Women’s Lived Experience Voices

In the first 18 months of running, the project has delivered resources to the Workforce Development Team to help in the delivery of domestic abuse training across Leeds. This includes podcasts talking about what good support looks like and where the victim-survivors are now, victim-survivors reflecting on their own journey with services, identifying learning opportunities and advice for those working with victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

For seven months in 2024 we worked directly with the police. This work involved group meetings with senior personnel, individual meetings to reflect on the police handling of specific cases, meetings to explore police culture and language used with victim/survivors as well as identifying training opportunities.
The work was a success and has resulted in the police making internal changes to departments to improve the communication between DA Officers and Offender Mgt Officers. The police has acknowledged lessons learned in individual cases and informed the victim/survivors of the changes already being made to reduce this happening again, the project has developed a podcast to share within the police and with victim/survivors regarding this piece of work.

Senior decision makers in Leeds who attend the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board asked the women’s group to co-write a foreword for the Leeds Five Year Domestic Violence and Abuse Strategy. Councillor Coupar attended one of the women’s group and the foreword was written, in the words of the women to reflect their involvement in developing positive outcomes for future victim-survivors.

Read the full foreword here: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/plans-and-strategies/leeds-domestic-violence-and-abuse-strategy

(Content Warning) This powerful poem was written by a participant of the women’s group. The poem reflects on Lily Rose’* feelings throughout abuse and her journey of recovery. The poem was written and recorded in Lily Rose’* home, with her pets close by, which have been hugely important in helping her create her own safe space and recover from the impacts of abuse. *Pseudonym

In November 2024, the women’s group of the Domestic Violence and Abuse Voices Project’s achieved media coverage for their work with West Yorkshire Police to create meaningful change for victim-survivors of abuse.

BBC News

BBC News covered the story on the national BBC website homepage, the article shared participant of the women’s group, Fran Murphy’s, story, along with quotes from The Voices Project Manager, Nicola Marlow and Det Supt Heather Wilson. Fran and Nicola’s words were also featured in the news bulletins on BBC Radio Leeds.

Fran describes how impactful this work has been for her, “To say that police have absolutely listened, they have let me share my voice and for me to be heard is absolutely huge for me.”

Read the article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7gr0xnndlo

Greatest Hits Radio

Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire featured interviews with Nicola and Fran as the hourly news bulletins to to raise awareness  of Clare’s Law, the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. Since working with the women’s group of The Voices Project, use of Clare’s Law has increased by 650% in Leeds.

The interview was also covered as an online article, read it here: https://hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/west-yorkshire/news/number-of-people-requesting-clares-law-increasing-in-leeds/