West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA) is the lead regional charity working with victims and survivors of domestic abuse across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
For many of our clients the initial support they receive is provided by our 24hr Domestic Abuse Helpline. Our first priority is to listen and ensure that callers feel heard and supported. Knowing that some women would not have opportunity to signal for help, in early April 2020 we established Live Chat on our website so that women can contact us silently from their smartphones without attracting attention.
The impact of COVID-19 and the restrictions that came with it on those already living with domestic abuse has been undeniably harrowing. This has highlighted how our Helpline serves as an essential lifeline to many who need to talk about their experience, perhaps for the first time. These discussions are often very difficult and need to be treated with the utmost sensitivity and most importantly, the time they need. Helpline staff are fully trained in understanding the needs of all communities across the region, and we use Language Line to interpret for us when we are called by someone for whom English is not their first language. We provide support to women of all ages, and also have a specific phone line for men who have experienced domestic abuse.
Out-of-hours, our Helpline is covered by a single member of staff on a duty basis, but all calls are answered or returned as soon as possible if a message is left. The demand for Helpline/Live Chat outweighs our capacity, and we do all that we can to ensure that each call is answered first time, every time.
The funding for our Helpline is piecemeal and does not give us any room to add much-needed capacity, to explore new technologies or access further specialist training. If any local businesses would like to fundraise for us or donate to our service, it would help us not just to sustain our current Helpline but also to improve and develop it further. The funds raised would contribute towards staffing both Helpline and Live Chat, ensuring those in our community are provided with the support they need.
It is vital that we promote locally to make sure those who need us are aware of our services and how they can access support– any help from Chamber colleagues in spreading awareness would be greatly appreciated. We are keen to develop sponsorship for our Helpline by partnering with local businesses and stakeholders to provide better outcomes and opportunities for support to our community.
Please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.