Transform Grant Funding Programmes

In 2017, Lloyds Bank Foundation England and Wales established the Transform grants programme with the aim of influencing policy and strengthing infrastructure and innovation in the domestic and sexual abuse sector, investing £1.6m to fund 16 projects.

All projects involved aimed to create social change by influencing others - individuals, services and systems - to do things differently.

These transpired in different ways; some were focused on influencing policy (nationally, regionally or locally), others sought to build the evidence base on needs and interventions, to develop and share models and/or to develop more effective partnerships to influence change.

The funded projects were also supported by an independent evaluation and learning partner, DMSS
Research, who helped projects develop theories of change, provided ongoing mentoring and helped the Foundation to synthesise and share the learning from the programme.

Read the success of the charities through the projects they led on to create and impact change in the sector.

• Ann Craft Trust
• AVA and Agenda
• Carmarthen Domestic Abuse Services and Carmarthenshire People First
• Galop
• Latin American Women's Advice Service
• Male Survivors Partnership
• Manchester Action on Street Health, Trafford Rape Crisis and Greater Mancher Rape Crisis
• Re:Shape
• Rights of Women and Public Law Project
• SARSAS, Womankind, The Green House and Bernardo's  
• Women's Counselling and Therapy Service and Leeds Involving People -
  
  

Ann Craft Trust

Young disabled people who experience abuse are often overlooked and not heard. That was one of the findings of ‘We Matter Too’, research by Ann Craft Trust, which explored the experiences and needs of young disabled people concerning domestic abuse.

The project — focused on the experiences of disabled young people aged 17-30, practitioners, and managers — shone a light on what young disabled people want from domestic abuse services and other agencies.

A training program was developed for practitioners from across both the children’s/ young people and adults’ service sector and domestic abuse services areas of practice bringing them together to reflect on recognition, good practice and joint working.

Key Impacts:

1. Deeper relationships between practitioners and a greater understanding in services of how to support young disabled people who experience abuse.
   
   
2. Increased awareness about the need for Safeguarding Adults Boards and Local Safeguarding Children's Boards to collaborate to find out how effective their services are at reaching young disabled survivors.
   
   
3. Better understanding of needs and good practice through  multi-agency training across social care, domestic abuse and other key agencies

 

AVA and Agenda

• What are the wider issues faced by women who experience domestic and sexual violence?
• What does this mean for how they interact with services and the support they need?

These are some of the questions AVA and Agenda tried to answer through a National Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Multiple Disadvantage.

Project findings:

The project also saw 13 women with lived experience recruited and provided with training to become peer researchers, contributing to the work by interviewing a number of women with lived experience.

Their findings led to the Hand in Hand, a report that was co-produced with the peer researchers that placed survivors at the heart of the work and fed into the Commission.

The overall findings of the Commission were published in another report: "Breaking Down the Barriers". These reports have raised awareness of the experiences of this group of women, and the support they deserve.

AVA and Agenda have used the Commission and reports to discuss the findings with a number of Ministers, civil servants and service providers.

Key impact:

• Reports used to shape the Domestic Abuse Bill and inform the spending review, ensuring that multiple disadvantage is acknowledged by the new Domestic Abuse Commissioner and placing the experiences of survivors at the heart of policy making.

They are now trying to implement the findings across Greater Manchester.

Find out how your area could use the findings to better respond to domestic & sexual violence and multiple disadvantages.

 

Carmarthen Domestic Abuse Services and Carmarthenshire People First

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It can take up to 35 attempts for people to leave an abusive relationship. 

Sector difficulties:

But for those with learning disabilities, it is more difficult. Too often they do not know what support is out there and are afraid of the consequences of speaking out.

Research with people with learning disabilities also showed there was often “protectivisim” by families and institutions.  Missed opportunities by professional only add to these challenges.

Project impact:

CDAS and Carmarthenshire People First highlighted where policies, funding and services need to change, raising the profile of this issue within the police, adult safeguarding, health and other agencies.

The work has raised the profile of this issue within the police, adult safeguarding, health and other agencies. 

They have developed a toolkit, tested by people with learning disabilities, that can be used by professionals and individuals to communicate about domestic abuse more effectively.

Key impact:

• Key agencies including Dyfed Powys Police and social services in Carmarthenshire using the toolkit to better support victims of abuse with a learning disability.

Access the toolkit at www.carmdas.org/professional-resources

 

Galop

Galop are leading the way in improving the response to LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse.

