The
Haven Floating Support Service is an outreach service, which
offers support to women and children
who have been affected by domestic violence, & are living
in the community.
The
Service aims to help women & children to deal with feelings
of isolation, & the aftermath of violent and controlling relationships.
We aim to empower women to make a positive change, achieve their
goals, rebuild their lives, & move forward to live independently
in the community.
The
Haven Floating Support Service has positive contacts with
organisations throughout Wolverhampton, working
alongside these
organisations
to help women and children cope with situations which they
may find difficult to resolve.
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| FLOATING SUPPORT CAN OFFER: |
Self-Advocacy |
|
Emotional Support |
| Support
to build self-confidence and social skills |
|
Assistance in setting up and maintaining a tenancy |
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Advice on housing rights and responsibilities |
|
Advice on welfare benefits, including grants and
loans |
|
Assistance with accessing services, including health,
social services and probation |
|
Advice with skills development, including budgeting,
bill-payment, shopping, cooking and personal management |
|
Assistance in developing skills to gain employment-
paid or unpaid |
| Advice
on training and opportunities |
| Assistance
in accessing legal advice and support with court appearances |
| Assistance
with establishing personal safety and security |
| Assistance
with signposting to cultural, community and social groups or
facilities |
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| ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: |
Applicants must be: a woman resident in the Wolverhampton
Borough, over 16 years of age, who has EXPERIENCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
(using The Haven
definition), wishing to sustain her tenancy.
The target
group includes women who are: |
| Leaving
Haven hostels/Resettlement services. |
| Referred
from Haven Partner Projects of Protects |
|
Not
convicted of offences against other persons (outside of a DV relationship) |
|
Drug users/Alcohol users who are on a supported programme. |
|
Experiencing Mental Health problems and are supported by Mental
Health Services. |
|
Demonstrate a commitment to the Floating Support scheme. |
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| PRIORITISING STRATEGY: |
| Each
referral is considered on an individual basis, using the following
factors: |
|
Fulfillment
of the Floating Support serivce eligibility criteria. |
|
Outcome of Risk Assessment at point of referral including behaviour
in Haven hostels. |
|
Information on criminal convictions. |
|
Degree
of individual committment to the aims, policies and procedures
of the service. |
|
Degree of tenancy support required. |
|
Level of support offered by family, friends and referral agency. |
|
Availability of service. |
| |
| Applicants
with a history of violent behaviour or with a current drug
or alcohol
problem are not necessarily excluded
from the project. These issues are, however, considered in the
assessment as to whether or not the referral is suited to the project. |
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|
Supporting
People |
Supporting People is
a Government Programme. It helps people to live independent lives
through housing related services. The services are funded by a grant
that, from April 2003, is paid directly to the organisation providing
the housing related services. |
| What
are housing related support services? |
| These
are services which develop and maintain an individual's ability
to live independently, e.g. helping to develop domestic or life
skills, or helping with finance or benefit claims. |
How
does Supporting People address Domestic Violence? |
SP
recognise that women experiencing domestic violence - besides
the need
for safe accommodation - have a range of support needs, including
health care, emotional support, access to legal and criminal
justice advice,
welfare needs, and access to child protection services.
Women from
ethnic minorities may face difficulties accessing support, and
may require special services such as interpreting services. Other
women who may face additional difficulties include women with
mental health problems, disabled women, women who misuse drugs
or alcohol, lesbian women, and women who work in sex industry.
Because the
range of support needs of households experiencing domestic violence
is diverse, domestic violence housing related services need to
be integrated with other relevant locally delivered services
including community safety, health, homelessness, and child protection.
|
Support
Services |
Support
is provided on-site in temporary accommodation, or as part of
an outreach, floating or resettlement support services. |
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