Mission Statement

"To offer a first step to support women who may be experiencing violence in their home."

Ethos

• Empowering and enabling

• Offering support not advice

• Solidarity - not charity

• Respect and confidentiality

• Starting from where the woman is at

• A partnership model

Aims

There are three aims of the service - 

• To respond to women experiencing domestic violence in the local community the project provides a helpline service. This offers local women a safe confidential space where information and non-judgemental support is available. The service has recently commenced the provision of a one-to-one outreach service where women can meet with a support worker. The D12DVS also enables the collection and monitoring of information regarding the nature and extent of the issue in the local area.

• To establish a quality, woman-centred, multi-agency approach at a local level, the project works to ensure that a quality service is provided. The project also identifies potential funding opportunities and applies to a variety of funding bodies. The project has developed a partnership approach with statutory, voluntary and community sectors by the initiation of a 'Domestic Violence Forum' in the local area. These meetings bring together the different strands of local community and statutory bodies to encourage a multi-agency approach.

• To 'break the silence' about the issue of domestic violence in the local community, along with the 'Domestic Violence Forum', the service runs an Education and Awareness-Raising Service which offers training and information sessions on the issue of domestic violence to a diverse range of local groups including hospitals, schools, health board staff, local community groups and women's groups.