Exeter Women's Aid

Outreach

Outreach services

Outreach work in the communities of Exeter, East and Mid Devon

Our team of Outreach workers provide a range of support services to women, children and young people in the community. There is a 24 hour freephone help-line and we offer practical and emotional support both face to face and over the phone. We offer resettlement for women who have left the refuge or have escaped domestic violence and abuse from another area. We can identify risks and make a safety plan as well as giving social and emotional support.

The outreach workers provide a range of practical and emotional support:

  • Face to face support - we cannot meet in people's homes, but aim to find a safe space for women to meet with a worker.
  • Phone support
  • Helpline - a 24 hour free phone service 0800 328 3070
  • Advocacy - accompanying women to solicitors, housing, court etc. Contacting other agencies on a woman's behalf if required.
  • Resettlement - for women who have left the refuge or have escaped domestic violence and abuse from another area.
  • Risk Assessment and Safety planning - identifying risks and working towards keeping safe.
  • Pattern Changing and Drop Ins (see separate pages for more details)
  • Specialist Support for girls and young women (see Safe Project page for more details)
  • Mental Health Worker - referrals for one-to-one sessions with a specific focus on the emotional impact of domestic violence and abuse.

Referrals to the project can be by any agency (with the woman's consent and a safe means of contact obtained) or by the woman herself. The individual project numbers for agency and self referrals are:

  • Exeter Outreach (for women over 25 years) 01392 426483
  • East Devon Outreach (for women over 25 years) 01392 435560
  • Mid Devon Outreach (for women over 25 years) 01392 426521

In addition to the above the following workers provide support through specific referral routes:

Women's Safety Workers who support women whose partners are undertaking the Probation, or voluntary (Repair), perpetrator programme. Referrals to this service are directly through the perpetrator programmes.

Children and Young People's Outreach Worker who takes referrals through Repair, Multi Agency Risk Assessment Committees (MARACs) and Outreach.

Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVA's) who support women referred to MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) and/or who are going through the Specialist DV Court.

Safe Project (for girls and young women aged 14 - 25) with a worker in Exeter and another in Mid & East Devon (see separate pages for more details).