Two briefings – on residential services and work with young women and girls – are now available.

As we head into winter, the learning and impact services partners (Tavistock Institute, DMSS Research and CWASU), are delighted to share two final briefings from our summer series of publications in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside our latest blog, both briefings have been based on learning shared by Women and Girls Initiative (WGI) projects through action learning sets, community calls and individual conversations.

The briefings are:

• Residential services for women survivors of abuse and multiple disadvantage. Implications of the Covid-19 pandemic: Where are we now?
• Increasing the voice and influence of girls and young women: A briefing paper

Residential Services for women survivors of abuse and multiple disadvantages draws on learning from WGI projects. Staff from projects across England took part in Action Learning Set meetings before and during lockdown and community calls set up during lockdown. Their experiences fed into this document which describes why women need accommodation and what services should be like following the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on their lives. It concludes with a discussion of opportunities that have been created by the pandemic and the challenges that remain.

Increasing the voice and influence of girls and young women was written with the involvement of WGI projects that were members of the Young Women and Girls Action Learning Set, which has met since 2018. This briefing highlights some of the complexities in applying mainstream ideas about co-production to the girls and young women accessing WGI projects. It offers insights from, shares principles and values of, as well as some of the successes and challenges encountered when supporting girls and young women to have a greater influence on the services they access. The briefing ends with a series of provocations (searching questions) for consideration and learning, useful for anyone looking to develop their work in this area.

Both documents are relevant for:

• Organisations working with women and girls, whether WGI funded or not.
• Commissioners, funders and anyone else interested in supporting, or wanting to find out more about, specialist work with women and girls.

Other publications generated through the WGI so far are available by visiting the project page.

You can also find further publications relating to the WGI in The National Lottery Community Fund’s Knowledge & Learning document library.

All of the work undertaken as part of the WGI Learning and Impact Services has been funded as part of a £44.7million investment into the WGI, using funds raised through The National Lottery. This funding is supporting 62 organisations across England to empower women and girls, providing dedicated support for women and girls in local communities through outreach, advice and advocacy, refuge and prevention projects.

Additional support for WGI grant-holders, through the Learning and Impact Services, was contracted by The National Lottery Community Fund, in recognition that there is a need to empower projects to provide strong evidence of what works when supporting women and girls, ensuring they have the confidence, skills and ability to share inspirational stories and communicate their successes and learning.  This support is being delivered by three partner organisations: Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (TIHR), DMSS Research (DMSS) and the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU).