We offer a 24/7 helpline facility to take referrals directly from women and children, as well as agencies. Our helpline team can be contacted; via phone on 08000 194 400; via WhatsApp 9-5, Monday to Friday on 07719 558183; via live chat 9-5, Monday to Friday; and via email at referralpoint@havenrefuge.org.uk.

Our Community Service includes:

• IDVAs; a professional case worker for domestic abuse victims whose primary purpose is to address the safety of ‘high risk’ victims and dependent children. IDVAs work with clients from the point of crisis to assess the level of risk, discuss the range of suitable options and develop coordinated safety plans. These plans include practical steps to protect victims and their children, as well as longer-term solutions. These plans will include actions from the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). Within our IDVA Team sits a BAME IDVA whose case load focuses on women from a BAME background.
• ISVA; our ISVA supports women who have been subjected to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, working to meet their safety and support needs. This case worker offers emotional support including coping mechanisms of the impact of rape, psychological trauma, mental health and self harm. Our ISVA can also deliver court support and with understanding what to expect from the criminal system, non-molestation orders and the CPS.
• ChISVA; Our specialist ChISVA supports children and young people who have been subjected to rape, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation at any time during their life. Our ChISVA supports clients up to the age of 17, or 25 for those with additional learning needs. Our ChISVA prioritises the safety of children, whilst working to address practical and emotional needs, and advocating on behalf of the child where needed.
• Community Support Workers; This team focus on supporting women who are assessed as low to medium risk. The focus of the team is on addressing and maintaining the safety of women and helping them avoid escalating risk. The team also focus on emotional and practical support, as well as support with tenancy and housing rights, budgeting, and employability.

• Dedicated units of accommodation
• In-house immigration support with leave to remain applications and through partnerships with other local organisations and solicitors
• Whilst not all women we support with NRPF are from a BAME background, those who are can access specialist support from our BAME IDVA
• Translation and interpretation support in-house and via external systems
• Counselling services delivered in multiple languages (currently Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Pashto (Afghan), Arabic, Somali, Miburi, Swahili, Italian and Turkish)

All our secure accommodation is located anonymously across Wolverhampton. Through both communal refuges and dispersed houses and flats we support women and their dependent children. We also offer emotional and practical support from trained support workers based at each refuge location.

We know that moving to a new place can be really daunting, especially when women and children are fleeing domestic abuse. We are committed to making sure spaces are as welcoming as possible and women and children have everything they need to settle into the space and know exactly who to reach out to when they need support.

We support women and children who present with a wide range of issues ranging from depression and anxiety to more complex needs like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and severe trauma reactions to their experience.

Through our counselling services we are able to explore all of these issues with. Deeper issues with an individual can be addressed via the empty chair (Gestalt therapy), encouraging the client to ‘talk’ to the one person they hold so much in for. We offer guided therapy that is particularly useful for young people and assists with working on thoughts and behaviour associated with feelings. The feminist counselling perspective provides counsellors with the opportunity to guide clients based on their personal experience, assisting in coming together with those who have been through similar situations. Psychodynamic therapy allows deeper investigation into the childhood and historical issues, discovering the effects those may have on the here and now. Jungian therapy allows unconscious elements of the psyche into conscious thought for further discovery and meaning searching. And finally, Transactional Analysis assesses and recognises those behaviours that relate to parent adult and child roles, which can be so significant for some clients who can be ‘stuck’ in a childlike state for example.

Ultimately – these approaches coupled with the person-centred approach means that our clients are benefitting from the counselling they receive and are experiencing improvements to their mental health and general wellbeing!

The Haven delivers specialist support to women subjected to sexual abuse and violence. Our dedicated team with specialist knowledge that includes child sexual exploitation include a qualified ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) to support adult women and a ChISVA to support children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse or exploitation at any point in their life. We can provide women only safe spaces and support groups. We can also provide support through court proceedings. This service is available to all women and girls and you can make a referral via email at referralpoint@havenrefuge.org.uk.

• So called ‘honour-based’ abuse where women are subjected to violence and abuse in the name of ‘upholding honour’
• Forced marriage is the physical or emotional pressure to enter into a marriage you do not wish to enter into. This may include threats against physical safety or emotional and psychological pressure such as bringing shame to your family (linked to so called ‘honour-based’ abuse). Forced marriage is illegal in the UK.
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is undertaken mostly from birth to the age of 15. FGM can have lifelong physical impacts on women and girls, and can leave victims with severe emotional trauma.
• Religious abuse (or spiritual abuse) can vary in forms but is the practice of subjecting individuals to abuse and violence under the guise of religious practice/norms.
• Breast ironing is the practice of using heated objects to pound and massage the chests of pubescent girls to stop their breast tissue from forming. This often happens over a long period of time, sometimes years. As with FGM, breast ironing can leave the victim facing lifelong physical and emotional trauma

The Haven can offer support to women who have been subjected to any of the above practices.

Appreciate Me: developed to create awareness about enforcing healthy relationships while also addressing concerns such as online bullying & sexual exploitation.

MENgage/EmpowHER: developed to address the issue of violence against women and girls (VAWG). EmpowHER helps young girls to explore social, emotional and interpersonal skills for healthy relationships based on equality. MENgage helps young boys to focus on the role they can play in ending violence against women and girls. Both of these programmes encourage young people to challenge their beliefs around gender stereotypes and patriarchal ideologies about masculinity.

A donation or fundraising would be expected to cover staff costs and travel. For information and booking enquiries, or to request a callback please email training@havenrefuge.org.uk