University research receives EU funding boost

provision of counselling services available to victims of domestic violence.

The Haven Wolverhampton, an independent charity which provides emergency refuge and community support services to women and children affected by domestic violence, was awarded funding through Daphne – an EU programme which awards grants to Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are active in preventing violence against children, young people and women by assisting them in research.

This piece of research, entitled ‘EU Comparative: Counselling Survivors of Domestic Violence’, will explore various topics related to counselling for victims of domestic violence including issues around availability, funding, effectiveness and attitudes towards counselling services.

The Haven will work with partners from various countries across the EU including Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, The Netherlands, and will also work closely with representatives from the School of Health and Wellbeing at The University of Wolverhampton, UK.

Kath Farmer, Head of Policy & Research at The Haven Wolverhampton said: “We have long recognised the benefit of counselling for women who experience Domestic Violence and The Haven’s Beyond Surviving service leads the field in the provision of counselling for children and young boys experiencing Domestic Violence.

“The research with partners through Daphne funding is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate comparatively the effectiveness and delivery of counseling in a range of European countries and provide a picture of the funding patterns in different countries. Ultimately the aim is to produce evidence of the impact of counselling as an intervention and to make recommendations to funders across Europe which will help counselling services to continue to deliver the kind of support which is needed and appreciated by women and children in the most extreme situations.”

Of working in partnership with The Haven Wolverhampton to deliver this piece of research, Dr Angela Morgan, Senior Researcher for the Centre of Health and Social Care Improvement at the University of Wolverhampton, said:,"I am delighted to be part of this European project exploring counselling approaches for victims of domestic violence. To fully understand the different cultural perspectives involved in moving on for victims of domestic violence will be of huge benefit to the European community.

“It is also vitally important to explore funding regimes in order that the 'Beyond Surviving' counselling support service at The Haven Wolverhampton, and other similar projects elsewhere, may continue to provide this important service that is so valued by its clients and their children. Securing Daphne funding to deliver this project will help to transform the recovery process for many victims of domestic violence."

Expert methodologists and researchers at the University of Wolverhampton, Centro de Estudos para a Intervenção Social (CESIS) Portugal, and the University of Osnabruck Germany will be working closely to deliver the research element of the project.

The completed research will be published and made available to policy makers, funders and decision makers across all the project partner countries. The research will also be presented to professionals in the UK at an international conference at the end of the project in 2013.

ENDS

For more information visit http://www.havenrefuge.org.uk/NewsEvents/Daphne%20Project.html or contact The Haven Wolverhampton on 01902 572143.