Project priorities:

By analysing data from the LGBT+ domestic abuse casework service in their Recognise and Respond report, Galop have increased understanding not only of the prevalence of domestic abuse within the LGBT+ community but also to increase understanding of the support needs of survivors and barriers to accessing support.

Project impact:

Galop have engaged new partners, collaborating with over 20 national and regional domestic abuse and women’s services and the criminal justice system to transform services.

They have been able to advocate for the growth and expansion of the LGBT+ domestic abuse sector and provided the necessary framework to highlight the value and the role of LGBT+ specialist interventions in addressing domestic abuse.

Key impact:

On the back of this work, both the draft Domestic Abuse Bill and the national Violence Against Women and Girls strategy refresh mandate specific measurers tackling LGBT+ domestic abuse. 

Networking:

They have also set-up the LGBT+ domestic abuse national network with SafeLives. Join the discussion on how you can improve services in your own area at community.safelives.org.uk/Login.aspx. 

Find out how to support LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse by visiting the website galop.org.uk

“Services should acknowledge and recognise the experiences of LGBT+ victims/survivors of domestic abuse and develop awareness and sensitivity around the specific needs of this group during the process of reporting and help-seeking ”

Latin American Women's Rights Service

Step up Migrant Women Campaign:

Step Up Migrant Women campaign, led by Latin American Women's Rights Service,  advocates the rights of migrant survivors of abuse under the current hostile environment and calling for a firewall between reporting abuse and immigration control.

Campaign findings:

The campaign is supported by 42 organisations across the UK, pushing for an end to data-sharing of victims’ details between the police and immigration enforcement.

LAWRS led new research into the experiences of migrant women with the subsequent report, ‘Right to be Believed’ highlights that half of migrant women feeling like they would not be believed when they report abuse due to their insecure immigration status. 

Throughout the campaign, the voices of migrant survivors have helped shift debates alongside the development of the Domestic Abuse Bill to includes their voices and needs.

The campaign has also seen commitments by the police not to share information with the Home Office and LAWRS continue to work to ensure this works in practice.

 

Key impact

1. Mayor of London sent a public letter to the Home Secretary calling for a change in immigration policy that supports victims of crime
   
   
2. Reports by Home Affairs Joint Committee and Pre-legislative Domestic Abuse Select Committee supported the call for a firewall and recommended the need for safe reporting as part of a statutory duty towards victims of crime

The National Police Chiefs Council introduced a new policy to restrict the sharing of immigration data of crime victims with the Home Office

Find out more about the campaign and add your support at: stepupmigrantwomen.org

 

Male Survivors Partnership

Project Priorities:

With the number of male victims/survivors of sexual violence continuing to rise, it is critical that men and boys can access the quality support they need.

In response to this, the membership organisation Males Survivors Partnership is a bringing together agencies that work with male survivors to improve the consistency and quality of support available for increasing numbers of male victims/survivors of sexual violence.

Project Method:

Working with LimeCulture CIC, they have developed a Quality Standards for Services Supporting Male Victims/Survivors of Sexual Violence.

Developed with support from a panel of experts and following testing and consultation, the standards are now available for services to use and understand if they are adopting best practice. 

Alongside the standard, an independent accreditation, monitoring and support programme is also available.

The first cohort of services to go through this accreditation provided an opportunity to further test and hone the approach

Key impact:

1. 38 services have received accreditation or are working towards accreditation for the quality standards for services supporting male victims /survivors of sexual violence
   
   
2. Secured Home Office funding to expand the work

To find out more about the standards and how services supporting male victims/survivors of sexual violence can achieve the quality mark, visit: www.malesurvivor.co.uk/male-service-standards

 

“In a sector so often fragmented along political and ideological lines, it has united policy leads, commissioners, academics and service providers, all of whom recognised the need to provide better support for male victims/survivors of sexual violence”

Male Survivor Partnership report

 

 

Manchester Action on Street Health, Trafford Rape Crisis and Greater Mancher Rape Crisis

Partnership:

Manchester Action on Street Health, Trafford Rape Crisis and Greater Manchester Rape Crisis, along with Manchester Metropolitan University, the research looks into specialist sexual violence service for women in the Greater Manchester Area using the expertise of victims of sexual violence.

Shining a light on voices too often unheard, the subsequent report “The Voices of Survivors” highlights the biggest barriers women face to accessing support.

