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  1. FAQs

FAQs

"Help! what do I do now?"

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Published: 20th March, 2014

Updated: 21st April, 2017

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Adult Safeguarding Policy

This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Next Chapter in working together with other professionals and agencies in promoting adults welfare and safeguarding them from abuse and neglect.

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This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Next Chapter in working together with other professionals and agencies in promoting adults welfare and safeguarding them from abuse and neglect.

This policy is intended to support staff working within Next Chapter.  It does not replace, but is supplementary to the Southend, Essex, Thurrock (SET) Safeguarding Adults Guidelines (2015) available at www.essexsab.org. 

Policies linked with this will include: whistle blowing, complaints, information sharing, safeguarding children, disciplinary and equality and diversity. 

Safeguarding Adults Policy April 2019

Published: 12th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Amber - Counselling

At 19 Amber met Darren, within 2 months she was living with him and fell pregnant. Initially Darren was kind, caring and supportive; listened to her and said he wanted to protect her from her family. Once their son was born, Darren chose a house several hours away from Amber’s family in an isolated village; she did not drive or have an income.

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Amber was 28, mixed ethnicity and had a young son. Amber felt incredibly isolated; the relationship with her mother was either intense or distant depending on her mother’s needs; Amber often found herself at the centre of family feuds, attempting to keep the peace whilst trying to avoid being further isolated by the blame associated with not keeping her brother out of trouble with the Police. Her father eventually left the family home when she was 11, leaving Amber feeling disconnected from his new life.

At 19 Amber met Darren, within 2 months she was living with him and fell pregnant. Initially Darren was kind, caring and supportive; listened to her and said he wanted to protect her from her family. Once their son was born, Darren chose a house several hours away from Amber’s family in an isolated village; she did not drive or have an income.  Amber was manipulated into doing all the household tasks and cooking to which Darren would complain. Darren expected sex on demand and manipulated Amber into having sex with other men whilst he watched; he took photographs of her which he threatened to send to her family if she ever refused sex. She was kept in the house to care for their son unless Darren allowed her to go out the house with him; Darren controlled the finances and she felt completely trapped.  Darren became more verbally abusive, would accuse Amber of cheating; put her down continuously both in respect of her mothering abilities and appearance. He started to threaten to hurt her physically; he would often threaten to kill her. Darren was a doorman and trained in martial arts, he started to use his training to overpower her. Amber suffered from anxiety and depression; she felt overwhelmed and fearful every day and knew she needed to protect her son. When her son turned 5 she decided that she just could not allow him to grow up as she had and sought the help of a local Woman’s Refuge.  Over the next 3 years Amber stayed with distant relations and 3 Women’s Refuges in various parts of the country. She desperately wanted to feel settled, have a place she could call home and be connected to family; however Darren would find, harass and threaten her, including reporting their son as missing.

Not only was the environment she grew up in non-supportive, she suffered from the imposition of many punishing conditions of worth which created an overwhelming need for approval and acceptance from others which continued into her relationship with Darren. So great was this need for acceptance, approval and love from others that Amber supressed her own desires, goals and ability to strive to be the person she wanted to be.

Amber was offered an assessment session with space for her to explore what had brought her to counselling and what she would like from her time. Amber had little confidence or self-esteem; she did not know herself or her needs. She had lost all desire and motivation, she felt disempowered; she could not make changes to her life and had no hopes for her future. Amber’s desired outcome from counselling: “Self-awareness, focus and to find what I am passionate about. I feel like I don’t know myself and I want to understand my relationships. I want to feel less isolated; I want to feel safe and settled; I want to give my son a place we can call home. I no longer want to be afraid”.  Amber was provided an initial set of 12 sessions with the option to negotiate a further 8 sessions if it was felt necessary. Amber attended 20 sessions consecutively.

Darren had imposed a negative identity on Amber, she felt worthless, pathetic and inadequate, in the absence of contrary evidence from family and friends, Amber had no choice but to absorb the imposed identity. The sense of mistrust she held in relation to herself and others and a lack in confidence led to an impossibility of effective decision making. She was obligated to do things for her family that made her unhappy and described herself as putting herself through hurt in order to keep others happy.  Amber was a frequent user of agency services of various kinds, she was frustrated and felt helpless; she always needed more, feeling totally incapable of helping herself.  Amber spoke of private suicidal thoughts, she felt safe to share related thoughts and feelings which contributed immeasurably between client and counsellor. Once this trust had developed Amber was able to take more risks, knowing with a high degree of certainty, that she was accepted without judgement.

