OutreacH
A sensitive approach can be a lifeline to women whose
lives revolve around drugs and sex work, as DDN reports
The POWER of co
‘W
D
ithout these guys I probably would be dead now.’
These are the words of a woman who accessed the
SWOP drop-in at a stage in her life when she
thought nothing would ever change.
The Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) was set
up by the Nelson Trust specifically to help women who had become involved
in street-based sex work to fund their addiction. The specialist programme
grew from a knowledge base of working with some of the most
disadvantaged, marginalised and stigmatised women in the community, and
the realisation that intervention could be extremely successful in changing
the lives of people who would not otherwise come into contact with services.
‘It can take a long time to gain a woman’s trust,’ says SWOP co-ordinator
Katie Lewis. ‘Sometimes they have been through services many times
before and their needs may not have been addressed appropriately.’ These
needs can be extremely complex. Many of the women SWOP comes into
contact with have experienced abuse, trauma and sexual exploitation
before adulthood. For some, engaging in ‘transactional sex’ has become a
practical way of affording accommodation and drugs. Many have families –
and many have come to accept that living with a controlling and abusive
partner is the norm.
Unsurprisingly, women in this situation are highly unlikely to walk
through the door of a daytime service – not just because the hours don’t
suit them, but also because of the stigma they have experienced. So SWOP
goes out onto the streets to try to engage women who are likely to be at
risk, offering hot food and drinks, clothes, toiletries and the all-important
emotional support.
‘We work extremely hard to engage women from a non-judgemental and
trauma-informed approach,’ says Lewis. ‘We offer kindness and give women
the safe space to be listened to.’ Offering support also involves encouraging
the women to engage with other specialist support services, she explains,
‘and if it takes ten to 12 attempts for a woman to engage, we will continue
to offer this support until she is ready to accept the help.’
6 | drinkanddrugsnews | November 2018
eveloping local partnerships has
been central to the project’s
effectiveness and SWOP works
with police and probation, social
care, child protection, housing
and substance use treatment services, among
many others. As SWOP co-ordinator, Lewis
supports case workers to navigate complex
conditions and chairs a monthly multi-agency
forum, where all the partner agencies come
together to discuss safeguarding and risks for
the women, sharing information on how best to
support them.
It’s a sensitive process that needs to be
mindful of clients’ confidentiality, but Lewis is
careful to protect the ‘trusting and respectful
relationships’ they have built up. ‘If they were to
disclose any safeguarding or risk information,
we would have an honest conversation about
when information needs to be shared,’ she says.
While it can take many attempts to engage
with the women, through out-of-hours services,
there is much to offer them in the safe spaces of
the van in Swindon and Wiltshire or the drop-in
centre at Gloucester. Both environments offer a
place of respite and safety, and over food and
hot drinks they have the opportunity to talk
about the support they need. Some need
protection from clients and stalkers; others need
help with abusive relationships at home. Many
need help with finding safer accommodation for
themselves and their children, and there is often
‘If it takes
ten to 12
attempts for
a woman to
engage, we
will continue
to offer this
support until
she is ready.’
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