Charity registration number 1005884 Company registration number 02627468 (England and Wales) LEEDS WOMEN'S AID ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 LEEDS WOMEN'S .AID Every woman deserves LEEDS WOMEN'S AID LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION TN8tegs Ms C Clapham (Res￿Ded 22110124} Ms M Clarke (Resigned 3117124) Ms H L Daniels Ms J M Ezard Dr N C Ikeo9U Ms J Mcara Ms R Tredge Dr L Wh¢well Ms V Rolle IAppointed 31171241 Charlty numb•r 1005884 Company numb•r 02627468 Reglfjtsr•d ofllco 52 St John's Lane Halifax HX12BW Auditor 8K Plus Audit Limited 52 St John's Lane Halilax Wesl YoTkshire England HX12BW Bank•r8 Unity Trusl Bank plc 4 8Tindley Place Birmingham 812J8 Triodos Bank Deanery Road Bristol BS15AS Sollcitors Wrigley's Soliators LLP 19 Cookridge Street Leed5 LS2 3AG LEEDS WOMEN'S AID CONTENTS Pa9* Trustees, report 1-37 Independent audilorfs report 38-41 Slalemenl ol financial 8clivibe$ 42 Balance sheel 43 Slalemenl of cash flows 44 Noles lo tho financial statements 45-59 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Directors, and Trustees, reportfor the year ended 31 March 2024 The Trustees present their report and the audited financial statements of the charily for the year ended 31 March 2024. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Praclice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial slalements of the charity. The Chalr's Foreword l am once again delighted lo introduce the Directors. and Tru3tees' report for Leeds Women's Aid (LWA) for the year ended 31 March 2024. LWA has had another very successful year. and we achieved much ofwhal we sèl out lo do, in line with our strategic objectives and while keeping in mind that we would be moving into the final year of the commissioned contracts from Apfil 2024. This year saw a significant increase in our income lo £4.7m. up from £3.9m in 2022-2023, ensuring that the financial position of the organisation remained strong something that we do not lake for granled when we are in such a challenging financial climate overall. Prudeni financial rnanagemenl has seen our reserves grow to a healthy amount- within the rangè agreed by Ihe Board and as outlined in our ReseThes Policy - leaving us Confident in our ability lo discharge our dutles in the event of an unforeseen reduction in or loss of income. We often remark as a Board that we wish there was no need for our organisalion and ils services, however, whilst the need is so clearly there, we are commilled lo continuing lo provide seNices lo the highest standards to meet that need. As with previous years, the demand foi LWA'S services continued lo grow this year and we have continued lo respond to this in increasingly creative ways and Ihrough both leading and woiking in partnership with other organisations through the Leeds Domestic Violence Service (LDVS) and Women & Girls Alliance- Leeds (W&GAL> consortiums. At th8 end of the financial year Ihat this report and audited a¢¢ounts deal with, the counlry was looking towards an unexpected general election, and along with the rest of the sector. we were inlerested lo see the direction of travel for the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) seclor. We are delighted Ihe new government has committed lo halvin9 violence against women and girls within a decade. As an organisalion, we look forward lo being part of this is narrative in the coming years. We will Continue to work collaboratively with the Wesl Yorkshire Combined Authority IWYCA), Leeds City Council ILCC) and Wesl Yorkshire Police {WYP) in service of this commitment, and with a particular focus on the nighl-lime economy and we hope lo be able lo continue to provide innovative services such as the Women, Night Safe Space, which has supported well over 1.000 women since il began and has garnered a high level of praise from many as well as media attention and featuring on 88C News Look Norlh. We are extremely proud of the start of a major proied lo build a new Children and Young People's {C&YPI Hub., an idea that came from feedback from some of the children and young people who have spent lime in our refuges wilh their mothers. The idea for the hub and whal il will provide for children and young people who are bein9 SUPPOrted within the refuges has resonated with a number of individuals and organisalions. and we are well on our way lo meeting the target amount set for the build. The projected timeline for completion of thè hub is late 2025. Work on the overall strategy and specific strategic objectives continued Ihrough the year and were furthèr refined by Ihe Board. Detailed information iegarding progress againsl the objectives can be found in the full report. We continue lo be committed to the slralegy in seNice of our overall aims and a belief that all women and Ghildren should live in safely, and free from abuse and fear. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank the entire staff leam and volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the year, especially during some particularly challenging times As ever, I would also like to offer sincere thanks lo each and every one of LWAS supporters and donors. We have had an incredible response lo some of our campaigns and for which we are incfedibly grateful. as much of our work would not be possible wilhoul these generous donations, both of lime and money. We are excited to continue our work and lo develop the organisalion over the coming year and beyond. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Executive Summary Our Provenance LWA was established 52 years ago in 1972 by commilted feminist activists wanting lo support women and children experiencing and living wilh Domestic Violence and Abuse (DV & A). In 1973 we opened the first refuge outside of London which was Ihe second in the whole of the UK. LWA is now the largest women's charity in Leeds. 11 is an incrèdible honour to be able lo celebrate over 50 years of delivering such amazing lifesaving setvices. We are very proud of what we have achieved and pleased to outline our fulure plans. 