Justice and Human Rights United Kingdom Project #22691

Stand with Survivors

by Helen Bamber Foundation

Project Report | Feb 24, 2017
February 2017 Report: Support a survivor

By Amber Teskey | Communications and Events Producer

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your generous donation. Your donation was hugely valuable in helping us to deliver our specialist Model of Integrated Care to hundreds of survivors of torture, modern slavery, human trafficking and other forms of extreme human cruelty. Please accept this report outlining our recent key achievements.

Psychological therapies

Our specialist psychological therapies enable survivors to confront and overcome the multiple and complex traumas they have suffered. The therapy team works firstly to reduce acute symptoms such as flashbacks, panic and self-harm, secondly to enable clients to come to terms with their traumatic experiences and thirdly to psychologically prepare integration into the community. We offer survivors access to 11 types of therapy including including individual Counselling, Cognitive Therapy, Narrative Exposure Therapy, Relational Psychotherapy and Emergency Risk Management, as well as group therapies focusing on symptom management and community integration to ensure that we are addressing each client’s needs in the most appropriate way. Recovery from the trauma of extreme and prolonged violence often takes many months or years and can be subject to frequent relapses as a result of external factors, particularly challenges caused by the hostile environment for refugees and asylum seekers.

We monitor improvements in levels of psychological distress amongst our clients using the standard clinical CORE outcome measure. The CORE measures levels of psychological distress on a six point scale from Severely Distressed to Healthy. Our clients complete the measure before and after a course of treatment, scores are then analysed to evaluate the impact of our activities. Our records show that before clients engage with therapy, approximately 80% have a psychological distress rating within the top two points on the scale (Severe or Moderate to Severe).

During 2016, 92 women and 99 men accessed individual and group therapies. Treatment at HBF resulted in a reduction in psychological distress for 72% of clients. 1 in 3 clients experience significant improvement, with their psychological distress rating improving by 3, 4 or even 5 points on the scale. Almost 1 in 4 clients achieve the top ‘healthy’ status. This is incredibly significant for a client population who suffer severe symptoms of trauma.

Medical Advisory Clinic

Survivors of torture and human cruelty often suffer multiple physical injuries and illnesses as a result of violence. Clients have often had ineffective and sporadic contact with health care providers, often limited to emergency or crisis contact with A&E departments. Beginning to address their physical healthcare needs comprehensively is extremely difficult, given the complexity of their needs, cultural and language differences, limitations of time, accessibility and understanding within the NHS.

In HBF’s Medical Advisory Clinic, we ensure that appropriate care is put into place for clients manage their health. Over the past year, approximately 3-5 clients every week have attended sessions at the Medical Advisory Clinic, which is run by expert volunteer doctors twice a week. More than 70 clients received support during 2016 for conditions including extreme pain from badly healed fractures, abdominal pain, unexplained bruising, eating disorders, agoraphobia and seizures. Three expectant mothers received support through their pregnancy and birth of their children and one women received support to come to terms with suffering a miscarriage. Four clients were supported to develop crisis plans to deal with their suicidal ideation, one client was supported through a psychotic episode and three referrals were made to the Community Mental Health Team.

Physical rehabilitation activities

Many survivors we work with suffer trauma-induced musculoskeletal disorders resulting in profound pain and impaired functioning. The physical rehabilitation team enables clients to understand and positively connect with their bodies, manage their pain and increase their overall strength and confidence in their bodies. In 2016 our in-house osteopath worked with 5-8 clients each month delivering specialist treatments for physical trauma caused by violence, which improves the function of body tissues, including blood circulation and nerve activity, and to encourages healthy, mobile joint and muscle functioning. Our acupuncture clinic ran once a month, seeing 6-5 clients each time. Clients report feeling more relaxed and experiencing less pain after treatment. We also offered a range of free physical activity group classes to all clients including yoga and swimming. Yoga proved particularly popular and as a result we introduced a second class during the year.

