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What it’s like inside a domestic abuse refuge
The Independent
Follow
11/15/2024
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
So, as a refuge, we offer safe accommodation and a path to freedom for somebody that is
00:12
suffering from domestic abuse.
00:13
We offer safe houses, so they are manned by 24-7 staff who are available throughout that
00:20
whole time to support them through their journey, so that it's initially when they come to us
00:24
and then all the way to the point that they leave us.
00:27
We do practical support in terms of helping them get new clothing.
00:31
We do a scheme where we're helping to get them back into employment, so they get some
00:35
CV writing skills and they get some interview techniques with somebody as well.
00:39
We buy them clothing to attend the interview, so that will help them open up hopefully future
00:44
kind of prospects for them.
00:46
We help with things like benefits, we'll go through the family court system with you,
00:50
we will help you for police interviews, we will help you get re-registered at a doctor's,
00:56
anything you need will be managed by us.
00:59
And throughout that time we offer emotional support, so that might be things like counselling
01:03
and the Freedom Programme.
01:05
The Freedom Programme is giving an overall experience of looking at the dominator and
01:15
the friend, so that they can have a clear difference in their sort of relationships,
01:21
and looking at the sort of positives and the negatives and the red flags to sort of
01:25
notice, to sort of understand that it's not their fault, because quite often the women
01:32
are saying, you know, I did that, it was my fault that I did that, so it's about empowering
01:38
them in moving forward, understanding it's not their fault.
01:42
You literally see them have lightbulb moments through the programme, and I think the confidence
01:50
that actually it's not their fault.
01:51
And also giving confidence to new clients, like coming in as well, you sort of hear conversations
01:56
going on that it's okay, like, you know, I've been where you are, look where I am now, this
02:02
is all sort of like quite a normal sort of process.
02:06
And children, I'm assuming, may have like iPads or phones, have we made sure?
02:09
Yeah, technology's all been checked.
02:10
Perfect.
02:11
Yeah, so I think it's the only oldest one's got the iPad.
02:13
Safeguarding is everything we do, it's literally our priority at all times, so we, even at
02:18
the initial referral stage, when somebody calls us looking for a refuge space, we run
02:22
through several safety questions then, so it's things like checking is there any tracking
02:26
devices that have been put on their phone, we would ask that they leave any devices behind
02:30
such as old mobiles, tablets of the children's, iPads.
02:33
We advise them to check their car for trackers, to make sure that nothing has been put on
02:37
there or any kind of software.
02:39
We ask them to come off all social media, because even things like Snapchat can literally
02:43
give you the exact location, so we have to stop everything and make it as safe as possible
02:48
before they even leave to come to us.
02:50
We wouldn't accept anybody from less than a 25 mile radius, just because for us, the
02:55
further away they are, the safer they are, and we close down their banks, we close down
02:59
any previous things like connector cards, which can show you exactly what shop you then
03:03
went and shopped at in Sainsbury's, so it's a complete, almost rewrite of their life as
03:09
well in changing as much as we can to ensure their safety.
03:12
This is the home for our survivors, so we don't wear uniform, it's very relaxed, it's
03:16
very welcoming, it's kind of made by them and shaped by them, so for example, some of
03:22
the artwork on the walls is done from previous survivors that were here.
03:25
We have a lot of previous survivors that come and volunteer with us and kind of share their
03:29
experiences with current survivors.
03:31
It's kept as homely and welcoming as possible, and even at the initial stage when they arrive,
03:37
we fundraise to put welcome packs in their rooms, so it's all brand new bedding, pots,
03:42
pans, toiletries, toys for the children, a new teddy bear for the children, and then
03:47
all of that stuff is there, so they use it whilst they're in refuge, and then when they
03:50
leave us, sort of six, eight months later, they take that with them on the next step
03:54
in their journey.
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