Stand with Survivors

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- May 2016, the specialist therapy team has delivered more than 650 individual therapy appointments and more than 45 group therapy sessionswith 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.

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.

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- May 2016, the Housing and Welfare service delivered over 480 face-to-face appointments with clients including, supporting more than 20 survivors who were in immediate risk of homelessness to find emergency accommodation.

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. During December 2015 – May 2016, 102 survivors have attended 142 group sessions. 

Case study: An example of a typical hour at the Helen Bamber Foundation

Hamid arrives first. Hamid walks with a pronounced limp, he is a young survivor of torture from Eritrea who began treatment at the Foundation three months ago. He has just started intensive trauma-focussed therapy and is nervous about his next session with our Head of Therapies, Dr Robjant. In his session, Katy helps Hamid to talk though his experiences being imprisoned in a shipping container in the East African desert. It is an important breakthrough in his progress to recovery that he is able to complete the session without dissociating or having panic attacks and flashbacks that used to afflict him almost constantly. In the next room, Xin has arrived for a sexual health assessment with one of our volunteer GPs, Dr Hunt. Xin is an orphan who was trafficked from China and forced into prostitution, first in Eastern Europe and then in London. She is too ashamed and afraid to see an NHS GP so Jane is undertaking an initial assessment. Anna then arrives. Anna was trafficked from West Africa, her traffickers used pseudo-religious juju rituals involving her blood, hair and reflection to convince Anna that terrible things will happen to her and her family if she ever escaped or told anyone about her experiences. She has many physical scars and struggles to talk openly or trust people. Today however Anna is happy and has come to a meeting with Andrew, our in-house legal expert, to tell him that with the help of our specialist Medico-Legal Report she has finally been recognised as a survivor of trafficking and has been awarded indefinite leave to remain in the country.

Please find photos from our Creative Arts Programmes attached.