Medico-Legal Assessment and Documentation

Our clients have fled violence and abuse from all over the world and seek legal protection in the UK. Our Medico-Legal service assists survivors in obtaining legal protection by producing expert Medico-Legal Reports (MLRs) that document the long term physical and psychological impact of their traumatic experiences.

During 2016, we recruited four new clinical experts and provided specialist training on the international standards of investigation and documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (the Istanbul Protocol). Our clinical experts assessed 151 survivors; some clients required only one appointment however some clients with complex histories required several assessments in order to fully narrate their experiences. During the same period, 149 Medico-Legal Reports were delivered for survivors of torture and human cruelty. Our MLRs showed that HBF clients have suffered multiple trauma and human rights atrocities: 17% of recipients had suffered torture, 17% had suffered trafficking and modern slavery, 47% had suffered extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence and abuse and 23% had suffered other persecution and human rights atrocities In an increasingly challenging environment for asylum seekers, more than 30 of our clients were successful securing legal protection, either being granted refugee status or leave to remain in the country.

Housing and Welfare casework

As refugees and asylum seekers, our clients frequently face housing and welfare crisis situations. During 2016, the Housing and Welfare Casework Co-ordinator and team of dedicated casework volunteers supported 120 clients experiencing crisis, including: 65 survivors who were at risk of homelessness, 28 survivors who were in clinically unsuitable accommodation, 38 survivors who were at risk of destitution, 32 clients who had no food and 6 clients who had secured places on educational courses but could not afford to pay for college fees and materials.Other regular housing crisis includesurvivors of trafficking for sexual exploitation being placed in unsuitable shared accommodation and clients experiencing extreme physical and psychological health problems being placed in clinically unsuitable accommodation. Welfare crisis included clients whose statutory support payments were stopped with no / little notice, and clients who were being targeted for financial exploitation by people in the community who took advantage of their known hardship.

With our support, 70% of housing and welfare crisis were resolved in under 3 months. The resolutions we supported our clients to achieve included appealing to the council / Home Office for appropriate housing, liaising with benefit providers to reinstate welfare support ,and finding clients alternative accommodation through refugee hosting charities and additional support though community based welfare support organisations, including food banks and destitution services. We also secured 28 small grants for clients who could not afford furniture or pay for college fees and distributed emergency relief to 54 clients, ensuring that no client was forced to leave our office with nowhere to go and nothing to eat.

Creative Arts and Skills Programme

The impact of torture and human cruelty means many survivors have difficulties forming positive relationships. Fear, emotional withdrawal and practical challenges, such as language barriers, often stand in the way of survivors trying new experiences or developing creative and practical interests.

Through our Creative Arts and Skills Programme in 2016, 82 clients have accessed twelve skills development groups including art, computer skills, film-making, knitting, learning English, photography, football, as well as our much accomplished music group Woven Gold. We piloted three new skills groups this year, a drama group which used role play to improve decision making skills, a conversational English mentoring programme and a specialist tutoring programme through a partnership with Highgate School. These groups are all run by professional and dedicated volunteers who help clients form supportive relationships with others in a similar position, learn useful skills and build a positive sense of community.

Specialist Counter-Trafficking service for victims of human trafficking

Approximately 20% of our client population are survivors human trafficking. Survivors of this type of long-term physical and psychological violence are particularly vulnerable and at risk. Survivors of trafficking also often involved with complicated statutory process for recognising survivors of trafficking (the National Referral Mechanism) and criminal investigations into their trafficking situations involving a specialist section of the Metropolitan Police (SC&07).