Through person-centred counselling a safe, gentle, kind, supportive and trusting relationship was formed in order to initiate positive lasting change. This relationship gave Amber a secure base from which she could start to draw on her inner resources.  Amber focused on rebuilding and re-establishing interpersonal relationships with a stronger sense of self and healthy boundaries. She decided that she no longer wanted to be a trapped in her relationship with her mother and she no longer felt compelled to do things that she did not want to do, including social gatherings, being drawn into family arguments and lending money. Priority was to rebuild a support network and for Amber to reconnect with others to assist in the process of healing. Amber made friends with a mother from her son’s school and remained in contact with a resident from the Refuge to whom she could relate. She was able to make informed choices about appropriate relationships, those who would empower her and those who may hinder. Amber decided that she felt safe in Colchester and wanted to make this her home, her son had settled nicely into his 8th school. Amber recognised that for both herself and her son they needed a secure base and stability, moving again was only running away, she no longer wanted to run away in fear.  Amber says that she feels safe in Colchester and is enjoying putting her identity on her new home. Amber contacted a solicitor and there is now a court order in place for Darren to see their son, Amber has to do the handovers which has been difficult but she is incredibly proud of her strength and resilience. The agencies that Amber was working with, including Family Solutions, ceased support as they felt that Amber was managing well; this was a very proud moment for Amber as she feared abandonment from such agencies and now she appreciated the ending as a sign of their belief in her ability.

Amber is passionate about writing poetry and is looking to support others who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse through her writing. She is looking to start college in the new academic year, possibly fashion design and plans to start driving lessons. Amber is able to move through life with a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment; she smiles when she is happy, her body language now mirrors her thoughts, feelings and emotions, she is congruent. She says she knows what she enjoys and has hopes and dreams for the future. She no longer needs others’ opinions, does not just accept what others say or do and makes her own choices. Amber looks in the mirror and likes the person she sees, she is proud of the woman she has fought to become. Upon finishing counselling Amber wrote “Counselling was a long journey. I feel positive, powerful and weightless. Everything was so heavy on my shoulders”.

Published: 21st March, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Child Friendly Privacy Notice

We are Next Chapter and we help you and your family while you are living in the Refuge. We want to give you the best service and to do this we must keep records about you and the services we have offered and provided to you.

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Privacy_Notice_-_Child_Friendly.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Admissions Policy

We aim to ensure access through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures and information and operate our admissions policy to ensure that the Children's Room is accessible to children and families from all sections of the Refuge community.

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We aim to ensure access through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures and information and operate our admissions policy to ensure that the Children's Room is accessible to children and families from all sections of the Refuge community.

Admissions Policy

Published: 10th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Positive Behaviour Policy

We believe that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.

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We believe that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.

As children develop, they learn about boundaries, the difference between right and wrong, and to consider the views and feelings, and needs and rights, of others and the impact that their behaviour has on people, places and objects.

The development of these skills requires adult guidance to help encourage and model appropriate behaviours and to offer intervention and support when children struggle with conflict and emotional situations. In these types of situations key staff can help identify and address triggers for the behaviour and help children reflect, regulate and manage their actions.

Positive_behaviour_policy_-_Agreed_July_19.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Privacy Notice

We are committed to ensuring that any personal data we hold about you and your child is protected in accordance with data protection laws and is used in line with your expectations. This privacy notice explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it and how we protect it.

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We collect personal data about you and your child to provide care and learning that is tailored to meet your child’s individual needs. We also collect information in order to verify your eligibility for free childcare as applicable.

Privacy_notice_Pre-school_-_June_2018.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Special Education Needs & Disability Policy

We provide an environment in which all children are supported to reach their full potential.

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Aims

  • We have regard for the DfES Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014).
  • We ensure that our provision is inclusive to all children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
  • We support and involve parents (and where appropriate children), actively listening to, and acting on their wishes and concerns.
  • We have a clear approach to identifying, responding to and meeting the needs of children with SEND.
  • We work in partnership with the local authority and other external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children with SEND and their families.
  • We monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.

Special_education_needs_and_disability_policy_August_2019.pdf

Published: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Valuing Diversity and Promoting Equality

We are committed to ensuring that our service is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children.

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We recognise that children and their families come from a wide range of backgrounds with individual needs, beliefs and values.  They may grow up in family structures that include one or two parents of the same or different sex.  Children may have close links or live with extended families of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins; while other children may be more removed from close kin, or may live with other relatives or foster carers.

