Funding crisis in domestic violence service provision

True, Queen, but this thread did have a pretty desperate poster who didn't think she did have other options at the time of the phone call. And the previous one, the OP had actually left and was sitting in the car with nowhere else to go.

I agree about raising awareness. I have only just started being honest with people who weren't close friends and saying "The relationship was emotionally abusive." I was always quite worried about using the phrase because I tend to think people assume that "emotional abuse" doesn't exist and that people who say it are over-dramatising (at best) or belittling "true" abuse victims (at worst)

Just playing devil's advocate here, nothing more. But we don't know the back story of the thread the OP read. It could be that the caller didn't want any other help from WA at that time or maybe that she had been offered places before and then not taken them up.

I know when WA helped me get away they couldn't offer me accommodation and I was able to get away on my own. If they had offered a place in a refuge there and then, I would have taken it but the fact that I could make my own arrangements means maybe they were right not to offer me somewhere straight away and offer it to someone in more urgent need.

Many helplines and services rely on volunteers so I think one of the best way MNetters can help is by volunteering locally. I plan to do this myself but am aware I'm still too close emotionally to my experiences.

Awareness building is a responsibility we all have. Refuge have a good facebook campaign going at the moment encouraging people to have conversations about DV. One of the biggest barriers (and I certainly felt like this) is that I didn't get hit so it couldn't be abuse. The control, forced sex and bullying didn't fit my preconceptions of domestic abuse.

I couldn't get through when I called, and I only tried back a couple of times, because TBH I just felt that the abuse I was suffering wasn't "real" enough or important enough and clearly there were so many people in greater need than me trying to get through that I stopped through fear of not wanting to take up any more of their time or resources. Luckily I was able to get through to the local DV helpline and had family support and was able to find a rented house to move into, but that did take 3 months. It was okay for me what but if he had been violent in that time? How could I have known?

That wasn't the impression I was trying to give Kritiq, but many people give to the national federation because they believe that it is all one organisation.

The DV helpline is very important, but local provision receives very little in the way of other support from the national federation. I left the field a year ago and there was a possibility that the whole service in our area could go under due to a funding shortfall.

Mrspnut, I've been out of the refuge "field" at least directly for about 8 years now, but from what I recall, WAFE, and the federations in other nations, do play an important function not just in campaigning and capacity building, but in running the free 24 hour dv helpline. That means a woman can call that number from anywhere and be put in touch with available refuge space in a safe area, anywhere in the country (if it's available.)

Refuges don't have to affiliate to Women's Aid Federation to operate as refuges or even to receive referrals from helplines, as I recall. Some refuges are run by housing associations and other charities and are regarded as "independent refuges." Refuge is a separate, non-affiliated refuge service, for example.

There is always going to be some tension between national bodies and local bodies that provide any kind of supporting service. It is difficult for small, individual local charities to manage all required legal and regulatory functions while providing a quality service, especially with shrinking budgets. However, if local organisations are "absorbed" into a larger regional or national organisation, they can become more bureaucratic, not necessarily more efficient and perhaps less flexible at responding to local issues and needs. I don't think there is any ideal.

I just wanted to balance up a bit the idea that the Women's Aid Federation was minted, doing nothing important and doing nothing to support struggling local refuges. Resources are inadequate across the piece and I'm thinking of deck chairs on the Titanic here.

Sadly, there was never sufficient refuge provision for women fleeing abuse even back in the early 1990s when I worked for Women's Aid. There were alternatives like the Homeless Person's Unit, going via social services or staying with friends or families, but I don't think there has ever been a time when there was enough safe refuge space for all of those in need.

I've heard about the cuts to community-based domestic abuse services in many areas with increasing despair. When you cut an already inadequately funded set of services, it's not hard to see what the result will be. When I was involved in Women's Aid, we heavily relied on volunteers and even women already resident in refuges to provide elements of the service. I felt dubious at the time especially about the latter (i.e. asking someone who's just escaped a violent relationship to get up at 2 am to let in a family who's just escaped,) but there seemed to be no viable alternatives with the resources available. I'm guessing Women's Aid still relies heavily on volunteers, who in my experience can be amazingly brilliant, but at times may not have the confidence, experience or knowledge to provide a 5 star service.