HBF’s specialist Counter-Trafficking team work closely with clients who have suffered human trafficking and modern slavery, offering enhanced care to address their extreme vulnerability and help them navigate the complex and intimidating legal processes. During 2016, the Counter-Trafficking Team worked with 43 clients; 33 women and 10 men. 7 clients were under the age of 24, including young female survivors of trafficking for sexual exploitation from Albania, and the oldest client was a 66 year old female survivor of trafficking for labour exploitation from Sierra Leone. 25 clients were supported to progress their claim for legal recognition through the National Referral Mechanism and / or the asylum system and 9 were supported as victims within criminal investigations into their trafficking situation. Not all clients who have suffered trafficking are involved in a criminal investigation however, with the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, prosecutions are increasingly possible. Giving evidence in a criminal investigation is incredibly challenging for our clients, many of whom have been violently indoctrinated to fear the police and that giving evidence would result in reprisals against themselves or their families.

20 survivors of trafficking were identified as being particularly at risk of re-victimisation from their original traffickers, who continued to pursue them, and opportunistic abusers in the community, including one client who had re-submitted to sexual exploitation as a means of survival. The Counter-Trafficking team delivered intensive support to these clients to maintain their safety, including securing safe-house accommodation when necessary.

Specialist service for mums and babies

The Mum and Baby Community was set up by the Helen Bamber Foundation in 2014 to support a growing number of families amongst our client population. Starting as a small group of five scared and lonely women and their children, the Mum and Baby Community now has more than 60 registered attendees. Through the Community, mums access practical and emotional support from HBF staff as well as incredibly valuable peer support for them and their children, many of whom are otherwise dangerously isolated. We have also partnered with Ourmala Yoga for Refugees who deliver therapeutic yoga and English classes to the Community and Birth Companions who help expectant mothers prepare for the birth of their children, including attending the birth if requested and offering vital home visits to new mums.

Merka and Omi

Merka has been a client of the Helen Bamber Foundation for over 3 years. Merka had been trafficked to the UK and was being forced to work as a prostitute when she became pregnant. Knowing she was going to have a baby was gave Merka the strength she needed to escape. She fled and was referred to the Helen Bamber Foundation. Merka received intensive support from the Medical Advisory Clinic throughout her pregnancy. We helped her to register with a GP and midwife and access appropriate housing. After her son Omi was born, Merka was very fearful of taking him outside. She was afraid her trafficker would find her and kidnap Omi or that another mother would ask her difficult questions about Omi’s father. In the safety of the HBF group, Merka knew Omi would not be at risk and the other mums wouldn’t want to know about her history. In time, Omi began interacting with the other children and Merka felt comfortable to join in group discussions and has become one of the main participants of the weekly yoga class. In Merka’s recent review with HBF’s therapist who attends the mother and baby group, she explained how the confidence she gains from the safety of the group has changed her relationship with Omi. She desperately wants Omi to have a happy childhood and is working incredibly hard to overcome her fears and self-doubt. We have been helping her get Omi a nursery place, as Merka is keen to attend a college English class.

Thank you!

On behalf of us all at the Helen Bamber Foundation and of those who will benefit from your gift, thank you. Please find in our recent media coverage in the attached links.

Links:

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Nov 28, 2016
11/2016 Support a survivor of human cruelty Report

By Amber Teskey | Fundraising and Communications Officer

The Helen Bamber Foundation

The Helen Bamber Foundation provides expert care and support for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK who have experienced extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence. The individuals we work with have been subjected to atrocities including: state-sponsored torture, religious / political persecution, human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation, gender-based and ‘honor-based’ violence.Many of our clients have suffered multiple violations and been repeatedly victimised.

We deliver a range of integrated services that address the complex needs and vulnerabilities of survivors. We offer survivors access to an individually tailored programme of specialist psychological care and physical rehabilitation activities alongside an advisory healthcare clinic, expert medico-legal documentation, welfare and housing support, creative arts and employability skills programmes.We work with hundreds of survivors of cruelty from all over the world, including men and women from Albania, Ghana, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

We utilise our reputation and the expertise to improve the political and social environment for survivors in the UK and overseas. We do this by disseminating our expert evidence and best practice guidance to statutory and non-statutory bodies to improve standards of care and influence change to policy and practice.

Our mission

The Helen Bamber Foundation’s mission is to deliver and promote a compassionate response to survivors of torture or extreme human cruelty, which recognises the complexity of their suffering and needs, and supports them in establishing a secure and fulfilling life.