Some children come from families who experience social exclusion, severe hardship; discrimination and prejudice because of their ethnicity, disability and/or ability, the languages they speak, their religious or personal beliefs, their sexual orientation and marital status. Some individuals face discrimination linked to their gender and some women are discriminated against because of their pregnancy and maternity status.

We understand that all these factors can affect the well-being of children within these families and may adversely impact on children’s learning, attainment and life outcomes.

We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families using our setting.

Valuing_Diversity_and_Promoting_Equality_August_2019.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Safeguarding Policy & Procedure

Children’s Rights are part of the core values and principles of the Refuge. We believe that children have the right to protection, provision and participation as laid down in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Underpinning all our work is that the welfare of the child is paramount and, to this end, staff aim daily to implement Article3. The rights- based approach places the child’s best interests at the centre of all our planning, policy initiatives and interact

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Principles

We adhere to the following principles:

  • Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility: for services to be effective each individual and organisation should play their full part.
  • The welfare of the child is paramount.
  • A child centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children.

  Aims of the policy & procedure

  • To Safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  • To enable staff and volunteers to have a clear understanding of what to do if they have concerns about a child or young person
  • To explain how allegations against staff and volunteers will be dealt with

Safeguarding_Children_Policy_-_Nov_19.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Service Compliments and Complaints Policy

We want to hear as much feedback on our services as possible as it helps us understand what we are doing right as well as what we could do better, or issues we need to fix

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Compliments are a way of telling us that people like what we do, they help to motivate our staff and tell us that what we are doing is helpful.


Comments are useful in giving us feedback about things that we should continue doing, stop doing or change. We welcome constructive suggestions.


Complaints tell us if people are not happy with a service or the way we are doing things. Complaints are equally important to us, we need to know when people are unhappy with our service and we will try to put things right if they go wrong.

Complaints_procedure_-_August_2019.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Compliments and Complaints Policy

Next Chapter welcomes all feedback about our services, it helps us to change and improve on what we do. We welcome feedback from women and children who use our services and from other organisations with whom we work.

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Next Chapter welcomes all feedback about our services, it helps us to change and improve on what we do.

We welcome feedback from women and children who use our services and from other organisations with whom we work.

Compliments are a way of telling us that people like what we do, they help to motivate our staff and tell us that what we are doing is helpful.

Comments are useful in giving us feedback about things that we should continue doing, stop doing or change. We welcome constructive suggestions.

Complaints tell us if people are not happy with a service or the way we are doing things. Complaints are equally important to us, we need to know when people are unhappy with our service and we will try to put things right if they go wrong.

We will not treat anybody less favourably for making a complaint.

We will make it easy for people to make their views known to us and respond to them in a timely way.

Compliments and Complaints Policy - January 19

Published: 12th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Elder Abuse

Older lady, who had experienced 28 years of domestic abuse from her husband, continued after his death by her son.

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Contacted by 65 year old lady whose husband had died 3 years previously, She had experienced 28 years of domestic abuse from her husband and had more recently given up her Council tenancy to move in with her son and her granddaughter.

Her husband, the perpetrator, used to pull her down the stairs by her hair and she has lumps and bumps on her head from her previous injuries.  In her life she had lost a baby from cot death and her Dad had died in an accident.  Whilst at boarding school she had been locked up and described herself as having “bad nerves”.  We received a referral from Health in Mind who requested that we make contact with her.  Our outreach service made contact and arranged to visit her.

During the community visit, she disclosed that she had been in contact with Health in Mind and that they had suggested she contacted us to help her deal with her historic DV that was still affecting her mental wellbeing.

She shared with us that her deceased husband used to severely abuse her and even though she moved in with her son and seven year old granddaughter, she did not have a bedroom and was sleeping on the sofa and he now wished her to move out.

She was concerned that she didn’t feel confident to live on her own and felt that her nerves were too bad for her to cope on her own.  She also shared that she had a friend who used to financially abuse her – continually asking for money and presents – but they had now fallen out.

The situation came to crisis point when the Police attended the property due to an argument between her and her son over money and his attempt to financially abuse and control her.  The Police intervened, removed her from the property and brought her directly to the Refuge due to the community support we were providing.  We completed the necessary referral and DASH risk assessment which supported her move into refuge accommodation.

During her time in refuge accommodation it became clear that the years of abuse at the hands of her husband, which continued with her friend and then her son had caused deep-rooted mental health issues.  She no longer knew how to act appropriately in social situations and had numerous incidents where she behaved inappropriately with other service users and their children.  Our support involved referrals to adult social care, health in mind, housing and our counselling service.  Our Refuge Support Worker spent much time working with her to help her understand how the abuse she had experienced was affecting her behaviour and worked with her to help her recognise how to adjust her behaviour and take a health approach to forming new relationships and friendships.

