Support for survivors of domestic violence
Thanks to generous funding from the Police & Crime Commissioner, BCHC Charity have been able to fund 50 ‘survival kits’ for victims of domestic violence (DV).
People fleeing DV face a huge amount of stress and disruption to their lives and their children’s education. It is an incredibly difficult time, and the decision to leave is often made to safeguard their family. Children’s centres play a huge role in supporting those fleeing violence; families often have nothing with them when they arrive at the centre as access to money is often controlled by the perpetrator, and sometimes families have no recourse to public funds.
These people may be placed in temporary accommodation and leave home without any belongings or necessities. The kits are provided to support them with the basics needed to survive, containing a non-perishable food parcel, set of bowls, plates, cups, cutlery and a tin opener, essential toiletries, water, children’s colouring books, pens, and cuddly toys. Incredible donations of children’s toothbrushes from ASDA, preloaded SIM cards from Vodafone, and sanitary towels from Lillets have allowed the charity to enhance the kits beyond the original funding.
BCHC service colleagues at the Children’s Centres have a deep understanding of the experiences that domestic violence victims face, and the expertise in helping people to escape, survive and thrive. There are several follow up programmes run from the Children’s Centre to help survivors overcome their trauma, such as the Freedom Programme which is designed help people make sense of and understand what has happened to them. Colleagues are also trained in the Freedom for Children Programme which is dedicated to children who are living with or have experienced any form of domestic violence. These kits will act as a supplement to these services, allowing the recipient to focus on their plan and recovery, rather than worrying about having access to basic food and hygiene needs.
BCHC Charity Campaign Manager Angela Corry said, “I’d like to say a huge thank you to the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner’s Office for this grant. Families fleeing violence often leave with nothing; having this resource is a lifeline as they start to re-build their lives”.