Impact Report 2022-23

October 11, 2023

2022- 2023 was another busy year for Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid, during which women experiencing domestic abuse continued to be impacted by the long-lasting effects of the pandemic along…

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2022- 2023 was another busy year for Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid, during which women experiencing domestic abuse continued to be impacted by the long-lasting effects of the pandemic along with the cost-of-living crisis seen across the country.  

For BCWA this has resulted in continuing high demand across all our services, as well as a marked increase in complexity of our clients’ needs. Despite the challenges, we are very proud to have supported 3,968 survivors of domestic abuse and to have positively impacted 5,702 people.  

We would not be able to deliver this critical work without the skill, knowledge and dedication of our passionate team of staff, volunteers and Trustees, many of whom are survivors of abuse and who constantly strive to improve the lives of the women and children in our community.  

We’ve summarised some key themes from the year below.

MENTAL HEALTH 

Domestic abuse is a key driver of women’s mental ill health. Every day in the UK almost 30 women attempt suicide and every week 3 women take their own lives to escape domestic abuse. To address this vital need we have:  

• Furthered our commitment to offer services as a trauma & psychologically informed charity by training all staff in trauma-informed practice. 
• Launched our in-house counselling service with the help of volunteer counsellors, offering victims/survivors of domestic abuse within Bromley & Croydon 12 face-to-face sessions. 
• Built dedicated and confidential therapeutic spaces for women and children.  

INTERSECTIONALITY 

With over 55% of our service-users from communities facing racial inequity, Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid have continued to address the barriers that may prevent victims/survivors with specific characteristics and needs to engage with our services. In 2022-2023 we have: 

• Delivered coffee mornings to 128 Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority victims/survivors.  
• Became an A-rated visa sponsor to enable us to retain staff from abroad. 
• Supported 105 women with No Recourse to Public Funds, with 47 service-users receiving positive immigration decisions and 37 women and their children granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.  

HOUSING  

Concerns about their future housing options make it difficult for women experiencing domestic abuse to remain on their recovery journey. Survivors sometimes must weigh up returning to an abuser or accepting another potentially unsafe situation due to a lack of housing options. This year, we have: 

• Invested in growing and improving our housing offer with our Safer Futures project, investing £1,698,708 and purchased 7 properties by March 2023.  
• Worked closely with local housing option teams, independent providers, housing associations and other charities to ensure every woman and her children leaving us have an appropriate, safe home to go on to.  

WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 

In 2022-23, we saw a decrease in the average age of children and young people being referred to our services. BCWA’s children and young people’s work forms a key part of our efforts to prevent domestic abuse, through education and awareness raising. To support children and young people, we: 

• Offered a range of activities to engage, enrich and provide emotional support to children in refuges.  
• Provided one to one and group-based support to 206 children and young people over the year, with 88% of young people who attended our support groups reporting that they felt better about themselves and more informed about domestic abuse.  
• Delivered workshops in schools promoting healthy relationships.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH 

Bromley & Croydon Women’s Aid’s outreach programme constitutes a lifeline to anyone suffering from domestic abuse. Despite an ongoing high demand, increased complexity of cases and a lack of funding available, this year we: 

• Successfully delivered tailored support to 3,968 women in Bromley and Croydon. 
• Received 1,609 calls to our support line.  
• Advocated for a shift in the sector from a risk-led to a needs-led provision for all women seeking domestic abuse support.  

The difference we make is only possible thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters and funders – thank you. Read the full impact report here.  

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