Solace Women's Aid

We are delighted to share our Impact Report for 2022/23 with you  - you can read it here.

It’s been another year of challenges, changes and some excellent achievements at Solace as we continue to navigate how to best support our service users within an increasingly underfunded sector and increasingly complex external pressures on both VAWG sector charities, our staff and volunteers and the women, children and non-binary people that we support. Despite these uncertain times, we continue in our mission to support survivors to achieve independent lives free from abuse. 

Our biggest focus is to ensure that we are continuously improving to meet the needs of our service users. Our amazing 281 strong staff team and incredible volunteers have supported 21,254 women, children and non-binary people in 2022/23. During the year, some of our achievements include: 

• Establishing our new Service User Advisory Board to ensure Service Users are practically represented at all levels of the organisation. 

• A range of new inclusion initiatives including the launch of Recite Me, an inclusive digital technology for our website.

• Setting up new safe accommodation projects for women and children, following the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act, including a new partnership with London and Quadrant (L&Q) to deliver a move on accommodation project.

•  The launch of two powerful awareness raising campaigns spearheaded by our Young Change Makers focusing on ‘Dear Dads’ and ‘#ReframetheBlame’. 

• Continued success and evaluation of our innovative projects for women experiencing multiple disadvantage – read more about 5 years of our Wiser Projectand three years of VAWG Housing First Project. 

•  Opened up a new women’s only hub for our North London Rape Crisis service and awarded a second year to pilot of a new casework model for victims of sexual violence not going through the criminal justice system. 

Finally, we want to thank you for your support that enables us to work towards ending male violence against women and girls. The external environment remains challenging for the sector, with high staff turnover, recruitment challenges, and a lack of sustainable funding. But we are constantly inspired by the courage of the survivors we support, and will continue to grow and adapt our services so we can reach and support more women and children to safety. Together, we can make change that saves lives.

You can find out more about our work here.

Solace, a leading specialist charity in the UK supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence, have launched an appeal to raise money for their children’s play service in their refuges across London.  

We supports nearly 30,000 women and children every year in London alone, with over 1,000 women and children entering their refuges every year. 1 in 7 children will experience domestic abuse and the impact of this can be long-lasting. The impact of the cost of living crisis means Solace are seeing more and more children arriving with nothing.  Ariminta Lawless, Solace Play Worker said “My role really is to let the children play. Children need to feel safe to be able to play. But lots of children I see haven’t had the right environment to be able to do this. I create a space where they can be completely themselves.” 

Beth Rollings, Campaigns & Community Manager said “Many children experiencing or witnessing abuse are forced to grow up too quickly. Solace Play Workers give children the safe space to simply play. Often, they are forced to flee their homes, sometimes at a moment's notice, leaving behind cherished toys, clothing and other essentials. After such upheaval, Play Workers provide that safe space to learn to be free and to play again. This appeal will allow us to continue the incredible work of our Play Workers, buy new toys and equipment, and allow us to organise trips over the summer holidays” 

 We need to make sure children have the space to grow, be creative and most of all have fun! It's key to recovering from trauma and fundamental for every child's development. Help them play again by supporting this year's summer appeal.

[Beth has consented to her name appearing in full]

Links:

• Hollie's Story