What impact has HBF delivered with your support over the last 12 months?

Psychological

CORE scores from when clients first engage with HBF indicate that 80% of survivors come to HBF with psychological distress ratings of ‘severe’ or ‘moderate to severe’. After treatment, only 65% of clients have a psychological distress rating of moderate or below, including almost 10% whose responses indicate they have achieved a ‘healthy’ rating. Data collected over the past year indicates that 65% of our clients will achieve an improvement in the levels of psychological distress after a single course of treatment form HBF and 25% of clients will achieve a significant improvement, with their psychological distress rating improving by 3 or 4 points on the scale, i.e. moving from ‘severe’ distress to ‘mild’ or ‘low’.

Physical health

Over the past year, five clients every week have sessions with HBF’s in-house specialist medical advisory service. More than 60 clients have received support including routine support, e.g. registering with their GP and understanding / reviewing their medication to receiving support with gynaecological conditions, cardiac conditions, gastrointestinal conditions and skin conditions. During this period, GPs helped clients suffering with extreme pain from badly healed fractures, abdominal pain and unexplained bruising. Clients came to the medical advisory clinic to get help with weight loss and problems eating, agoraphobia, seizures and fears over alcohol dependence. Three expectant mothers receives support through their pregnancy and birth of their children and one women received support to come to terms with suffering a miscarriage. Four clients were supported to develop crisis plans to deal with their suicidal ideation, one client was supported through a psychotic episode and three referrals were made to the Community Mental Health Team. Our osteopath works with 3-5 clients each week, specialist in treating physical trauma caused by violence, which improves the function of body tissues, including blood circulation and nerve activity, and to encourages healthy, mobile joint and muscle functioning. The acupuncture clinic has run every month, seeing 6-5 clients each time. Clients report feeling more relaxed and experiencing less pain after treatment.

Legal status

Over the past year, we have delivered more than 160 Medico-Legal Reports. In an increasingly challenging environment for asylum seekers, more than 30 of our clients were successful securing legal protection, either being granted refugee status or leave to remain in the country. In 2015 we delivered 704 clinical investigation letters to survivors who were at risk of renewed / further harm through being detained. This high demand led HBF to be involved in a legal challenge of a system known as the Detained Fast Track (DFT), which was the source of many of our referrals. The challenge was successful and the DFT was suspended. As a result, we have received less referrals from detention in 2016 and delivered approximately 200 clinical investigation letters to help secure the release of survivors who were still being detained under alternative systems.

Accommodation

More than 100 clients have experienced housing crises over the past year, including termination of statutory support, being evicted by their landlord, the end of short term hosting arrangements and accommodation being clinically unsuitable e.g. clients with severe back and leg pain being housed in high rise blocks of flats. Of these crises, 55% were resolved within 1 month and a further 25% were resolved within 2 months. Due to the complex nature of our client’s accommodation challenges, resolutions can sometimes take longer but we were able to secure interim accommodation for all clients meaning only one experienced street homelessness for a short period. Resolutions include supporting clients to make successful applications to local authorities, securing temporary accommodation in hosting arrangements or safe houses and appealing for reinstatement of statutory support.

Welfare

More than 80 clients have experienced welfare crises over the past year, including short notice termination of statutory support, administrative delays to statutory support, a change in their legal status meaning they no longer have recourse to public funds. Of these crises, 50% were resolved within 1 week, and 20% were resolved within 1 month. Resolutions include advocating on behalf of clients with statutory agencies, providing emergency relief and referring clients to community based support services.

