Welsh Women’s Aid has introduced a new survivor participation project to give women who have lived through domestic violence and abuse the opportunity to share their experiences and influence change. The project, which is part of the movement SEEDS (Survivors Empowering and Educating Services), will bring together women from across South Wales and provide training and support, as well as a safe space where survivors can learn from and encourage one another.
Kay Lemon, the project coordinator, hopes to see the scheme work in partnership with local authorities, the criminal justice system and the third sector to provide platforms where vulnerable women can recommend how services created to help them should be run. “There has been a tendency from the service position to be led from the top down,” Kay says. “This often ends up in services being delivered that don’t meet the needs of the users.” She also believes that this will help rid women of the stigma attached to experiencing abuse.
Those who get involved with the project are asked to commit a minimum of eight hours a month, with the opportunity to take part in focus groups, media interviews and gain an accredited teaching and lifelong learning qualification.
Carl Sargeant AM is also looking to set up an advisory panel of female survivors to assist the Welsh Government, supporting the stance that these women are more than “passive victims”. Philippa Chapman, creator of SEEDS, says: “Women surviving domestic abuse are experts or professionals by their experience but are often not formally recognised as such. ”
The long-term objective is the development of a national framework resulting in the project’s implementation across Wales. This aims to raise awareness about services that exist to help vulnerable women and will provide survivors with further opportunities for their voices to be heard.