'Thank you so much for being there lo support women who need it., wilhoul any biasness; irrespective of skin colour, elhnicily, race, religion. creed or age. LWA has given us mole than whal we could have ever asked for, furniture, lights, clean water for drinking. hol and cold water for bathing. lub, shower, cupboards, side lables. readiiig lamps, wardTobes, clean beds, blankets, duvets, pillows, cutlery in Ihe kitcheii. washing machine. dryer, storage for our belongings. This list is endle55." "I have become more confident. l am able lo go out Ireely wilhoul being controlled. l ¢an now make my own decisions and can now use my phoiie and learning how lo use a laptop. l am a very strong woman now and I can provide for my children. l am happy now and so are my children." What We Do7 We provide a comprehensive and wide range of services to support women and children experiencing and Ilving with DV & A and are also a leading voice lor individuals and our sector lo end VAWG. Much more delall is induded in this report and on our website.. www.leedswomen$ald.org.uk. This financial year 202312024 resulted in a record income for us, following additional fundlng from three main sources.. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communilies (DLUHC) as part of New Burdens Funding, established by the government in response lo the Domestic Abuse Act. WYCA Minislry of Justice (MOJ) funding for our DV & A work. This meant we could plan lo further increase and develop services, but also importanlly invesl in our current, mainly accommodation based, offer. This funding continues through lo March 2025 Additionally. we achieved funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for our work leading the Women Friendly Leeds movement in partnership LCC. How W8 Do It7 The additional funding has enabled us lo increase our slaff numbers and deliver more services and reach more women and children. Again, our contacts, through our firsi point of contact services. incieased lo record levels, see seclion 3.1 of the main report. Our people remaln our greatest assel and strength, and we support, develop and invest in our teams. Together, we deliver lifesaving services Ihal we know are needed and we also lead the agenda for ending violence against women and girls, ensuring Ihal women and children'5 voices are heard across the City. Fundraising and Finance This year has been a femarkable year for our charity. expanding our services, inGreasing our income and our reach, and continuing to diversify our work. Oui partnership work has gone from strength to slrenglh and our repulation in thought leadership and influencing social change is intensifying. During this year we launched our ambilious C&YP Hub project, aiming lo raise over £300.000 to build a state-of_the-art Hub for our children and young people who live in our emergency accommodalion. The idea for the Hub originated from our beneficiaries in December 2022 and they are al the forefront of ils design. During this financial year we created a project board, with many trades giving US thousands of pounds worth of pro bono lime and expertise, we launched our LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 public appeal, Teceived huge amounts of publiGity and started oui capital fundraising scheme. We are aiming lo have Ihis built by late 2025, and will be reporting progress on a regular basis. As to our ovèrall financial position. see section 5.9 for more detail bul in summary we.. Increased our income to £4,791,694. Delivered a surplus of £365,782 in 2023124. Maintained a level of unrestricted reserves of £797,156 compared with a policy level of between £710,000 and £818,000. During the year, we used some designated reserves1£25.267) by investing in Ihe initial development and fundraising campaign for the C&YP Hub. Due lo the expansion in this yeai, an amounl of £75,000 has been designated as a general contingency for the nexl financial year, with an additional £25,000 contingency should we need lo support the C&YP Hub. GovernanGe and risk management Our governance structures are well defined and work well. Our redefined board-led committees: People and Organisalional Development Committee, Finance and Governance Committee and Fundraising, Marketing and Social Media Committee, are driving our strategic objeclives forwards. The Boafd ensure Ihal risk management is regularly considered and our risk register is fit for purpose. Our future LWA's Strengths are in delivering excellent services, leading collaborative partnerships, developing new and innovative services and having strategic influence lo¢ally. fegionally and nationally. This year has seen another increase in demand for LWA'S services. both in our sland-alone seNices. and In leading the LDVS projects. Additionally, we are continuing to work in partnership wilh Ihe W&GAL and Women Friendly Leeds IWFLI to Introduce new seNicès and improve influence across the City in line with our strategic objectlV8 lo be a leader of. and a voice for, women-centred support in Leeds and surroundlng areas. The Board has revised our strategic objectives and has been Working with our Senior Leadership Team {SLT) to.. Evaluate and report on the performance against our strategic objeclives. Work with LCC commissioners on extending our LDVS commissioned seNices from April 2025 for a further three year5 to March 2028, covered in more detail in section 5.1. Continue to develop our people, both staff and Irustees. ensuring thal they are supporled, developed and invested in. Continue our work on equity, diversity and inclusion, with our foTh¥aTd focus on mental health and supporting staff. Create strategies lo mitigate the financial and social challenges facing Ihe country and charities in respect of the continued impacls of the cost of living crisis, polilical changes and the uncertainty of futu￿ government funding. The Board and SLT are determined to build on the successes illustrated in this report and do even more to deliver on our beliefs Ihal: All women and children should live in safety. free from abuse and fear. Every woman and child have a voice and should be empowered. inspired and listened to. Women centred support is powerful and improves the lives of women, men and ohildren. These beliefs are the major driver for why we do what we do and provide the inspiralion to our staff, truslees, volunleers, fundeis and supporters. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Contents ection Page Number Purpose and impact Summary Highlights Progress on strategic objectives chievements and performance taff engagement and Commilmenl wards and Recognition Business Parlnerships ur Refuges Service UserNictim-Survivor Feedback for refuges and safe houses Children and Young People's Teams Slaying Safe Programme LDVS Daily Risk Assessment Meètings {DRAMs) he Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemelclare's Law omen & Girls Alliance- Leeds (W&GAL) 10 10 10 11 16 17 21 22 25 26 .10 28 Support provlded he numbers from April 2023 to March 2024 ypes of Abuse Impact and Service User Feedback 27 27 27 27 alues and Culture he behaviours Ihal create our Culture laff feedback 29 30 30 peratlng model and risks Fundraising Marketing mbassador 31 31 31 32 harily Shop Donation5 olunteers 32 33 33 33 33 34 Investments Reserves Policy Financial Review Future plans 35 overnan¢e and decision-maklng 35 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Risk management Dala security and proteclion Information, Communications, Technology (ICT) 36 36 36 tstutory infomatlon udilors ruslees of the charity Public Benéfil Statement of responsibililies of the Trustees lalemenl of disclosure of informaliorb lo Auditors 37 37 37 37 37 37 Purpose and Impact mma LWA was 8slablished in 1972 and Iherelore celebrates its 52nd year in operation. It was formed by committed feminist aclivists wanting lo support women and children experiencing and living with DV & A. LWA is Ihe largest women's chariiy in Leeds and allhough the scope ofourwoTk and aclivily has developed, supporting women and girls who have multiple and the most complex of needs through our pat1nership work, and additionally, coordinating some services to men and transmen through our commissioned Services, we remain committed to our feminist approach and the client groups with whom we work. We continue to provide a range of the very best services for vulnerable women and families who ale victims and survivoTS of.. domestic, sexual & honour-based violence and abuse,. forced marriage,. Iraffi¢king,' stalking and harassment. LWA continues to be the lead agency in the local authority commissioned LDVS Consortium and the W&GAL, leading on the National Lollery Communily Fund and UKSPF funded projects. LWA also Continues to lead on various other partnership initiatives around voice and inlluence and women and girl'5 safely. LWA is leading the LDVS consortium in the 7th year of the 8-year commissioned conlracls. being responsible for the quality and performance of all services that are delivered in partnership. LWA is responsible for the delivery of Ihe commissioned LDVS emergency accommodation and refuge provision. the Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) service, the 2417 helpline, and various community-based services. In addition, LWA continues lo deliver our flagship independent refuges, and offers wmmunily developm8nl, police control room consullalion and support, on-line live chal support, healthy relationship and slaying safe programmes and activities, 6UPPOrt for women with multiple and complex needs and continues lo deliver the newer partnership projects such as Ask for Angela and the Women's Night Safe Space. LWA supports women and children predominantly from Leeds and the Yorkshire and Humber region, bul also often works with women from across the UK vihen safely issues arise. The Gonlinued DLUHC funding has enabled us lo conlinue to lead, develop and expand the large mulli-8gency partnership on behalf of LDVS. This includes the Sanctuary Support Team (SST), as well a5 the LDVS Voices projecl, working collaboratively with partnefs lo oblain and share the views of victims-survivors of DV & A across Leeds from a range of people and communities, including women, men, LGBT+ people and thildren and young people. We continue to be the charity of choice for many individuals and organisations, developing our work with individual and community fundraising, along with working with Gorporates to develop lasting relationships. In summer 2023. we launched our capilal fundraising appeal for a new dedicated C&YP Hub which will be based at the commissioned refuge. The Hub is an exciling and innovative project and will make a huge difference lo lives of children and young people who have been impacted by domeslic violence and abuse. From April 2023 to Mafch 2024 we supported over 107 children and young people in refuge settings, with almost every adult a¢￿SSing the refuge SeN[￿ having one or more children who have witnessed or experienced Ihe tTauma of domestic violence and abuse. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 We want lo break the cycle of abuse and ensure children in our refuges can access support to overcome the trauma of abuse. We report on this in section 2.5. From April 2023 to March 2024, the numbers of calls to our helpline continued to increase. surpassing previous peak levels and last yearfs record. Total calls and short-term work reached almost 7,742 for Ihe year. Requests for our refuges continued to soar, bul we can rarely admit more than a fiaction of those thal make enquiries or we receive referrals for due to a lower number of transfers lo allernative accommodation. LWA continues to show leadership and strength in the sector, working hard to increase funding to partners lo help influence positive changes. We have ensured that our LDVS partners. and other organisations that we've brought into Ihe large LDVS-led consortia projecls, have received further funding. We also continue lo show generous leadership with the W&GAL, sharing information. ideas and opportunities. As one Alliance partner said "T17ank yoii for always beiijg so Ihoiiglilliil and gefierous willi yoiir linie aiid knowledge. 1118ally ineai)s a lol and Inakes a geiiiiii?e dilfei81)ce to lis. We have continued our collaborations with the WYCA and LCC, regarding reducing VAWG. particularly in relation to streets and parks, and the night-time economy. In addition, we started ourwork funded thiough the UKSPF. LWA has been inslrumental this year in working with partners in the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board, VAWG Board, Domestic Abuse Voice & Accountability (DAVA) Forum and Safer Leeds Executive. lo raise awareness and action regarding both VAWG and domeslic abuse, induding increasing the number of vi¢lims-survivors voices Ihal are heard and acted on. Our work leading the SST continues lo creale national conversations and shows how we can holistirAlly support people from different backgrounds and communities whilst making their properties more safe and secu￿. This year we added further posl, working for the first lime in partnership with Age UK. to offering dedicated support to women over 50 who experience DV & A. We have made huge advances in working with viclims-SUNivors in our DV&A Voices project, in ensuring that their voices are heard and that their lived experience is used lo influence real change in Ihe City by slakeholders. commissioners, decision makers and planners. The Voices project started a huge conversalion wilh Wesl Yorkshire Police, supporting viclims-survivors to engage with senior police officers lo listen to their experiences in order to help enact change. We are also delighted with the work our expanded C&YP's teams are doing both in refuge and in the ¢ommunily, and have a seclion dedicated lo this work in 2.6 below. ro res ons rate ico eclives Our strategic objectives remain central lo our deployment and impact during this year and we have refined our slralegic objectives and extended our slralegy to 2026. This year saw us refine our slrategic obje¢lives lo four, focussing in on Ihe areas of most importance lo us. Recent progress against each of them is reported on below. 