Refuge - 01494 461367
Outreach - 01494 449922
IDVA - 01494 449922

Children and Young People

The Service in the Refuge

Wycombe Women’s Aid has a dedicated children’s service which aims to meet the emotional, physical and educational needs of all the children living in the refuge.  All of the children will have been affected by domestic violence and specially trained Child Development Workers will support the children throughout their stay.

Our overall aim is to provide a safe and supportive environment in which children can play, experience new activities, talk about their experiences of domestic violence, spend time with other children who have had similar experiences and increase their self-confidence and self-esteem.  This is achieved through free play, structured activities, trips outside the refuge, After School Group, holiday play schemes and one-to-one sessions.

Childrens play area

Wycombe Women’s Aid has a fully equipped Playroom and garden – this is a safe space that can be enjoyed by children of all ages.  The Playroom is registered with Ofsted and our latest inspection took place in October 2021.

The Child Workers will help to arrange a school or nursery place as well as offering support and guidance on any aspect of a child’s welfare.  

Women’s Aid Federation England (WAFE) has an excellent website dedicated to children and young people.  The website helps children and young people to understand domestic violence and how to take positive action if it is happening to them.  The website can be found here: http://www.thehideout.org.uk/default.aspa

Youth Service

March 2024 – the Youth Service is currently not in operation.  This webpage will be updated when the service is operational again.

Wycombe Women’s Aid has a dedicated Youth Worker who works with young people (boys and girls) aged 11-17 years who are living either in the refuge or in the local community.

She works with young people who have experienced domestic violence at home, or in their own personal relationships, providing emotional support to enable them to reflect on and heal from their experiences of domestic violence and to make choices about their current and future options. She promotes the safety, health and well-being of young people, raising their awareness around their rights to feel safe and healthy relationships. The Youth Worker provides a safe environment for the young people to express their feelings and to develop their self-esteem and self-confidence.

The Youth Worker works closely with schools, through one to one support, assemblies and class awareness raising sessions with teachers and pupils, to ensure young people are able to make safe and informed choices within personal relationships and their home environment.  The Youth Worker also helps to raise awareness of the nature and prevalence of domestic violence.

The Youth Worker can also deliver training to schools, other agencies and youth settings around domestic violence and young people and healthy relationships.

The Youth Service can be contacted by calling TBC on TBC

A leaflet outlining the Youth Service can be found here:

Pending

If you are a young person living in the High Wycombe, Chiltern or South Bucks districts of Buckinghamshire and you would like to refer yourself to the Youth Service, please contact TBC on TBC, use the Contact Us form to send us a message or complete the self-referral form below:

Pending

If you are not a young person, but you would like to refer a young person who lives in the High Wycombe, Chiltern or South Bucks districts of Buckinghamshire to the Youth Service, or you would like to find out more about the training that can be delivered, please contact TBC on TBC, use the Contact Us form to send us a message or complete the referral form below:

Pending

 

In the Local Community

You & Me, Mum

Through this 8 week programme we aim to create a non-judgmental, non-threatening environment for women to explore parenting after experiencing domestic abuse.  Women will also have the opportunity to safely explore the impact the domestic violence has had on their relationships with their children. There are no sessions during school holidays.  This is a self-referral group that only accepts women who are not living with their abuser.  This requirement is in place to keep women and children safe.

The group takes place on Thursdays between 10.00am and 11.30am at a venue in High Wycombe.  The aim of the programme is ‘to provide an eight week self help programme which will empower, support and develop further understanding of your role as mothers, in addressing the needs of children and young people who have lived with domestic violence’.  The objectives of the programme are:

  • to understand how domestic violence affects you as a parent
  • to understand the effects of domestic violence on children and young people
  • to develop effective communication skills with children and young people
  • to promote healthy and non-violent relationships
  • to explore key protective behaviours messages and strategies for keeping mothers, children and young people safe

The next group is starting on Thursday 18th April 2024 and will be facilitated by Antonina.  For more information please contact Antonina on 07442 963853.  Further details can be found in the flyer below:

You and Me Mum (April 2024)

“I feel I have become more confident. I haven’t spoken in detail about my past until this course. I feel a box in my brain has been set free. I have cut my hair off and I’m happy I have gained more confidence. I feel like the old me is returning. F is now on the waiting list for CAMHS as she is allowed a buddy. I have learnt to stay calm with her. I understand what she is thinking. I have learnt that I didn’t do anything wrong and that none of this was my fault”

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Testimonials

“We just wanted to say a great big thank you for everything you have done for us over the last 8 months. You have made things so much easier for us while we have been here. We really appreciate all the activities you arranged for us and the After School Club, the summer holidays and Christmas time.  We will always remember our stay here and we will miss you loads”

“The services for children at the refuge really complimented their lives and gave them something for themselves and something to look forward to”

“The children were also scared and confused like me and they picked up on my feelings.  They were able to talk to the Child Workers about this and be supported instead of them worrying about me”

“There has been a huge improvement in my relationship with the children.  The Child Workers helped me to understand that I still need to give the children boundaries and assert my parenting skills and that this was all right to do.  Because I feel more confident I am a better parent”

“I am very grateful for your kindness and support, especially the encouragement you gave to my children”

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Wycombe Women's Aid P.O. Box 1477 High Wycombe Bucks HP11 9HP Registered Charity No. 299946 Registered Company No. 2245478 ©2016 Wycombe Women's Aid

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Refuge: 01494 461367 Outreach: 01494 449922 IDVA: 01494  449922

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