She was successful with her homelessness application and was put forward for sheltered accommodation.  Her Refuge Support Worker assisted her with bidding on appropriate properties on a weekly basis.

As a result of the support, she was allocated a 1 bedroom flat in a sheltered complex and she has remained in contact with some of the residents who were also in the refuge at the same time, building herself a support network. 

 

Her time in Refuge and the support provided helped improve her mental health and resilience and provided her with an understanding of non-abusive relationships to enable her to live a successful independent life, no longer needing our support.

Published: 21st March, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Essex lottery

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Fran Rigo

As a member of our Trustee Board, Fran brings her skills as a qualified solicitor specialising in Family Law and Family Legal Costs.

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Fran is a qualified solicitor who specialised in Family Law and now practices in the specialist area of costs law. Fran embarked upon the Association of Costs Lawyers course in 2015 and qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2018 with distinction. She now specialises in Family Legal Costs. 

She has also worked as a volunteer at the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and as a peer mentor.  She has experience of working with victims of domestic abuse and is passionate about ensuring that our children and young people have the very best opportunity to overcome the domestic abuse they have experienced.  She is the Trustee lead for our Children & Young People's Service, ensuring that the board understand and consider the implications of decisions on our services for children and young people at all times.

Published: 10th February, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Give as you live

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Holly Smart

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Published: 24th April, 2020

Author: Beverley Jones

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How do I become a fundraiser?

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Published: 20th March, 2014

Updated: 12th June, 2017

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In memory giving

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Joanna Ronayne

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Published: 23rd January, 2020

Updated: 24th April, 2020

Author: Beverley Jones

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Karen Williams - Chair of the Board

Karen brings her extensive housing management, strategic knowledge of safeguarding and experience of improving support pathways for survivors of domestic abuse to our board.

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Karen has worked in the Housing sector for 25 years and has a wealth of skills and knowledge in the area of Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding.  She has also held the role of Chair of Governors at a local primary school so has governance, risk management and compliance knowledge and skills which she brings to our board. Additionally Karen holds the Chartered Institute of Housing level 5 professional qualification along with an Institute of Leadership & Management level 5 qualification and is the strategic Safeguarding lead for CBH.

In Karen's role within Colchester Borough Homes she is working on improving the pathways for survivors of Domestic Abuse and she is keen to see how she can bring this together with the work of Next Chapter for the benefit of those experiencing domestic abuse.

Karen is passionate about ensuring that the voice of our service users is represented and taken into account when we are planning and designing our services.

To contact Karen directly, please email her at [email protected]

Published: 10th February, 2019

Updated: 24th April, 2020

Author: Beverley Jones

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Kay Caldwell

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Published: 24th April, 2020

Author: Beverley Jones

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Leave a legacy

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Louise Taylor

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Published: 24th April, 2020

Author: Beverley Jones

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  • Covid-19 - what are we doing?

    Covid-19 - what are we doing?

    As part of our commitment to individuals experiencing domestic abuse and their families who are worried about them - we’re doing our very best to make sure that we are always available to respond and help.  Your safety and wellbeing is of paramount importance to us and we are prioritising our services in relation to safety and support above everything else.

  • Help in an emergency

    Help in an emergency

    What to do in an emergency. If you think that you are in immediate danger then you need to call 999 for the police.

  • Me, Myself and Abuser….

    Me, Myself and Abuser….

    Slowly I started to realised that this would never change. That my prince charming doesn’t exist, it was just a mask and a trap to lure me in. I started looking for a way out. I couldn’t tell my friends and family the truth, they would judge me. They would ask me questions like “why didn’t you leave before?”, “why did you stay?” and “why did you have a baby with him?”. They would never understand that the hope my prince charming would return was stronger that any rational thinking.

  • What does Christmas mean to you?

    What does Christmas mean to you?

    Many of my clients talk to me about the fear of not creating the ‘perfect’ Christmas for their families, especially if there is ongoing domestic abuse. There is dread of Christmas not going to plan and believing it will be their fault and they will be blamed. My advice is clear, Christmas is one day and does not have to be perfect. Taking on the responsibility to make everything picture-perfect, is an impossible task. You are responsible for yourself and your children.

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Phone: 01206 500585

Phone: 01206 761276

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Next Chapter is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under number 02266883 and registered as a Charity number 1058295. Registered office Next Chapter, P.O. Box 40, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2XJ © Copyright 2019 The Next Chapter (East of England). All rights reserved.