1.3.1 To be a leador of, and a voice for, women-centred support in Leeds and surroundlng areas This objective from previous years remains key through to 2026. as il focusses our attenlion on how we can help lo lead our seGlor in improving our combined and collaborative Vol￿ and improve the lives of women and gills in Leeds. WÈ are a'leaderf in two different ways-"Leadership" in r8lation to being formal leaders of consortia, allending meetings, being an expert and voice of the sector. and 'GenefOU5 Leadership- which is equally important lo us and involves pro- bono work, supporting smaller organisalions and using Our time and resources for Ihe benefit of others. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Exam les of our Leadershi thi ear- Increased awareness of the W&GAL and Ihe work we are doing, in particular. consultations with young women on spiking, which will lead to a report wilh three 'asks' to be shared in August and September 2024 with partners, culminating in a Leeds wide focus on reducing Ihe levels of, and fear of. spikin9. We have been leading on voices and influence work of women who have experienced DV & A, leading on domestic abuse strategy. ensuring Ihal stakeholders recognise that it has to be driven by voices and victim-SLtrvivors experlences. On behalf of W&GAL and the thifd sector, LWA led on our partnership work with LCC and WYCA for the UKSPF to shape il lo focus on women and girls, outcomes. Towards the end of the financial year, we started to worf( within the Northern Training Consortium. funded through the MOJ, to dellver a series of monthly lunch and learn sessions for front line slaff who work with vidims-survivors of sexual violence and abuse. Our role is lo deliver sessions for Yorkshire & Humbefside. so we brought in some of our lorAI colleagues, including Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds, Kirklees, Calderdale & Wakefield Rape and Sexual AbLtse Centre and Bradford Rape Crisis to deliver expert. creative and engaging training sessions. les of Generous Lead rshi this Our CEO shares relevant opportunities wilh colleagues. particularly through Ihe W&GAL, including sharing the details of the CCLA deposit fund. which improves finanryal security by spreading investment risk, and also provides income from interest. Our CEO started lo work wilh one of our very small partners in the W&GAL lo help them redesign and lake forward their strategy, and lo create a new post of CEOIDirector. This was started in this financial year. but is continuing, LWA are helping with the project management, HR, advertising and recruilment work. 1.3.2 To be a great place to work where people can develop and grow and our values, Including equlty and dlversity, underpin what we do and how we do IL This n8wly updated strategic objective has been driven by our desire lo be an employer of choice and lo create developmenl and leadership opportunities, and effeclive succession planning. Due lo our expansion we have continued to invest in our people and in our people department. having expertise in- house to lead on a people and culture strategy along with learning and development. This has just begun and we will report further next year. We are proud that many of OUT front-line staff have started with us through casual relief work, and then progress lo become employees. Additionally. due lo successful succession planning and leadership and development training, over 700/0 of our team leaders and managers are promoted in-house. We have started our programme of mandatory anli-racism and neurodiversity training for staff and trustees, and had our first ever inlernal staff conference for May 2023 focussing on Ihese two main issues, having external speakers and staff experiences, along with staff award5 nominated by the staff themselves. Our recent staff suNey showed that 900/0 of staff fell that they were comfortable talking about Iheir background and cultural and personal experiences with their colleagues. Our slaff-led Wellbeing Committee goes from strenglh to strength and has begun organising our next staff conference specifically around menlal health. lo be held during Mental Health Awareness Week. For Ihe second year, we will also have the following staff awards celebrating our committed and passionate staff. Colleagues will nominate who they Ihink exemplifiès the best of our values.. Above & Beyond Award {Be Exceptionall- someone who consistently strives to give Iheir best lo LWA, their colleagues and everyone they come into conlacl wilh. Everyday Hero Award (Be Courageous) - someone who moves out of their comfort zone lo accomplish something they believe in or lo achieve personal growth. The 3 Cheers Award {Be Incluslve)- someone who gets the best out of melolhers by always being available to listen. include and offer support. The High Flve Award {BÈ Inspirational) - Someone who continuously works on building and maintaining trust within the team. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Helping Hands Award IBe Responslve>- someone who is the first to put their hand up and support a project. 1.3.3 To be an organisation that innovates by identlfylng and Invgstlng in opportunities ensuring long tpmi sustsinability and stability. This year's income was over £4million and marginally above that budgeted. However, as for many charities, the next few years will be a challenge with the political landscape being unclear, and the hope that government funding will increase due lo the huge demand on the sector. We plan to invesl in Ihe Fundraising and Markeling team to increase funding opporiunilies, including individual giving, events and activities. Our strategic aim ernphasises the need to be challenging and Courageous in diversifying our reach and our funding. By investing our lime on developing corporate partnerships. we have received an increasing number of 'Charity of the Year. nominations. 