It makes my heart sink to think of women mustering up the courage to phone someone for help after what may be scores of experiences of abuse only to find they can't get through or get a rather brusque response. I know many found our lines engaged even 20 years ago and have no way of knowing how many never phoned again, or what happened to them. I think folks in Women's Aid and other support services are trying their hardest, but are so thinly stretched as to be virtually invisible at some times.

It's a bit like CAB - every time someone has a legal issue, people say, "Go to CAB," but they, too, have been cut and slashed and it was hard enough to access their services even when times weren't so lean. What are folks supposed to do now?

Women's aid is dangerously underfunded and as local authorities are having to make savings, then domestic violence services take a huge hit.

The situation is more compounded by the fact that each women's aid around the country is a separate charity and they have to pay to the Women's aid Federation of England a not so small fee every year to be a member.

WAFE do a lot of fundraising and awareness raising but none of this filters down and all the big name supporters of WAFE are not to be approached by any member organisation.

I know our local Women's Aid had to close one of it's offices and has dramatically cut it's staffing and therefore the number of people they can help and I would think that this is the same all over the country. Grant funding is becoming harder and harder to obtain and the criteria is becoming ever narrower.

If you want to help at grass roots level then donate to your local branch not the National Federation, even if it's volunteering rather than cash donations. That might free up staff time to do something else.

Also consider doing a sponsored something in aid of your local refuge or agree in your office not to send christmas cards to each other and instead donate the money to the local refuge.

You could try posting in AIBU, AIBU to be shocked that DV services are turning people away (or something) - because it is shocking, and I think even if people are not feminists most people recognise that refuges are a really important service.

That map of gaps is quite worrying indeed.

This would be a good issue for the #frothers to take up

I think if the thread title mentioned the funding crisis it might attract more attention. Can it be amended?

I live in the east of England where (I think) we have always had the least resources, but wasn't aware anywhere was so under resourced and or over stretched that women were being turned away within seconds. I don't like to imagine how that must feel. It is difficult even to get through to my local helpline.

Would be good to hear from WA and learn what's needed and how we can help.

Savy, I'm a bit shocked they phoned you back at all. That was utterly fotbidden in my day, but perhaps the policy has changed now so many folk have personal phones.

I think that this map of gaps is relevant.

Published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It maps by areas the (lack of ) specialised support services in their area for women who experience violence.

You can check for your own local area what is available.

I found it via the End Violence Against Women Coalition.

I'm glad to hear you managed to move savy. Sound's like you're an amazing role model to your little one :)

Thankfully I've never been in your situation, but I understand that it must take an awful lot of courage to pick up the phone and tell someone. It's terrible that they let you down. I wonder how many women end up staying in bad situations because of this. :(

just in response to MMMarmite as well i didnt recieve any help from them sure they eventualy offered it but by this time i had all ready started the process myself plus tbh i was ashamed to ask for help in the first place and very embarrassed to have even put myself in the position i was in with exp that i was quite offended by the phone call from them 2 weeks later
i dont no if offended is the right word hope use can understand what i mean after plucking up the courage to ask for the help then that happened i felt as if it was just a joke to them

yes im fine now had to move house myself whick took time, recently changed numbers ect but with a little one this was very expensive but i was lucky i had an income to use to do this all be it we lived on praticaly nothing for a few months we are alot safer now, thank you

Any campaign for women's aid I'd very much lille to be a part of, it is the worst time in your life when you are trying to get out and when you finally get the courage to pick up that phone getting turned down must be crushing.

I am lucky enough not have needed a bed from women's aid but I know how I would have felt if I got turned away, it would have made me stay probably and who knows what would have happened to me

I'm really sorry to hear about your experience savy57, and quite shocked at how long it took them to help you. Are you safe now?

Yes I'm worried about this too. I donated some money to Women's Aid after reading a thread where a women in danger kept phoning them but couldn't get through. It seems the situation's even worse than I thought, and is gonna need bigger solutions than just a donation.

Is there any way we could get someone from women's aid on here to talk about what they need and how we can help? Boffinmum's idea seems a good one.