service – Basildon Women’s Aid

Outreach Service

April 19, 2016 Women Aid Leave a comment

The aim of our service is fivefold:

To provide local facilities, where women suffering domestic violence are able to come for one to one and group support, and have the legal, housing and practical advice which will enable them to make choices

To raise awareness of domestic violence issues in the Community
To raise awareness of domestic violence issues in Schools
To work both collectively and offer a complementary service to other local agency teams in order to provide a better range and quality of services to residents in the Basildon area
To provide resettlement support to women moving on from the refuge
To Provide Satellite Surgeries

Voice is a ‘local’ support service for female victims of domestic abuse living in the Castle Point, Brentwood and Rochford areas. Please call for directions or more details about our Satellite Surgeries. It is an ‘appointments only’ service, and appointments can be made at each of the following centres by ringing 01268 521666.

Voice Support Service on Canvey Island.

Appointments are usually held on tuesday mornings (between 9.30 am and 11.30 am) but are sometimes available on other days. What we can offer you: practical and housing advice, support, access to legal advice and counselling. The BWA Outreach Worker and/or Police Domestic Violence liaison Officer will be able to provide you with up-to-date information and advice.

Voice Support Service in Brentwood.

Appointments are usually held on Wednesday mornings (between 9.30 am and 11.30 am) but are sometimes available on other days. What we can offer you: practical and housing advice, support, access to legal advice and counselling service. The BWA Outreach Worker and /or the Police Domestic Violence Liaison Officer will provide you with up-to-date information and advice.

Voice Support Service in Rochford.

Appointments are usually held on Friday mornings (between 9.30 and 11.30 am) but are sometimes available on other days. What we can offer you: practical and housing advice, support, access to legal advice and counselling service. The BWA Outreach Worker and/or the Community Safety Officer from Rochford District Council/Police Domestic Violence Liaison Officer will provide you with up-to-date information and advice.

Basildon Outreach Service is situated in the Parklands Centre.

Again, our aim is for the Parklands Centre to be a place where women are able to come for practical advice, support and understanding. We also offer personal development training here – so, please do not hesitate to email or telephone us for further information and advice. Training for other agencies on D.V. issues is also carried out at the Parklands Centre.

Directions to Parklands

To Raise Awareness of domestic violence Issues in the Community

Firstly, we are fully committed to raising awareness in the community and we continue to target local clubs, groups and family centres, with the offer of talks on domestic violence issues, life in the refuge, and bespoke training initiatives on how to approach and speak to female sufferers requiring help, for instance.

Secondly, we have produced a variety of posters and leaflets about out service and these are being distributed to the area’s GPs/Nurse Practitioners/health visitors and hospitals etc, together with other relevant organisations involved in family welfare and health.

You can contact us by email or telephone if you feel you could benefit from either a talk or a training session, or alternatively if you require copies of any of the materials that we produce.

To Raise Awareness of domestic violence Issues in Schools

Projects have been established in schools with the objective of positively influencing and educating young people and offering them tips on how to avoid date violence during their formative years.

Much of our work involves talking about the need to create healthy relationships and to reject any sort of controlling or threatening behaviour that may or may not feel right. We are currently offering talks and training to Schools in this area.

To work both collectively and offer a complementary service to other local agency teams in order to provide a better quality and a wider range of services to residents in the Basildon area.

We are constantly networking to form relationships with other relevant organisations and it is vital that we continue to be involved in all the local planning meetings and forums that link their work to DV. It is only by getting link ups with other forums that we can reach and have an impact on a much-wider group of women, who by virtue of their status or class, may feel excluded or do not wish to apply for refuge space. Please contact us if you are an organisation that would like to link in with our activities and our work.…

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Legal Advice

February 26, 2016 Women Aid Leave a comment

Legal Advice

One of the services offered to all those who make contact with Basildon Women’s Aid is access to confidential Legal Advice. For many women entering the Refuge, Legal matters may be the last thing on their mind, but it gives them comfort to know that when they are ready to deal with legal matters, there is an experienced family law solicitor to advise them. Even if you are not a resident at the Refuge, you can meet with one of our solicitors to discuss matters in a relaxed confidential environment.

Why do you need Legal Advice?

