Swindon Paragon Integrated Domestic Abuse Services

Refuge Accommodation and Support

• Specialist support for women and children fleeing domestic abuse
• Purpose-built 22-room building
• Some spaces reserved for those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
• Committed to identifying and setting up dispersed safe houses to accommodate men and other people fleeing domestic violence and abuse where traditional refuge is not suitable

Support for Victims of All Risk Levels

• Community-based support across Swindon in-person or online
• We can meet you for a coffee, in your home, or wherever it is that you feel safest
• Trauma-informed support is bespoke to you and your situation, and where other organisations may contribute to your safety, we'll link with them (e.g. Bobby Van Trust, MARAC)
• Access to and support for criminal justice processes

Children

• Under Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are recognised as victims in their own right
• SPIDAS works with children whose parent/guardian is also being supported
• Where safe, we'll adopt a whole-family approach to support families to stay together
• We work with children who are engaging in child and adolescent to parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) and sibling to sibling abuse

Recovery Groups and Drop-ins

• Community, virtual, and face-to-face
• Helping to understand trauma and how we respond
• Sharing information and knowledge to better understand and deal with previous experiences
• Representative groups include Adverse Childhood Experiences (for adults), Recovery Tool Kit, Hope to Recovery, and an adapted Adverse Childhood Experiences course for children
• Scheduled drop-ins throughout Swindon at accessible times

Advocacy

• Attending meetings with you
• Speaking with you and on your behalf
• Explaining the impact of violence and abuse to others so they can better understand your response
• Sharing our knowledge about domestic abuse and the impact of trauma
• We can help look at the best ways of keeping you safe and support you with civil or criminal proceedings

Marginalised and Isolated Communities

• We know that many people living in marginalised and isolated communities are often more reluctant to speak about their experiences due to cultural pressures or fears of reprisal
• Our diverse team have lived and work experiences in many different communities
• This will include BAME, LGBTQ+, GTRSB, elder abuse, those with physical/learning disabilities, forces and other service personnel

Behaviour Change Programme (perpetrators/people causing harm)

Engage Behaviour Change Programme (for perpetrators/people causing harm)

• One-to-one assessment and support with a specialist team
• Structured group work
• Ongoing support

Partner Support

• Ongoing support for the partners of people engaged with the behaviour change programme
• Safety planning