1.3.4 To rèflect on and assess how our accommodation offer impacts clients In LeedB and to explore opportunities to enhan¢8 hlgh quality accommodation provision. This strategic objective is our most challenging, but one we find inspiring and very relevant lo our values. Our current provision is eX￿lIent, innovating and lilesaving. A review of our accommodation offer shows thal we work hard to ensure that the emergency accommodation offer we have is a welcoming space for people from a range of different backgiounds and we promote and support timely move-on for victim-survivors when it is safe for them to do so. Staff are trained in sex-based and gender-based violence and have a clear understanding of sex and gender inequalities. Whilst our safe accommodation and support is provided predominantly lo women and girls, due lo them experiencing disproportionate levels of violence and abuse, our teams do recognise that DV & A can impact people of any gender, and therefore somo of our dispersed accommodation offer is open for people of any gender, where appropriate. The approach we lake and the specialisl Iraining that slaff benefit from allows us lo adapt and impSement support that is relevant and personal lo individual servicg user's needs. thus understanding the complexily of hisloric and cu¥r8nt inequalities of power balances that exisl in society We also need to differentiate be￿een a wide rang8 of backgrounds, ethnicilies, beliefs and cultures. For example. we have recenlly delivered awareness sessions with our seNice users discussing human trafficking, impacts of forced-marriage and Female Genital Mutilation practices and safely measures with regards to children and young people visiting families overseas, and also within the UK. Our leams work effectively and proactively with external agencies via partnership working, to address multiple needs of victim-survivors from a range of differenl backgrounds. This is to ensure wrap-afound multi-agency inte￿entIOn and support throughout their slay. This also ensures appropriale ¢ontinued support is in place for when service users exil our service and in case any polenlial safe measures or options are required if repeal violence or abuse occurs. These key support areas relate lo housing, health. finance, legal. employment, educalion, religious or ethnic beliefs, language, community or cultural activities and learning. This is both on an individual basis and on a broader basis, for example woik we deliver with the Hamara Cenlre. local mosques or temples who provide refltge families with weekly donalions of dry and culturally appropriate food. We also provide access to support via women-focused agencies for immigration advice, educational learning or access lo employment, often providing first-lime opporlunilies. Currently we have four accessible unils for service users who require physical support and access. This may also often entail working alongside slatutory services lo ensure we do meet the individual needs of all disabled service users. This could be access to additional aids, movablelfixed adjustments within the home, referrals lo Occupational Therapy assessments, support with hearing or sight impairments and further linking in with external agencies who deliver specific additional support. This coincides with relevant safely planning, risk assessments and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS), We are commilted lo breaking down barriers whereby cultural sensilivity and inclusivity is at the forefront in everything we do. We continually aspire to identify that our accommodalion respects and acknowledges different cultural praclices, neufodiversily, traditions and community pressures. We deliver this by providing individual responses lo all of our service-users accessing support whilst also factoring in an understanding of any additional difficulties for viclim-8urvivors being able to escape DV & A. Within our accommodation, we also provide practical ilems such as furnishings. cultural items or similar. For example-. lolas, tawas and other cooking utensils. prayer mats and religiouslholy texts are also provided in first.languages. Welcome packs are provided for each service user aGcessing accommodation which is age relalable and specific to different backgrounds, including for children and young people. These welcome packs outline the seNices we offer, LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 service expectations during their stay. information about local services and relatable service user feedback or experiences. For children and young people, age appropriate toys and services are provided during their slay. These include activities that raise awareness of DV & A. identifying the differences belween unhealthy or healthy relationships, providing a safe space for learning, voicing their experiences as a victim. underslanding parental relalionshipsldynamics, answering questions they may have al their stage of development and also lo provide an opportunity lo have fun with other children 8nd young people of Iheir age through play Support plans and safely plans are addilionally created with children and young people that are relevant to their own individual needs with regular one-lo-one support provided by specialisl children and young poople's workers. 'Move-on & Reselllement support. is al the forefront of support planning and often starts when service users inillally access safe accommodation wilh us. This usually takes some lime lo bring lo fruition, hence reselllement and housing options are discussed in initial support planning. where support workers guide service users with their options and identify goal-selling objectives during their stay. This may include a number of housing oplions including social, private. relurn lo home (if il's safe lo do so and wilh safe provisions put into place) or on occasion purchasing new homes for the first time. Our Housing Management and DV & A Support worker teams use Ihis information lo develop individualised 'Move-On & Reselllem@nt' plans with service users. These plans are usually implemenled when il 15 appropriate lo recovery i.e. as soon as the seTvi¢e user feel emotionally, psychologically and physically able.11 is paramount that they feel Ihey are sufficiently recovered from the trauma, experiences and impacts of fleeing domèstic violence and abuse. Once developed, these plans are reviewed every 