Skills and integration

In a recent survey of clients who attend our groups, clients all gave positive feedback regarding the impact the activities have on their skills development and integration. Narrative feedback included:

It is hard to describe how happy the group has made me, as it is hard for me to measure the happiness it gives me. Just the overall feel good factor is enough to make me come and attend on a weekly basis.
In the future, these skills (I have learned) can be very helpful if I want to use them in course or courses in college or even in jobs which I will have.
(The group) made a difference in my life and in my habits. Before when I sit alone I always think about my past but now I try to do some drawing when I sit alone and it is very helpful for me.
I met a few friends and my skill does improve and I was given more confidence.
Woven Gold (HBF’s music group) gave me the sense of belonging which is a major emotional handicap for every immigrant, which can make us isolated. Woven Gold complemented perfectly the therapy I was having at the foundation where the therapy help me to understand, rationalise and accept my past and my present struggles, Woven Gold helped my emotional state. I was with the group of people who accept me for who I was, I was and still am encouraged to found my voice and express my emotional state. Woven Gold allowed me to heal. Just by expressing my fears, may pain through music. The medium of music is a great healer because I do not need to look for words to say how I feel, I just sing it out. Every time I sing with Woven Gold, some part of me get healed. I feel whole again.

How many clients have we served in the last 12 months?

1,000

Case study: Margaret's story

Margaret was 15 years old when her family was killed in a civil war. She was captured by rebels, beaten and forced into sexual slavery. She lived in fear and suffered daily violence for more than two years. She finally managed to escape and found her way to a refugee camp. Conditions in the camp were very difficult. Margaret was desperate and alone when she met a western man who was kind to her, gave her food and promised to help her. He told Margaret he knew someone who would give her work in the UK, she was so relieved. When she arrived in the UK, another man met her at the airport. She was taken to a large house in London and locked in the basement. She finds it difficult to describe what happened to her there.

When we first met Margaret, she was distraught: sometimes frantic, sometimes despairing, she was in constant agony for the family and the self she had lost. Margaret’s claim for asylum in the UK had been refused. She was homeless and terrified by the thought that she would be sent back to a life of exploitation and pain. She wanted to end her life.

We worked intensively with Margaret. We secured safe accommodation for her, helped her to access the correct benefits and register with a GP. Margaret joined our specialist therapy group for women who had been trafficked to the UK where she learned to understand her trauma symptoms and develop a range of coping mechanisms to reduce her panic and anxiety. Margaret also joined our English group and made a small group of friends.

Repeated trauma had left Margaret’s memory fragmented and she struggled to provide enough evidence to appeal the decision to refuse her claim for asylum. Our clinical team helped Margaret to construct a coherent narrative of her experience through specialist trauma-focussed therapy. Gradually, her flashbacks and nightmares have become less frequent and less frightening and she was able to tell her story. In addition, our Medico-Legal team documented her injuries and gave evidence to support her appeal. Eventually, the authorities were convinced and after six long years, Margaret was recognised as a refugee.

Margaret has worked extremely hard to come to terms with what was done to her. Now with secure legal status in the UK, Margaret is studying health and social care so that she can look after others, and lead a normal and fulfilling life that she so desperately wants.

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Aug 30, 2016
August 2016 Helen Bamber Foundation Report

By Amber Teskey | Fundraising and Communications Officer

HBF football team takes 1st place!

Dear Supporters,

On behalf of the Helen Bamber Foundation and all those that we are able to support through the generous support of donors like yourself, thank you! Without you, the Foundation would not be able to provide the vital supports and services that are so intergral in the recovery journey of surivivors of torture and human cruelty. It is with great pride that we share this report with you.

Who we support
The Helen Bamber Foundation provides expert care and support for refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced human cruelty i.e. extreme physical, sexual and psychological violence, abuse and exploitation. The individuals we work with have been subjected to atrocities including state-sponsored torture, religious / political persecution, human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation, gender-based and ‘honor-based’ violence.Many of our clients have been repeatedly victimised over months and years. As a result of their experiences, our clients have multiple and complex needs including: acute psychological health conditions, severe physical injuries and medical conditions, extreme vulnerability to further exploitation in the UK, risk of further persecution in their country of origin, homelessness and destitution and intense loneliness.

