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Door of Hope Information for Professionals and Funders

Service Professionals

Door of hope Information and Referral Forms

Introduction

The women we support in our Door of Hope service face multiple disadvantage and we know that working collaboratively with other specialist services in the borough enables us to secure the best outcomes for women. We signpost women to local support and work with other agencies to give women a range of options. Local statutory and non-statutory services have joined us on our street outreach, at our drop-ins, and our open days to build trust with the women we journey alongside and support referrals and engagement within their services. If you would like to speak with a member of our Door of Hope staff please call us on this number 0300 302 0762 or send an email to [email protected]

Click here to download the Door of Hope referral form

We co-ordinate and chair the Women’s Exploitation and Safety Panel (WESP), a monthly meeting where staff from local statutory agencies and non-statutory services come together to make sure that women involved in selling sex, who are at risk, are able to access the support available for them within the borough. It enables the creation of more effective holistic support packages, through co-ordinated support plans, including risk management.

Women’s Exploitation and Safety Panel (WESP):

What agencies attend the Women’s Exploitation and Safety Panel (WESP)?

The agencies that attend WESP include some of the following: the Council Domestic Violence and Hate Crime Team, Police, Housing Options, Adult Social Care, RESET, the VAWG team, Local Hostel and Housing Representatives and Support, Community Mental Health & Tower Hamlets Street Outreach Team. The agencies that attend the WESP have all agreed how they will work together and share information securely with women’s confidentiality as a priority. Other agencies can attend the WESP when they refer a case, but they have to formally agree to adhere to the WESP’s confidentiality agreement.

Who will be aware of what has been discussed and agreed?

Only member agencies attend the WESP. The woman, their family or other members of their support network are not able to attend. Where possible, the member of staff who makes a referral to the panel will be able to update the woman on the actions agreed.

How do I make a referral?

To make a referral, email a completed referral form via this address: [email protected], (links to form below). Please remember, that following a referral you will be expected to formally agree to adhere to the WESP’s confidentiality agreement.

WESP referral form

Download the WESP referral form.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to receive a copy of the WESP protocol document, please contact the WESP Coordinator using [email protected]

Funders

Further information about who we support, service model, and outcomes

Who we support

The women we support are some of the most marginalised and isolated members of our communities, as well as being some of the most resilient. Most women are battling a range of issues including a history of past physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, trauma (including within childhood), poverty, and homelessness, and a significant number have experience of the care and criminal justice systems. Alongside this disadvantage, many face the daily risk of violence and harm. The majority are drawn into selling sex as a means of survival, and moving forward with their lives without dedicated specialist support is extremely difficult. Many of the women we support report difficulties with accessing other services due to experiencing stigma and judgemental attitudes alongside a lack of wider professional understanding.

Service Model

Street Outreach is usually the place where initial contact is made, and relationships of trust begin to be formed.  At whatever point of engagement, we treat every woman with compassion and understanding and see the individual first. We are opposed to the idea of ‘fixing’ or ‘rescuing’ women; the power and decision making should sit with them. Their voices influence from initial assessment to their collaboratively managed exit from the service. We use a woman-centred model, enabling increases in their confidence and self-agency, so they can identify their own needs and devise their own journeys. Each woman’s journey reflects her own personal situation, what the change looks like, and the time it takes, is as individual as the women themselves. Therefore, we don’t impose time limits on women’s engagement. A review of our data shows that the average length of engagement is 13 months.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Every woman engaged in our Daytime 1:1 service provision has an initial assessment and then a review of progress is carried out every 3 months, where appropriate. Data captured is a reflection of the women’s own assessment of their progress; however Women’s Support Workers’ observations are also recorded. Women also have regular opportunities to provide us with feedback. Where appropriate this leads to adaptations in service provision.

We celebrate the women’s hard-won journeys and best capture their achievements through the creation of anonymous case studies, where women have given their permission. We recognise the important role that storytelling has within our work. Women’s lives can’t always be captured by numbers alone. The nuances and intersectionality of support needs, and ‘setbacks’ mean that storytelling and qualitative data can be a powerful way to communicate the complexity and impact within their journeys.

Common Positive Impact Change

Common impacts identified for women on caseload include: improved access to support and specialist services, improved personal safety and self-agency; appropriate and secure housing accessed; income and food poverty addressed;, physical and sexual health improvements; reduction in use of/ceasing use of drugs and alcohol; improved mental health (via processing of trauma); reduced isolation and expanded support network; reduction of, or ceasing of selling sex; and entry into education, employment and training.