6-8 weeks and coincide wilh needs assessed and survivor-led support plans and risk assessments. Service users are given realistic and achievable advice. All housing options are considered to open a variety of pathways fO￿ard and these are reviewed together on an ongoing basis. Staff support service usèrs with understanding and completing multiple housing applications. encourage active & regular weekly bidding. applying for bond assistance or funding io support tenancy move-on. search for Pfivale rented accommodation or lo consider any alternative accommodation that may support Iheir individual needs i.e. ongoing supported accommodation. sheltered accommodalion elc. Our Housing Managemenl team are constantly looking for access to move on properties though Registered Landlords and Private accommodalion providers by establishing and sustaining effective partnerships and allending meeting5 or housing forums lo deliverlpresenl information about the work and services that we deliver, whilst highlighting the paramount need for move on, turnover ol refuge provision and the overall purpose of offering safe accommodalion lo all victim-survivors al heightened risklcrisis point. Service users who identify as requiring additional support with immigralion barriers or access to No Recourse to Public Funds lor similar) are provided guided support in accessing legal immigration advice. This speclalist advice is often sought prior to and then during their stay. DV & A 5UPPOrt workers will allend these meelings wilh service users and make necessary arrangements for travel tolfrom these meetings often paid via funding obtained lo support oveTGoming the barriers. Often our service users have never lived alone. Throughout their slay with us and thfoughoul Iheir 'move-on and resetllemenl, support lup lo 6-8 weeks exiling refuge) they are provided with continued guidance lo enable successful independence, empowerment and to sel down links within Iheir new communitie5. This is oflen delivered in a variety of ways depending on Ihe needs of the service user, and can include funding for deposits, provision of furniture, essential while goods, household items and advice lo understand tenancy management. paying bills or managing finances. Information about local seNices, community support and partnership links are created or offered. This helps lo ensure Ihal the move is sustainable and does not re-lrigger trauma bul mitigates transferable mirroring of experiences of when they fled from domestic violence and abuse. During this lime our support lo families with children and young people will also continue as we are aware Ihal this transition can also be a tiigger or another trauma for them too. The wrap around support from the very start of their stay within refuge to the exil point Irom our services helps families with stability. al a significant lime of heightened stress. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Additionally, all service users are offered a programme named 'Staying Safe, (currently funded externally) which helps victim-survivors to recognise and recover fiom domeslic violence and abuse and Iheir individual experiences. Importantly, it also helps each service user lo recognise signs of potential domestic abuse and violence and to know as far as possible how to prevent this happening again. The Slaying Safe programme aims to help families to avoid gelling into a cycle of domestic abuse and ensure a safe, secure home. It is currently being delivered in three community languages (English. Urdu and Polish) via groupwork and on a one-lo.one basis. ￿ere appropriate, both English and non-English versions are dèlivered for greater interaclion and underslanding. Our children's team additionally deliver the 'You and me, mum, progfamme which aims to empower and support survivors in furthering their understanding of their role as mothers. address the needs of their children and young people who have lived with or are victims of domestic violence and abuse. It empowers mothers to empower themselves and their children during recovery and to hopefully move forward successfully. Along with our current offer, we are also looking al how we can develop and expand our accommodalion setvices due to Ihe huge lack of housing properties in Leeds and throughout Ihe UK. Our Housing Management Coordinator is working hard in partnership with a wide range of housing related stakeholders to ¢onsidei our future develop of accommodation. We are exploring Options of working with affordable housing associations and planning lo buy some of our own aocommodation like other refuge providers have started lo do. Achlevements and Performance LWA conlinltes to grow from strenglh to slrength and our impacts are being felt a¢ross the Cily and the wider UK. Some specific achievements are.. Staff En em and Commitment Recruitment continues to impTove and we have seen some greal additions lo our staff teams. We are pleased that we continue to recruil, induct, support and invest in new and existin9 slaff. LWA has a challenging Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy lo ensure that LWA treats all staff, colleagues in other agencies and service users fairty and in a way that encourages them lo feel included in LWA'S acllvilies and goals and lo encourage all members of staff lo achieve and maintain a high standard of conduct, especially in relation to the Irealmenl of Golleagues and seNice users who may not share their ability, age group, ethnicity, gender. marital slalus, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation or any other protected characterisli¢ as laid down by legislalion. Staff engagement remains high, and we are pariicularly proud of how we have prioritised working together to put anti- racist practlces and neurodiversily firmly on our agenda this year, along with wellbeing and support for mental heallh. In a recent staff survey, 1 OOOA of staff say they are committed lo the values of LWA, 930/0 know where lo access relevant information lo support their wellbeing and 850h feel accepted for who they are. Awards ndRe nilion Our Access and Assessment Team {AAT) were nominated for two national awards al the Helpline5 PartneTshlp Conference for 'Helpline of the Year. and 'Menlor of the Year, whiGh 15 an incredible achievement considering il was our first year of attaining the Helplines Partnership Slandard. Our Sanctuary Support Team (SST) were highly commended Ihis year for "Diversity Project of Ihe Yeal, al Leeds Compassionate City Awards 2023. In March 