It is very important to seek legal advice to protect your position and examine the legal possibilities that are open to you. There is a vast range of advice open to you. Here are some examples:

Injunctions

You may be seeking protection from violence and abuse and you may need some advice about obtaining an injunction through the Court. Injunctions are not magic remedies and they involve hard work on both you and the lawyer’s part. They are the final resort when all attempts at resolving the issue on an amicable basis have failed. Many women come to the refuge for a short period whilst this work is carried out and then return when all the legal proceedings have been completed and they are protected by an order of the Court. There are two main types of injunctions (also called protection orders):

Non-molestation order

A non-molestation Order is an Order of the court which states that your partner cannot use or threaten violence against you, nor can they intimidate, pester or harass you. The Order will be handed to your partner so that they are aware that they cannot be abusive to you during the term of the Order. The Order is only a piece of paper and will not physically protect you from further Domestic violence. If, however, your partner does not comply with the terms of the Order you may be able to apply for their committal to prison for any breach of the Order.

In some cases the Court will attach to the non-molestation Order a Power of Arrest. If a Power of Arrest has been attached and a breach of the non-molestation Order occurs you may telephone the Police to report the incident. The Police will then be obliged to arrest your partner and bring them before a judge when the said judge will decide whether to sentence your partner to a term of imprisonment for the breach.

Occupation order

An Occupation Order states that your partner should leave your home and must not re-enter the property. In some circumstances it is possible to obtain an Order which prevents your partner from coming within 100 metres of your home.

Housing

The local authority will have a duty to help if you are homeless or if you are threatened with homelessness. Threatened with homelessness means that you are likely to become homeless within 28 days. You can still be considered homeless if you are living in a refuge or if you have a home but it is likely that you will experience violence or threats of violence if you return.
You will be considered unintentionally homeless if someone has used or threatened violence against you and you have been forced to leave your home because of domestic violence.

If you are fleeing domestic violence you are entitled to apply to any local authority and the local authority will not be allowed to refer you back if there is a risk of violence to you if you return. It is not necessary to have a local connection in cases of domestic violence.

Housing is a priority for many women and it may be that having considered advice, you do not wish to return to your home and feel that you cannot do so. You may need legal advice regarding homeless applications to the local housing authorities. Our in house solicitor works very closely with the refuge staff and the housing representatives in this matter.

Children

You may need advice about your children, particularly in terms of their ongoing relationship with their other parent. Many women are very fearful that their former partners will apply for Residence or Contact under the Children Act 1989. We have to discuss carefully the issues relating to such matters such as what is in the best interests of the children concerned. Some people have involvement with Social Services, which have to be dealt with, and our in house solicitor will advise you on all aspects of this area of the Law if necessary.

Relationship Breakdown

For some women, they may wish to discuss the breakdown of their relationship or marriage. Once again, complete legal advice is required in this regard on matters of divorce and separation with the emphasis on children and financial matters.

No matter what the problem

No matter what the problem, one of our legal advisors, Cathy Bannister or Tracy King will be able to offer confidential legal advice. They offer free first interviews and will assess your eligibility for Legal Aid if appropriate. In all cases, they will explore with you the various options and take a full note of your circumstances, bearing in mind your priorities at any time.
They are there to give you the best advice and try and find the most child-centred and least confrontational solution. If Court proceedings are the only way out, then they will give you the best representation and advice.

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Welfare Advice service

February 17, 2016 Women Aid Leave a comment

When you first come into the refuge a member of staff will help you apply for either job seekers allowance, income support and housing benefit plus other benefits you may be entitled to.

If you are employed you may still be able to qualify for housing benefit, and working families tax credit. We can advise you on your entitlement and any other welfare issues that may arise.…

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Housing Issues

April 3, 2015 Women Aid Leave a comment

The Council works closely with Basildon Women’s Aid to ensure that the needs of the women are met. A designated Homeless Officer is the liaison officer between the Council and the refuge.

The designated Homeless Officer ensures that queries raised by the women about their rehousing, are answered. She also attends the refuge on a regular basis so women do not have to leave the safety of the refuge to make a homeless application in order to obtain rehousing.

As part of Basildon’s Domestic Violence Panel, which is a multi agency partnership, the Council has contributed to the successful application for Joint Finance Funding for the Careline Project.

The Council has also begun to look at how everyone within the organisation can assist survivors wherever the interaction takes place. We are currently working with the Police and the refuge to develop a Corporate Policy on Domestic Violence. From this partnership work it is hopeful that a district wide multi agency “Good Practice Guide” can be developed. This has led to the Corporate group being instrumental in making Domestic Violence a ‘stand alone’ item in the district’s new Community Safety Strategy.

The Council will continue to work with the refuge and support the work they do in order to create a safer environment for the survivors of today and for those of the future.…

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