Last week we were delighted to be awarded the Women’s Aid National Quality Mark, demonstrating that we provide a high quality of service to women and children experiencing domestic violence. The Women’s Aid Quality Standards are national standards which measure the quality of specialist domestic violence services on a number of factors.
“We are very proud to award Leeway Domestic Violence and Abuse Services the Women’s Aid National Quality Mark for their excellent work supporting and children in Norfolk. Specialist, high-quality domestic violence services can make the difference between a full, independent life and living in fear of your life for women escaping abuse. The hard work and dedication of the team at Leeway is making that difference, and I thank them for the very high quality of the service they provide†– Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid Federation England
In their report, the panel commended Leeway in the following areas:
- Safety, Security & Dignity: We were shown to have demonstrated robust attention to safeguarding our service users and respecting their autonomy. Our referral forms are comprehensive and cover all aspects of the woman’s circumstances, with appropriate risk assessments and support plans outlining the action and support required.
- Rights and Access: The report commends us for our attention to issues surrounding equality and diversity. Through our work with other specialist agencies, we have shown we are capable of meeting the needs of diverse communities.
- Physical and Emotional Health: We have able to demonstrate ample evidence of assisting service users in finding the support they require to meet their immediate health needs. Again, the report commended us for our holistic support and recovery work.
- Stability, Resilience and Autonomy: Detailed safety and support plans, needs assessments and case notes show a thorough exploration of service users’ personal and practical requirements. Our team were shown to be proactive and knowledgeable, offering a high level of support to service users – particularly in the area of resettlement.
- Children and Young People: Leeway demonstrated excellent evidence when it comes to identifying and addressing the safety, educational and health requirements of children and young people. The group work we provide includes detailed observations of the children’s responses and feelings, with commendable attention shown to their emotional state. As an organisation, the report showed that we have good working relationships with many local schools, with staff working with the schools to address issues which can arise from registering at a new school.
- Prevention: Through our involvement in county wide strategic forums, partnership working and training with other agencies we were able to demonstrate excellent evidence of our work in raising awareness of domestic violence.
- Accountability and Leadership: As an organisation we were commended for having separate, clear and informative induction documents for trustees, staff and volunteers. Through the evidence we provided, the report picked up on our commitment to reflect the diversity of our service user population.
Overall the report highlights our excellent track record, high standard of service and dedicated team who work tirelessly to meet the requirements of our service users.
