‘Sanctuary and freedom: the transformational power of spaces for women and girls’ is a briefing published as part of the Women and Girls Initiative (WGI) Learning and Impact Services. It contains insights and evidence for women and girls’ services, commissioners, service providers, funders and other professionals on the importance of creating the right physical and emotional spaces that have the power to transform the lives of women and girls. These spaces are integral to the processes of access, empowerment and rebuilding lives.
The briefing has been co-created with nine WGI projects, and input from a further 22 including specialist services on violence against women and girls (VAWG) and women’s centres which offer advocacy and empowerment, counselling and therapy, learning and arts. The organisations work with young women, women travellers, street sex workers, women who have been trafficked, black and minoritised women including those with no recourse to public funds and women in poverty.
Sue Botcherby, DMSS Research and Liz Kelly, Child and Woman Abuse Studies at London Metropolitan University (CWASU) have brought the briefing together working with staff from the following projects: A Way Out, Hibiscus, Leeway, Trevi House, Women and Girls Network, Women Centre, Young Women’s Outreach Project and The Zinthiya Trust.
‘Sanctuary and Freedom’ is relevant for:
- Organisations working with women and girls;
- Policy-makers and commissioners wanting to think about how women and girls can best be supported;
- Anyone else interested in supporting or finding out more about specialist work with women and girls.
Information in the briefing is drawn from the Women and Girls Initiative, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund (The Fund). It is supporting 62 projects with funds raised from the National Lottery.
The WGI Learning and Impact Services is being delivered on behalf of The Fund by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (TIHR), DMSS Research (DMSS) and the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) – the partners. The partners are delivering a programme of support to projects with the aim of capturing and sharing learning and creating a stronger community of services that has greater influence on decision-making structures across the country.
