Advice for Professionals
Refuge Services
About The Refuge
Refuge accommodation Is provided by Lighthouse Women’s Aid to offer a safe, supported environment for women and their children requiring an emergency or temporary home when they leave an abusive partner or family member.
About the Accommodation
Families have their own bedrooms, which are furnished for immediate use. Shared living areas include a laundry room, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, toilets and outdoor play and seating area.
How we can support you
Staff at the refuge will support women to access other agencies including help with accessing benefits, seek housing, registering with doctors, health visitors, antenatal care and legal advice.
The Children’s Service Team will assist with the admission of children and young people to schools and nursery places
Welfare staff will be available to help women settle and regain their self-esteem with daily support and sign posting to appropriate services and wellbeing opportunities locally
Resettlement support will be offered as women move on
Aspects of Communal Living
To ensure that all residents feel welcome, comfortable and safe whilst staying in the refuge, there are a number of rules which all women and children are required to follow:
To respect and comply with the conditions laid out in their Licence Agreement
There is a strict non-smoking policy in the refuge buildings with a designated outdoor smoking area
Alcohol and substance use and possession is completely forbidden on site
For Confidential Advice or to Refer
Please call our Refuge on 01473 745 111
Refuge Leaflet
For more information, download our refuge leaflet.
Women’s Centre
Based in Ipswich this is a service for Suffolk and open to all women, young people and children.
The Centre provides a one-stop shop of advice, support and information for women, young people and children, particularly those who are suffering, or have suffered domestic abuse.
Therapeutic Workshops: Throughout the year we offer a wide range of therapeutic classes and workshops with the aim of improving health and wellbeing. It is also an opportunity to learn new skills in a friendly and relaxed group whilst making new friends and having some fun too. So far we have run Zumba, creative writing, music therapy, drumming workshop, memory box, preparing for work with confidence.
Support
One-Stop Advice: We are able to offer advice and support on any issue – appointments are available with one of our trained advisors to discuss your issue in confidence and without judgement. Please call the office to book an appointment.
Open Café: Is an informal drop-in providing an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends whilst being part of a supportive network.
Cuppa & Craft Mornings: Come along and learn some new crafty skills in good company. A social drop-in coffee morning with different weekly craft workshops.
Legal Advice: For women experiencing domestic abuse we can offer the opportunity to discuss any legal issues, worries or questions you may have. Please call the office to book an appointment.
Money Advice Sessions: A money advisor from Ipswich Housing Action Group is available for one to one advice on debt and other money related issues. Please call the office to book an appointment.
Women’s Centre Leaflet
For more information, download our centre leaflet.
Available Programmes:
Freedom Programme: A nationally established support group run by trained female facilitators. This free course offers women an opportunity to share their experiences of domestic abuse in confidence and without judgement. It helps women to make positive choices to protect themselves and their children.
Re-Connect & Play: This group is for mums and children aged between 5 and 11 to come together for some quality time to play. It aims to develop relationships using fun and therapeutic techniques that will have a positive impact on the family unit. These 6 weeks sessions will be interactive, physical and fun.
Re-Connect Together: Re-Connect Together is a 6 week course for children aged between 7 – 13 years old and their Mums. The course aims to improve the attachment between mother and child. This is done by exploring:
Power to Change: The Power to Change course is offered to women that are no longer in an abusive relationship. The first 4 weeks of the 12 week course looks at different types of abusive behaviour, how it can affect women and children and some of the barriers to leaving an abuse relationship. The other 8 weeks of the programme looks at and helps develop and improve self esteem, confidence and assertiveness. The course offers the opportunity to learn new skills in a safe and supportive group.
Who’s In Charge: A programme for parents and carers who have children that use violent behaviour towards them or currently appear to be beyond parental control. This course aims to provide a supportive environment to share experiences and ideas. We work to reduce the shame which most parents feel. We offer ideas to develop individual strategies for managing your child’s behaviour along with exploring ways of increasing safety and wellbeing. This course helps parents to feel more in control and less stressed.
Expect Respect: A specially designed tool kit to use in schools from ages 11 – 18 years. It is split into age appropriate fun and interactive lesson plans that challenge assumptions about gender, highlight the difference between healthy and abusive relationships and promotes the message that abuse is not acceptable.
Escape the Trap: A programme designed to inform young people about teenage relationship abuse. The aim is to learn about the dynamics of power and control at a much earlier stage in their experience of intimate relationships. This is a free 8 week programme just for teenage girls vulnerable to relationship abuse.