‘Staying Put’ Project Puts Domestic Violence Victims First
‘Staying Put’ Project Puts Domestic Violence Victims First
29 July 2004
Last year, the Staying Put project helped 759 victims of domestic violence living in the Bradford district. To guarantee the project’s continuation, the Legal Services Commission, the public body responsible for funding legal aid and advice, is investing £120,000 into Staying Put over the next three years.
In Bradford, a woman is attacked in her own home every 55 minutes. Staying Put uses civil law to help those who are attacked by their partners, ex-partners or family members. It provides support and advice to women who want the violence to stop but who do not want to leave their home.
Under the project, the abuser is removed and ordered to stop their assaults by the court. If the woman decides to move, they are helped to find somewhere safe to live. Staying Put gives women:
a 24-hour, free and confidential telephone helpline: 0800 085 6206;
direct links to the local police for immediate intervention if needed;
help to find solicitors and get advice about their legal options;
support before, during and after the court process;
help with benefit and tax credit problems;
a home and personal security measures;
support for children traumatised by domestic violence;
services in South Asian languages if needed; and
help to find a new home if that is what the woman chooses to do.
Peter Nelson, Yorkshire and Humberside Director for the Legal Services Commission, said: “It is our responsibility to fund projects where the human rights of people living in the region are violated. In this case, the need to provide advice to women abused in their own homes is unquestionable. We hope that our funding will continue to help to turn around the lives of many women and their children living in the Bradford area.”
Shazia Khan, an expert in family law at local solicitors’ firm John Kelly & Co, gives legal advice to women who have been referred by Staying Put. She commented: “Domestic violence is about power and control. It’s about the fact that some people still think it is acceptable for women to be hit. It isn’t acceptable and it’s against the law. The law can be used effectively to protect women from this kind of violence. This project makes it easier for women to report the violence, get advice and take action to stop it.”
Anne-Marie Benson, a member of the project’s Steering Group, explained: “Staying Put isn’t suitable for every woman because the risks of staying in the home are sometimes just too high. But for others this project offers a chance to continue their lives in their own home with support and without violence. The project gets three or four referrals every day and we’re pleased to be able to continue to offer it our help.”
The project’s new Legal Support Worker said: “We know that women’s refuges work but many women do not want to leave their homes. This project offers them a logical alternative. It’s simply not fair that the victims of violence should have to lose so much. Moving home is especially disruptive for women with children who have to leave friends and schools behind. It also conveys a weakened message to the children involved about the seriousness of violent behaviour.”
Staying Put has grown out of a pilot project, originally funded by the Home Office’s Violence Against Women initiative. The pilot proved so successful that funds have been secured to continue the service.
The project is run as a partnership, involving members of the Bradford District Domestic Violence Forum: Bradford Law Centre, Bradford Women’s’ Aid, Bradford Council, the Family Service Unit and Keighley Domestic Violence Services.