2024. the SST commissioner's fed back that the SST were mentioned in the Domeslic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group Annual Progress Report. Following the success of us winning the Horsforth Christmas shop window competition 2022. we came a fantastic 2 place in Christmas 2023. Our Chief Executive, Nik Peasgood. was nominated for a nalional Police VAWG award al the national poll¢ing recognition event for co-chairing the Wesl Yorkshire Police VAWG Independent Advisory Group. Sh8 didn'l win th8 national award bul won the regional award for Rising Star. 10 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Nicola Marlow. our DV&A Voices Pfojects Manager, was also nominated for an award al this yearfs Police VAWG awafds in the category of Victim centred and collaboiative working. Results in the nexl annual report. Nik was also selected as a shortlisted nominee for Ihe West Yorkshire Policing Awards 2024 in the VAWG - The Mary Ethel Danby Award category during this financial year- outcomes in Ihe next annual report. s Partn Busine rshi We continue to maintain and develop valuable business and community relationships. Support includes money raised from fundraising activities. business grants and in-kind support. "L WA was oveiwheliningly the choice lo be oiir Leeds Offic8 Chalily. We recogi?ised 1178 aii?azii?g work 11?al Ilie charity does lo support people affecled by doineslic violence aiid raise awareness of117e oiigoii?9 117?poifance of this issiie. Everyoi?e ii? oiir Le8ds Office was keeii lo provide Ilieii" slipport wlielhef thal was Ihrougl? fiii7draisi17g aclivilies like caiial walks and 10K iiins, oi. by doi?aling clolhing lo 11?e LWA sl?op. Bevan Brittan LLP "Evgislieds Siilhèilaiid Leeds havè b98n pioud lo siippoil Leeds Wom8n's Aid over 11?0 P8sI foiii. years. 11 s iniportanl foi. us at Eveisl?eds lo be iiivolved wi117 local charilies. Ilie shaq) rise ii? i17cidei?Is ol doii?&slie viol8iiGe duriipg COVID broliglil Ihe invalilable wo1* of L WA lo oiir alle171ion. Doinaslic vi01811c8 awar8lleSS IS IIOW part of oui. Geiider N8twork aijd we will be a longslaipdii?g p81fi?er lo LWA by raisii)g awarei?8ss ol Iliis issiie ai7Joi?g co1188g(ies ai?d Ihe wider coi?7miiiiily as well as fuiidiaisiilg lo eiiable ils wort( lo coiiliiiu8 foi-11?ose iii 1186d. Eversheds, Leeds Our refuges are committed lo providing the best service lo our residents as well as meet our obligation for Ihe health and safely of our residents and lo achieve and exceed where possible the Decent Homes Standard. Housing conlribuled in the following ways.. 2,4.1 Housekeeping Our housekeeping team have worked lirelessly lo ensure the refuges remairb in good Condition, ¢lean, welcoming and responsive lo the needs of residents and the organisalion. They worked lo aflect a 3-way move between 3 refuges to enable a resident due lo have a baby, another with a toddler and a third client, to move to a more suitable unil. This involved cleaning, carrying oul void repairs, restocking and dressing each unit simultaneously. As well as working with slaff they respond lo individual residents to ensure they have the right cooking utensils and crockery and Provide a welcoming toy in Ghildren's rooms. They co118cI food donalions from Sainsbury's supermarket weekly and Hamara warehouse and distribute il lo our clienls. They also arranged for a stock of religious books and prayer mats in Ihe refuges so they are available to clienls upon requesl. 2.4.2 Contraclors We use various trades Io carry oul repairs to our units. As a feminist organisation and working f￿quentlY with vulnerable women, we felt that we should also enGourage female businesses and partners. We sought to increase the number of female contractors with whom we work and welcomed 2 new female led maintenance contracting companies onlo our books for domeslic plumbing and ele¢lrical work. 11 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 2.4.3 Health & Safely We have had a renewed focus on Health and Safety overthe past 12 months. Areas actioned from fire risk assessments included working with our landlord to update the emeT9Èncy lighting and fire doors al of our scheme5. We arranged three sessions for fire warden training for our staff, which will be repeated regularly for new staff and as refresher training. 2.4.4 Household Support Fund We have been successful in obtaining increased funding through the Household Support Fund which was to be used lo address energy and water costs for residents. The funding allowed us lo give 12-weeks' relief from Personal Service Charge payments for each of our residents Personal Setvice Charge paymenl covers the cost of utilities that the individual household uses which can't be Glaimed from Housing Benefit, and due lo the cost of living crisis and huge rise in utility costs, these payments were very essential. We were also able to dislribule food vouchers for all families in refuge, giving amounts in rolalion to their requirements, along with purchasing a range of essentials linked to energy reduction which helped lo address general health. health and safety and allowing residents to be more energy efficient. Ihus also reducing costs 2.4.5 Kil¢hens The main commissioned refuge was surweyed and plans drawn up to install new kitchens. Staff were able to review and change the plans to improve storage and work areas in some of the kitchens. Th8 slaff will help lo coordinate the work being carried out. 2.4.6 Wi-Fi and telephones We are also gelling ahead of the analogue shuldown by installing a new phone system and improving access to Wi-Fi in our units and offices. 