Mission, Vision & Values

“All the time that domestic abuse exists, individuals will need us to help make safety possible. With our support they are empowered to reclaim their lives & choose the next chapter in the future they want”

Next Chapter (formerly known as Colchester & Tendring Women's Refuge) is a domestic abuse charity working across the areas of Tendring, Colchester, Maldon, Chelmsford, Braintree & Uttlesford. We provide free and confidential services to support people who are currently experiencing, or have previously experienced domestic abuse.

We are passionate about ensuring that every person has the opportunity to live their life free from domestic abuse

Our vision is for Life without Domestic Abuse with our mission to provide rapid responses to domestic abuse that increase safety for all victims, enabling them to rebuild their lives & create lasting change. We believe in raising awareness through education, training & partnerships in our community.

We take the values of our organisation very seriously - it's the way we set our own expectations about how we work with our service users, partners & each other and how we hold ourselves to account.

Integrity

“We are open, honest and fair in everything we do and everyone we work with. People trust us to do the right things for the right reasons”

Respect

“We value the diversity and uniqueness of all individuals and families. We listen & believe our service-users and strive to always walk with them on their journey with us”

Courage

“We understand and value the courage it takes to work with us and for us. We strive to act at all times with courage; challenging injustices and enabling the voices of our survivors to be heard”

Pride

“Delivering the very best in all we do and holding ourselves accountable for the outcomes”

Innovation

“We strive to find new ways to break the cycle of domestic abuse by supporting research, developing best practice and influencing decision-making at the highest possible level”

Latest

National Stalking Awareness Week 2021

A Stalker is someone who spends a lot of time thinking about how to Stalk someone. We describe this behaviour using the acronym FOUR; Fixed, Obsessed, Unwanted, and Repeated. Stalking is not ok, it’s illegal. If you have chosen to end a relationship, you do not deserve unwanted contact, or threats, or to have your ex-partner turn up uninvited or harass others in your life.
National Stalking Awareness Week - Jenny's Story

We can provide vital support to help victims of stalking, here at Next Chapter we have trained staff members that will help you every step of the way. Click here to read Jenny's story of stalking and how we were able to help her to now live a life free from stalking and domestic abuse.
Sharon Stephens
Sarah Taylor

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.
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Partnerships and memberships

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Funders

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Our journey

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Our history

How to move forward from loss and grief

These are all perfectly natural feelings and reactions to loss and grief and some may even compare it to a bereavement. Even if you don’t feel that way at all you may have been left feeling empty and confused or angry. We might constantly be bargaining with ourselves still or find that depression has taken over. We all deal with loss in our own individual ways and this is what makes each of us so unique. This is perfectly normal too.
How does domestic abuse differ in other cultures?

The actions of individuals are influenced by the norms, values, language, and other cultural factors that are like the dust in the air that surrounds everyone. These cultural factors are ingrained in us from the day we are born, and can play a role in either ending or perpetuating domestic abuse.
Sexual Abuse Awareness Week

Rape and sexual assaults do happen in relationships and if something isn’t comfortable or not wanted then regardless of relationship status should not happen.
Special Place in the Home

So, you survived Monday! Well done. One of the things that I am really missing is seeing my friends and family – we know that ‘being connected’ is really important for our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Having close positive relationships gives us a purpose and a sense of belonging. During this lockdown many of the ways we are usually connected to people – friends, family, work colleagues, school chums – have changed beyond all recognition.
Why doesn't she just leave??

Understanding the reasons and the countless barriers that stand in the way for any woman who is attempting to leave an abusive relationship is the important part. We will never just ask a woman to leave, we empower women to make their own decisions in an attempt to hold abusers to account for their behaviour.
The Role of an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor

So, imagine for a moment that you’ve summoned up the courage to finally leave, you’re feeling vulnerable and afraid and understandably really nervous about what the future might hold –you have to try and find your way through all that…. that's if you even knew half of it existed in the first place or where and how to start to getting in touch with them… So that's where we IDVA’S come in.
Safety begins at home.....?

We know from speaking to our clients, that the lockdown has meant that some perpetrators may not be able to feed their addictions, or they may be over feeding their addictions due to boredom or frustration and this in turn will be affecting their mental health. There is so much research about the dangerous cocktail of this ‘toxic trio’ (the combination of domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental health issues) as it leads to emotions being intensified which in turn drives behaviours.
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

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….

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.