Equality & Fairness Report 2020 Fairness Annual Report 2020 | Page 36

Case study We provide services to a wide range of people, but some of the support we provide truly does make a difference to people’s lives : A arrived into our service during 2018, having experienced horrific domestic abuse and she had also been a victim of human trafficking. This resulted in A displaying signs of trauma and lack of trust in services, staff and professionals in general. When A first came into the refuge she would spend time on her own in her flat with her children. Over time, staff built a relationship with A and her children. Once A had settled in with others living at the refuge, we accessed services to widen A’s support, to ensure she remained on her road to recovery. Her keyworker accessed Counselling to help with A’s emotional and mental health needs. We also contacted health support services so A and her children could access medical and therapeutic services. We assisted A and her children in the educational aspect as well and secured education provision for the children who had identified as having special educational needs, and because of this we needed to ensure that they were at a school that supported them in the best way possible. A was also supported to access legal services. We secured A’s status in the country which was a lengthy process as due to being trafficked, Amy had no documentation. We contacted a specialist service support for Modern Slavery and Exploitation, and the police were also working with A and offering her ongoing support. Additionally staff offered A daily welfare checks to enable her to talk through her experiences of trauma. Over time A became more confident. Eventually, permanent housing was secured for A and her family who moved into their home in 2019. During her stay at the refuge A had many achievements for herself; She found her own voice, establishing her own home, independence, self-esteem and confidence. 34