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Whole Family IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor) Support

We understand that families are made up of individuals and that their challenges and successes are interdependent. This service provides 1-2-1 support to adults and children with the tools they need to set goals together and create plans to keep safe.

Our IDVA service provided by our friendly and supportive IDVAs is available as:
  • A standalone service for trans & non-binary people and their families
Additional support for:
  • Females accessing our Domestic Abuse Recovery programme and their families
  • Parent/carers accessing our child/adolescent to parent violence/abuse programme and their families

Our IDVA service will be specific to, and led by you. The aim of this service is to increase safety and support for you and your family, focussing on your recovery and supporting you in your steps towards moving forward. You can choose how you receive your IDVA support, we currently offer the choice of phone call, text email or Zoom.

IDVA support may look like:
  • Creating a safety plan
  • Emotional support
  • Guidance through court processes
  • Support for legal applications
  • Signposting/referrals to other agencies
  • Liaising with other professionals on your behalf
  • Help with finances/housing

If you are already on our waiting list for any of our programmes, IDVA support will be offered to you once you start the group. We do not usually accept referrals for IDVA support as a standalone service.  However, we recognise that trans and non-binary people are particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse and understand that they experience specific types of abuse that can be linked to their trans/nonbinary identities. Also, that they can experience large numbers of additional needs, particularly in relation to mental health. Therefore, we offer an immediate tailored and discreet IDVA service for all trans and non-binary people that are referred to us or contact us directly.

Partner Agency Referrals

If you work for a partner agency and would like your client to access the 1-2-1 IDVA service, please only submit a referral if they are trans or non-binary person and are therefore eligible for immediate support. If your client is already on a programme waiting list, they will be automatically referred to this service.

To refer someone to the IDVA service, please complete a referral form here.

BH ES DASH RIC Form East Sussex Brighton Hove July (revised 2016)

It is the third party’s responsibility to gain permission to share the potential service-user’s contact details with us. Confidentiality is always our priority to ensure the victim-survivor’s privacy

Suitable participants for the service are:

  • Standard/medium risk who are not currently in crisis, but vulnerable as a result of DA experience (referrers: 0-9 ticks on the DASH RIC).

Having Trouble with our Online Form?

Please click here to download a paper version of the IDVA service Referral Form (Word, 77Kb)

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If you’d like a chat about this service or support to apply:

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Frequently Asked Questions

Clients who are signed up to our Lotus or Who’s in Charge programme. Trans or non-binary people who would like 1-2-1 support .

For referrers: We support standard/medium risk who are not currently in crisis, but vulnerable as a result of DA experience (referrers: 0-9 ticks on the DASH RIC).

If you are signed up to our Lotus or Who’s in Charge programme, we will automatically offer you support you on this 1-2-1 service there is no need to submit a referral from.

We can accept referrals from those who wish to access the service (self-referral), someone on behalf of someone else, or any professional working with a client.

If an agency would like us to support one of their service users, it is their responsibility to consult with them and get consent to share the personal information requested on the form.

We will always respond to you within five working days.

If you are signed up to our Lotus or Who’s in Charge programme, we will automatically offer you support you on this 1-2-1 service there is no need to submit a referral from.

If you are trans or non-binary and wish to access this service, you can fill in a referral form here.

If an agency is referring on behalf of a service user, they must ensure that the service user has given consent for the referral.

If you are struggling with any element of the referral process please get in touch with Roisin on 07803757825, or email [email protected] and we will be very happy to support you.

If you are signed up to our Lotus or Who’s in Charge programme, we will automatically offer you support you on this 1-2-1 service, there is no need to submit a referral from.

We will get in touch within 5 working days to let you know that we have received your referral. One of our IDVA’s will then be in touch to offer an initial phone call. This phone call will consist of a risk assessment, and assessment of your support needs. 1-2-1 support open immediately after this phone call.

As this service can only be accessed by those clients who have already been offered a space on our Lotus or Who’s in Charge group programme, there is no waiting list. Trans and non-binary people who refer directly in to our 1-2-1 support service will be offered immediate support.

Agencies will be informed by the coordinator:
  • when the enquiry has been accepted or rejected
  • when support is offered to a client
  • a client is placed on the waiting list
  • support to a client ends

Our IDVA service will be specific to, and led by, your individual experience of abuse. The aim of this service is to increase safety for you and your family, focussing on your recovery and supporting you in your steps towards moving forward. You can choose how you receive your IDVA support, we currently offer the choice of phone call, text email or Zoom.

IDVA support may look like:

  • Creating a safety plan
  • Emotional support
  • Guidance through court processes
  • Support for legal applications
  • Signposting/referrals to other agencies
  • Liaising with other professionals on your behalf
  • Help with finances/housing
All essential information is recorded within individual case files, which are only accessible to authorised staff.

We treat all information with strict confidentiality except where there are child or adult safeguarding concerns. Our procedures of information sharing with other services and the role of other agencies is clearly explained to clients during the intake process.

Clients are provided with a privacy statement to sign outlining all confidentiality procedures.

We understand that accessing this support may feel nerve-wracking, if you’d like to have a chat to one of our friendly team about any of this please contact:

Clare on 07955300355

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