Women & Children Refuge Service
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What
is the women & children refuge service?
What are the aims of the Women & Children Refuge
Service?
What support will you
reveive?
Our accommodation
Who is eligible
to access the service?
How can you
make a referral to the service?
What is the Women & Children Refuge Service?
Elizabeth House and Tolkien House provide accommodation and services for abused, vulnerable women and their children, where they can regain control over their lives by making considered choices for their future, including re-establishing themselves in the community.
What are the aims of the Women & Children Refuge Service?
The aim of Elizabeth and Tolkien House accommodation is to offer a safe and secure environment for women and children escaping Domestic Violence or equivalent circumstances, to enable them to reflect and make their own decisions, which may include resettlement into independent living in the community.
What support will you reveive?
Each resident in our accommodation is allocated a named key worker who will work with them through our Independent Living Programme (ILP) to develop the necessary life skills that will enable them to move to more appropriate independent accommodation.
In partnership with the resident we assess your individual needs are by carrying out a thorough assessment as part of the ILP process. Areas of need can be very practical such as budgeting, parenting skills and nutrition. However, there can also be other less visible needs as a consequence of Domestic Violence. For example, a lack of confidence or loss of self-esteem. All support meetings, such as one to one meetings with your key worker or house meetings are compulsory and therefore you are required to attend. Staff will also liaise with other agencies, where this is appropriate, to ensure that you receive the optimum support to meet your needs.
We do not provide financial support; however we can provide clothing, food and personal care items for women who arrive at the Project in crisis situations. We will assist you to apply for any grants or benefit you may be entitled to. We don't provide meals or domiciliary care. We are unable to provide a removal and cleaning service for clients securing their own tenancy but again we will assist you to access services that can provide this facility. We can also refer you to Arch Floating Support team, who will support your move into independent living.
Crèche
Elizabeth House also provides a crèche, offering pre and post school support. Our Ofsted approved crèche provides a bright, welcoming environment for children staying at Elizabeth House and is staffed by qualified children's workers.
Our Accommodation
We have 21 bed spaces in Newcastle-under-Lyme in two different refuges:
Elizabeth House
Elizabeth House is a 15 room, self catering, 24-hour access refuge, that offers each resident/family, a lockable bedroom with some kitchen facilities and an en-suite bathroom.
Included in the 15 rooms, is a self-contained unit for a woman with an older male child and a unit providing access for a woman or child wheelchair user or other mobility need.
A communal kitchen, dining area/lounge, second lounge, and activities room are also provided.
Tolkien House
Tolkien House is a 6 bed, unstaffed unit for women only. A lockable bedroom is provided and kitchens, lounge and bathroom facilities are shared. Residents of Tolkien House are provided with a Key Worker and appropriate support in the same format as Elizabeth House.
If a resident is in receipt of welfare benefits the rent will usually be covered by Housing Benefit. However if they are employed they may be able to claim some Housing Benefit but will need to pay the short fall themselves.
We expect the residents to treat the projects as their own homes. However there are restrictions regarding visitors. Residents are allowed visitors as prescribed by the Licence Agreement and Health and Safety rules of the refuge.
We expect our residents and their visitors to display consideration to other residents and neighbours and as such, we do not tolerate any form of anti-social behaviour. In addition, Arch operates an Equal Opportunity Policy and residents are expected to behave in a way that reflects the meaning and nature of this.
Who is eligible to access the service?
Elizabeth House provides 24 hour support 7 days a week for women with high support needs.
Tolkein House provides support for women without children who do not need 24 hour support. However, these women can engage in weekly Independent Living Support Plans, house meetings and can participate in the general activities provided at Elizabeth House.
Who is eligible for the service?
- Women and Women with Children
- Women aged 18-65
- Women aged 16-17 who are pregnant and or who have children
- Women who are in housing need because of Domestic Violence or who are vulnerable because of equivalent circumstances
- Women who are willing to accept support in relation to their housing needs
- Women who are willing to engage with additional support services, if this is appropriate
Who is not eligible for the service?
- We do not operate any exclusions criteria as such, however, we are not able to accommodate those people who require a more heavily supervised, or staffed environment, than Arch provides.
- Male children over the age of 15
- Women with pets
- Women and children who would be at continued risk of violence through accessing our services in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area
We expect our residents:
- to engage fully with their support worker in order to assess their individual needs and to look at what support plans can be put in place that will best address those needs
- To use our accommodation as their main home and to adhere to the terms and conditions of the accommodation as set out in the Licence Agreement
- to behave with courtesy and respect to other residents, neighbours and Arch staff
Our residents can expect of us:
- the provision of a service that is accessible and meets their needs and wishes
- that the views of each resident will be respected and taking into consideration at all times
- we will provide accommodation that is of an acceptable standard that we will abide by the policies and procedures of the organisation
How can you make a referral to the service?
Clients can access our accommodation through our referral system as set out in the referral and allocations procedure. Referrals are generally made by telephone to Elizabeth House on 01782 713737 and referral forms can be made available on request by contacting Elizabeth House on the same telephone number.
Any woman can self-refer and we also accept referrals from a range of other agencies and organisations.
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