The care and support we provide
Every year we work with hundreds of survivors of cruelty from all over the world, including men and women from Syria, Albania, Ghana, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Vietnam. We deliver a compassionate response to survivors, which understands the complexity of their suffering and needs, and supports them to establish a secure and fulfilling life with a positive future in the UK. We achieve this by offering a range of services within a Model of Integrated Care, including:

specialist psychological therapies to treat clients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other severe trauma-related psychological conditions;
physical rehabilitation activities to rebuild physical strength and improve self-image and body confidence;
advisory GP clinics to undertake specialist examinations and co-ordinate external services;
expert medico-legal assessment and documentation to help survivors successfully apply for legal protection;
housing and welfare casework to overcome crisis situations including homelessness and destitution;
creative arts and skills programmes to reduce isolation and help clients develop necessary skills and attributes to live an independent life.
specialist counter-trafficking service to help victims of human trafficking access specialist care and protection, often in circumstances where the victims were still in extreme danger of re-victimisation and re-exploitation;

The impact we have
The Helen Bamber Foundation helps asylum seekers and refugees who have survived extreme violence and abuse achieve sustained recovery. This is a three-stage process:

Stage 1 - Stabilisation - we help survivors to gain stability by avoiding further re-victimisation, finding a safe and secure place to live and accessing the appropriate health and welfare support.

Stage 2 - Trauma-focussed therapy - we help survivors to confront and overcome their traumatic experiences and develop / regain confidence, resilience, independence and agency.

Stage 3 - Integration - we help clients to integrate into the community, including helping them to provide the required evidence to secure legal protection in the UK and facilitating opportunities to develop positive relationships and the skills necessarily to live successful, independent and fulfilling lives.

The Helen Bamber Foundation is recognised as a leading UK authority in the field of recovery from extreme human cruelty. We amplify the impact of our expertise through a research programme to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes for the clients we serve. We influence national and international policy through contributing our clinical expertise to help develop law, policy and practice, so that victims of human cruelty are afforded the legal protection and access to appropriate care and rehabilitation they deserve.

Objectives and achievements

Psychological therapies
Our specialist psychological therapies enable survivors to confront and overcome the multiple and complex traumas they have suffered. The therapy team works firstly to reduce acute symptoms such as flashbacks, panic and self-harm, secondly to enable clients to come to terms with their traumatic experiences and thirdly to psychologically prepare to integrate into the community. Recovery from the trauma of extreme and prolonged violence often takes many months or years and can be subject to frequent relapses. We offer survivors access to 11 types of therapy to ensure that we are addressing each client’s needs in the most appropriate way. Key highlights include:

We have increased capacity to deliver specialist therapy by completing the first full year as a placement option for trainee clinical psychologists from the College of Psychiatrists and the University of East London. The students benefitted from the chance to work with a specialist client group in a unique setting and the Foundation benefitted from increased capacity to deliver stabilisation and trauma-focused interventions to individual clients and groups of survivors.
From December 2015- August 2016, the specialist therapy team has delivered more than 866 individual therapy appointments and more than 45 group therapy sessions with traumatised survivors.
The therapeutic integration group, launched in 2014, has grown to offer various community activities including horticultural therapy, local excursions, problem solving and mindfulness activities and C.V. writing.

Physical rehabilitation activities
Many survivors we work with suffer trauma-induced musculoskeletal disorders resulting in profound pain and impaired functioning. The physical rehabilitation team enables clients to understand and positively connect with their bodies, manage their pain and increase their overall confidence and well-being. Key acheivements include:

offered a range of free physical activity group classes to all clients including yoga and swimming;
delivered specialist one to one treatments in osteopathy and acupuncture;
offered a weekly Mum’s and Babies group, which grew to include over 30 mothers and their children. The group provides a forum for developing vital peer support amongst survivors, delivering one to one support for expectant mothers in collaboration with Birth Companions. In 2016, the group has begun to develop further to include a programme of integrated English classes and swimming sessions that single mothers can access without having to pay for child care.

Advisory GP clinic
Survivors of torture and human cruelty often suffer multiple physical injuries and illnesses as a result of violence. Clients have often had ineffective and sporadic contact with health care providers, often limited to emergency or crisis contact with A&E departments. Beginning to address their physical healthcare needs comprehensively is extremely difficult, given the complexity of their needs, their cultural and language differences, limitations of time, accessibility and understanding within the NHS. HBF’s Advisory GP clinic ensures that appropriate care is put into place for clients manage their health. Key acheivements include:

secured regular commitment from an experienced GP to guide and develop the service;
delivering more than 120 specialist GP appointments;
developed a recruitment programme to enable more GPs to volunteer their time and increase capacity;
forged better links with GP practices, NHS facilities and relevant charities within the wider community to better connect health services for our clients.
a client leaflet has been produced to provide clients with information regarding all the medical services that are available to asylum seekers and refugees.
the Foundation has a medico-legal doctors training scheduled for September to train GP's how to document the physical and psychological scars of trauma.

Medico-Legal Assessment and Documentation
Our clients have fled violence and abuse from all over the world and seek legal protection in the UK. Our Medico-Legal service assists survivors in obtaining legal protection by producing expert medico-legal evidence of the impact of the trauma they have suffered. In December of 2015, we recruited four new clinical experts and provided specialist training in the international standards of investigation and documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (the Istanbul Protocol). With the support of these new specialists, alongside our existing and in-house assessment team, producing expert Medico-Legal Reports that were given particular recognition as expert evidence by decision makers at the Home Office and the Courts and Tribunal Judiciary. December 2016 - August 2016, the Medico-Legal Assessment team has produced more than 90 Medico-Legal Reports.

Specialist Counter-Trafficking service for victims of human trafficking
Our specialist Counter-Trafficking team worked with more than 40 female and male victims of trafficking, helping them to access specialist care and protection, often in circumstances where the victims were still in extreme danger because they were still being pursued by their traffickers. The Counter-Trafficking team’s vital role helped survivors of trafficking to avoid re-exploitation and overcome crisis situations, including supporting survivors facing court trials and imprisonment for crimes committed whilst under the influence of traffickers.

Housing and Welfare casework
As refugees and asylum seekers, our clients lack stability and security and often face extreme socio-economic hardship, which can have a devastating impact on their progress to sustained recovery. Our Model of Integrated Care grew in 2014 to include a dedicated Housing and Welfare Casework Co-ordinator to ensure we were fully equipped to support clients to manage crisis situations and avoid homelessness and destitution. Key acheivements include:

Developed partnerships to support the myriad of difficulties faced by our clients including linking with food banks, emergency shelters, safehouses and furniture recycling organisations;
Raised concerns on behalf of our clients and shared best practice at the Destitution Forum and through the London Destitution Advice Network (LDAN).
During December 2015- August 2016, the Housing and Welfare service delivered over 460 face-to-face appointments with clients including, supporting more than 24 survivors who were in immediate risk of homelessness to find emergency accommodation.
The Welfare and Housing team recruited a volunteers to support the team.

Creative Arts and Skills Programme
The impact of torture and human cruelty means many survivors have difficulties forming positive relationships. Fear, emotional withdrawal and practical challenges such as language barriers often stand in the way of survivors trying new experiences or developing creative and practical interests. Through our Creative Arts and Skills Programme, we offer clients access to 10 free groups covering a wide range of interests including art, computer skills, film-making, knitting, learning English, photography, football, as well as our much accomplished music group – Woven Gold, which performs publically. These groups are all run by professional and dedicated volunteers who help clients form supportive relationships with others in a similar position, learn useful skills and build a positive sense of community. Key achievenemtns include:

In July, the Helen Bamber Foundation's Football team competed in the Red Cross 'World Cup' and placed first (photo attached).
In June, the Knitting group held their annual knitting sale to raise funds for new supplies for the Creative Arts and Skills Programme.

New Leaflets- Getting GP Support

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