sam Taylor, senior coordinator at Home-Start Shepway said:"One incident of domestic abuse is reported to the police every 60 seconds, and two women are murdered every week through domestic abuse. We need to take a stance against this and encourage victims to speak out, get support and move on with their lives."
'New Beginnings' will provide a domestic abuse co-ordinator and project worker to offer a comprehensive range of activities and services in the Shepway area. It will develop and increase provision to meet a growing demand for support and enable Home-Start volunteers and staff to develop their specialist skills in this area.
The main areas of the project will cover are:
- Home-visiting support; focusing on providing both practical and emotional help.
- Devolping exisiting information and guidance including advocacy and sign-posting to services.
- Facilitating children’s support groups for those young people who are affected by domestic abuse.
- Working with counselling services for identified children.
- The provision of peer-support groups for women affected by domestic abuse.
- Training women to develop self-esteem and long-term employability.
Home-Start Shepway will launch its 'New Beginnings' project on Wednesday 1st September 2010. This project is an extension of the Freedom Programme which is a successful 12-week programme for women suffering domestic abuse.
