Welsh Women’s Aid is incredibly proud that our team behind delivery of the Live Fear Free Helpline in Wales have won the UK Helplines Partnership 2016 Impact Award.
The Impact Award is “for a helpline who has contributed to the sector in an amazing way and is an example to others”. In particular, partnership working between the Live Fear Free Helpline and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust was highlighted for its successful work in ensuring survivors are supported and signposted to specialist services.
Eleri Butler, Chief Executive of Welsh Women’s Aid said
“This Award pays tribute to the dedication, skills, expertise and professionalism of the Helpline team, who work tirelessly to provide a high-quality, 24 hour service for women, children and men experiencing sexual violence, domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women.
This Award follows an event last week celebrating the Helpline’s rebrand and new webchat provision. Survivors are now also able to access the help and support of the Live Fear Free Helpline by using a new webchat function enabling them to get help through multiple channels of communication depending on their needs.”
Carl Sargent AM, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children said:
“I congratulate Welsh Women’s Aid and the Live Fear Free helpline team on their award. I am proud to work with them to ensure help and support is available to those who need it, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The Welsh Government is working to ensure all our public sector staff are trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and are equipped to help victims. It is particularly pleasing to see that the way the helpline works with the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust receives the praise it deserves.”
The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust said:
“The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust feel very privileged to have been included in the Live Fear Free Helpline launch event last week and to have had the opportunity to celebrate the Partnership Working between the Live Fear Free Helpline and our organisation.
The Safeguarding Team within the Welsh Ambulance Service started to work closely with the specialist Helpline in 2013. The challenge for us at that time was to consider ways to promote the support and actions available to our frontline staff when they had contact with victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. We appreciated the enormous courage required to take the first steps for victims and recognised that the Helpline was the best service to facilitate this.
Since then we have worked together to progress a pathway which enables our staff to facilitate the victims contact directly with the Live Fear Free Helpline and services available to them. Their expert advice, guidance and feedback assists learning in relation to these situations and promotes the clinical engagement of our staff with the process.”
The Live Fear Free Helpline is provided by Welsh Women’s Aid and funded by Welsh Government.
Anyone affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, forced marriage, stalking, harassment, sexual exploitation or any other form of violence against women, should call the Live Fear Free Helpline on 0808 80 10 800.