Researching Findings:

The research demonstrates the importance of specialist services, which women identified as far better at meeting needs than other providers.

The report calls for a distinct sexual violence strand to the Greater Manchester Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, with a review of commissioning arrangements and a new network for sexual violence support across the city region. 

You can read the report at: vosgm.org.uk

My Sister’s Place: implementing trauma-informed services for domestic abuse survivors

TIME (Trauma Informed Model of Empowerment) model and TIME Trauma Training has been developed by My Sister’s Place to address the shortage of trauma-informed services for women and girls.

TIME increases access to trauma-informed services for survivors of domestic abuse by improving the knowledge, skills and competencies of practitioners and services that support recovery.

Alongside drawing on a wealth of research addressing trauma and domestic abuse and integrating trauma-informed principles into practice, TIME draws upon the charity’s extensive experience of delivering therapeutic practice to female survivors.

Feedback from survivors affected by trauma and domestic abuse shows the approach is effective, prevents re-traumatisation and supports recovery.

Following the success of an externally evaluated national pilot, the TIME Training Programme is continuing to support more services to implement, embed and sustain trauma-informed practice.

Key impact:

• Increased access to trauma-informed services for female survivors of domestic abuse affected by trauma through the delivery of the TIME training to over 250 practitioners from a range of organisations nationally
• The TIME model has been selected to be part of Spring Impact’s Scale Accelerator programme to explore how to further grow the model

 

To find out more about TIME, visit: www.mysistersplace.org.uk/training/time-trauma-informed-training

“It has helped me recognise possible signs of trauma and adapt my practice to ensure I am working trauma-informed and providing clients with the validation and support they need”

 

New Pathways: trauma-informed counselling

New Pathways, a sexual violence charity working across Wales, conducted research with Swansea University into survivors of sexual violence’s experiences of counselling. It explored survivors’ thoughts on delivery of counselling training, what makes a good counsellor and how this could improve the support provided. Their expertise led to the development of a new Diploma in Trauma Counselling.

The Diploma teaches counsellors to work more effectively with people who have experienced trauma, such as sexual violence or domestic abuse. By incorporating the experiences and voices of people who have experienced sexual violence, the Diploma helps to ensure that counsellors are able to become more responsive to their unique needs.

Through the work, New Pathways have also developed a programme of group-work tailored to the specific requirements of sexual violence survivors and their family. This includes psycho-educational courses for adult survivors, adolescents, children and their caregivers and family.

Key impact:

• Survivors’ recommendations for support has been embedded into training that reaches approximately 2,000 per year
• Level 5 Diploma in Counselling for Trauma is helping practitioners better support survivors – with the first cohort of students impacting on 480 counselling sessions

 

You can find out more about how to access these courses and training here: www.newpathways.org.uk/2019/05/new-trauma-informed-level-5-diploma-launched

 

“After being a client at New Pathways, being able to be involved in the research and interviewing process for the Diploma has been a really useful and fulfilling experience. It has had a positive impact on the way I see myself. My past defined me for many years but now I feel like I’m worth something, I feel valued for who I am”

 

Rape Crisis England and Wales: sexual violence policy work

Rape Crisis England and Wales raises the voices of member services so that they can be heard in decision-making forums where it matters. This means that more specialist charities’ front-line expertise is influencing decisions at a national level. Rape Crisis policy work is focused on influencing policymakers around long-term sustainable funding for Rape Crisis Centres, as well as working on creating change in the criminal justice system for rape and sexual abuse survivors.

Capacity to engage in policy centrally has enabled the charity to push for changes seen in announcements of additional funding for front-line services for victims and survivors of rape, sexual violence and abuse. While it’s still not enough, it’s a significant indicator that services’ voices are being listened to. Rape Crisis regularly submits evidence for government consultations and has been invited to give evidence to parliamentary select committees. Rape Crisis have built relationships with parliamentarians who are interested in championing initiatives around sexual violence and abuse.

The charity is continuing to work to ensure that sexual violence and abuse is reflected in the Domestic Abuse Bill, to make the case for funding specialist sexual violence services for survivors who experience sexual violence as part of domestic abuse.

The value of the central policy work is also played out a local level, with local services able to highlight how national policy decisions will affect them at a local level, to influence more local and regional decision makers.

Key impact:

• Securing continued central funding for sexual violence services
• NHS England and Ministry of Justice announced additional funding

 

You can find out more at: rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed

 

Re:Shape

Sector Difficulties:

While prosecutions for sexual offences have risen, few services will work with sexual offenders after the end of their sentence. Too often services feel the risks of working with these people are too high and prejudices prevent people from working effectively with sexual offenders.

Re:Shape developed and delivered training to support individuals working in frontline organisations to work more effectively with people who have caused, or have the potential to cause, sexual harm with the aim is to reduce the harm caused by sexual violence and reducing the risk of recidivism.

Project Outcomes

The training enables services to: increase their awareness of the types of sexual offending; understand the relevance of ‘desistance theory’, develop skills and resilience; better understand risk when working with offenders in the community.

This bespoke training and consultancy has been delivered to 29 organisations, supporting nearly 500 frontline professionals to feel educated, empowered, and better able to work with individuals who have caused sexual harm.

This training is now being provided by Taye Training. Find out how you could access it in your service, visit tayetraining.org.uk.

SARSAS, Womankind, The Green House and Bernardo's

Sector Difficulties:

Developing partnerships can be fraught with difficulty but they can have the potential to greatly improve responses across a region.

The Sexual Violence Support Consortium brings together SARSAS, Womankind, The Green House and Barnardo’s to ensure survivors across Avon and Somerset can access the right service at the right time for them.

Supported by Voscur, the local infrastructure body, the consortium produced a Sexual Violence Needs Assessment for Avon and Somerset, evidencing the needs of local survivors.

Project impact:
From this they designed a ‘Navigator Hub’ model, building on learning from South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC) and launch a Consortium Shared Assessment.
Through this work, they have been able to expand their collaborative services and secure new statutory funding. Their role as a strategic partner has also grown, with increased influence in policy and commissioning, and as a supportive network for peers to share resources and experience.

Key impact:

• Secured £600,000 to deliver sexual violence support as a consortium across the region
• Joined up services ensure survivors across the area can access the support they need

You can learn from their approach and find out how you could develop a consortium in your area through their collaboration resources and toolkit at: voscur.org.

“It’s an incredibly supportive network and provides a place to share experiences, ideas and consider funding opportunities. Peer support has been vital for all the members at times when we are trying to do more with less."

Rights of Women and Public Law Project 

Project Priorities:

The purpose of the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme is a critical part to the legal aid scheme to ensure an individual’s human rights are not breached and to provide a safety net to ensure access to justice.

The ECF application process is supposed to be simple and accessible to non-lawyers - but how easy is it really for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence to access? Rights of Women worked with Public Law Project set out to explore this.

Project Impact:

Through action research, the partners supported 23 women to make ECF applications (under family and immigration law). This casework generated a unique evidence-base to understand and critique the current system and make policy recommendations.

The research explored how accessible the scheme is to individuals making their own applications, particularly those that are vulnerable, and the Legal Aid Agency’s handling of cases and decision-making. It found systemic barriers and poor practice that highlighted how inaccessible the scheme is to women survivors.

The findings and recommendations were submitted to the Government’s legal aid review in 2018, which acknowledged concerns about the scheme and committed to carrying out work to investigate and improve its accessibility and timeliness.

Find out more at: rightsofwomen.org.uk.

 

Women's Counselling and Therapy Service and Leeds Involving People

Sector Difficulties:

Specialist services have a critical role in supporting people who have experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA). But an effective response relies on a wider network of services and approaches.

Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service’s 'Visible Project' has put this into practice whilst taking a whole-city approach.

Project work

Visible works to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for adult survivors of CSA, catalysing health and social care services system change across Leeds and beyond. Thanks to a group of survivors in Leeds, organisations nationwide now know what changes they can make to help them deliver a better and more effective service. 

Visible has brought services together at all levels, giving staff the means to work more effectively with people who have experienced non-recent CSA. This enables Visible to influence policy-making and commissioning practice, and help others to take action to improve how they work.

Project Outcomes:

Visible helps organisations to better understand CSA, then deal with it appropriately and effectively, delivering best practice. The project has successfully provided the opportunity for close partnerships to develop between statutory and third sector organisations to address the CSA agenda. For example, Leeds Survivor-Led Crisis Service have begun providing ‘trauma-informed training’ for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust (LYPFT) staff. A CSA policy statement has also been adopted by five statutory health and wellbeing organisations and many voluntary sector services.

Find out more about Visible here: visibleproject.org.uk.