2.4.7 Impacts Regular awareness sessions and inleraclive aclivilies have been introduced within our main sile commissioned refuge during the past year engaging with residents in a group setting benefitling from the following sessions. Crealing awareness around DV & A in a group setting (additional to one-to-one support and the Slaying Safe Programme). This has been welcomed by all, with a much grealer number of attendances from our residents These sessions have been taking place each month with facilitalion delivered by Our trained DV & A refuge support Wofkers. This has introduced an additional safe space for peer support and supportive mechanisms from our service lo educate and explore topics that meel the identified needs of our residents. Additional needs have been considered in the delivery of these sessions such as crealing awarenes5, underslanding and delivering guidance on coping strategies. Examples of sessions delivered this year are.. Dry January - Having open and confidential discussions around dependency, binge-drtnkin9, safe levels of alcohol use, how we can look and explore Ihe benefits of r8du¢ing. actively implementing safe drinklng and how lo respond and support olhers wilh dependencies. Human Traificklng, Modern Day Slavery and Exploitatlon Covering the signs, effecls and impact of being trafficked on the viclim-survivor and families along wilh services and support that is available within our communities. Understanding the main types and key principles of trafficking, legislation and crimlnal support measures around exploilalion, discussing myths and misconceptions and understanding the conGepts of force, coercion, abuse and power or posilion of vulnerabilities. Following the session all clients are provided with a brief toolkit of information to take away and can be used during support sessions with their DV Support workers. 12 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The leams also arrange large and small get-togethers for refuge families, induding celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. where staff wore purple, green 2nd pink and look part in activities with residents. The theme was Invest in Women.. Accelerate Progress and Inspire Inclusion. All were involved in creative art work with clay which everyone enjoyed and we5comed as an alternative method of expression. Our residents weie encouraged lo reflect on inspiralional and positive quotes lo add to personalised plaques they had made. Resident feedback showed that they really enjoyed participating in Ihese activities. were inspired by the learning and felt empowered by discussions around all inspirational women and women who are making an aclive change in our sociely. The leams have been working in dose partnership with Hyde Park Source and we are in the initial stages of implementin9 a Women's Gardening Group just for our resident women lo give an opportunity to develop friendships and peer support, and do something that they are really passionate about as a hobby. Maui Thai Self-defen¢e hosted a class in honour of Leeds Women's Aid which was really supportive, and raised £200. 13 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The teams have successfully supported multiple residents with access to the Home Office's 'Fulure Fund, by completing individual applications lo provide greater opportunities in residents move-on plans. For example, the team supported a resident to access the Fund which enabled the famity lo relurn home lo Romania so that Ih8y could be near family, friends and support ne￿orkS, where the family expressed they fell most comfortable lo slart their lives again. Eid Celebralions continue lo lake place each year. This year the teams hosted activities across all refuge siles, which were well attended. Acllvilies included various games, sharing of cultural foods and many fun activilies for thé families. Our Muslim families had a great Ramadan this yeaf and during fasting periods our learns adapted communicalion and welfare Gall tirnings lo support families with sleep schedules and altered commilmenls. Teams afe in the proces5 of identifying differing cultural heritages and will be implementing further celebrations, understanding of inclusion and Grealing awareness of multiple communities who reside wilhin our refuges and Leeds. 14 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 2.4.8 Training We have welcomed a number of new employees and relief workers to our reluges over the past year. All have been involved in completing shadowing of key roles and participaled in relevant training facilitated by our team leaders oullining service deliveries. For example, a 'Q&A session. was delivered by our Refuge Team Leader and further shadowing was introduced so new colleagues could apply their leaming into typical scenarios that arise. The 'Q&A session, covered aspects such as 'about the 5eTvices we deliver,, 'lypes of DV & A experienced by our currenl residents,, 'awareness of survivor voices by delivering real-life examples of experiences of DV & A, and details of programmes, inlervenlions and meetings delivered wilhin the refuge. Other best practice training has taken place, e.g. Internal Safeguarding Processes, Understanding and delivering Professional curiosity, Inclusion and Ants'.racism, and Understanding Neurodiversity. All teams have been involved in attending one of our partners training sessions to help increase knowledge and ensure best practice in their support delivery with residenls. The teams have been allending Forward Leeds Iraining courses on understanding, responding and supporting alcohol and substance misuse or dependencies. 2.4.9 Partnership working Our refuge leams have regularly been engaged in partnership working with a number of local services in and around Leeds. This is to provide support and guidance with residents during their slay. whilst also creating additional pathways of support for future purposes. This delivery is always with a person-cenlred approach focusing support on the needs of individual clienls specifically. A few example5 include.. Leeds Mental Wellbelng Sèrvice ILMWSI: the team have been supporting residents lo access specialist LMWS support for their mental health and wellbeing. Our residents have been engaged in a number of interventions including access to online groupwork, one.lo-one talking Iherapies and telephone support. The psychological themes Ihat are discussed primarlly relate to increased anxiety. stress. insomnia, depression. impacts of circumslan¢es, fear of change and Lsncertainty. The team have also created referral palhways wilh Single Point of Access (SPAI for immediate crisis mental heallh support relating lo suicide prevenlion. Hyde Park Source: the C&YP team conlinsjes lo work alongside the LCC Healthy Holidays Scheme providing acliviliès to Ouf families, including creative arts, outdoor activities like gardening or sports. They have been promoling heallhy eating, discussing budgeting oplions and affordable food options lo support all families impacted by the cost of living i.e. increases in the cost of food producls, consumer inflation elc. Throughoul the Christmas period, Hyde Park Source offered all families in refuge an opportunity to come lo two family sessions al a local church. This provided families with a Christmas themed meal and a food hamper lo bring home. Teams have built a great partnership wilh a local perfume business who were looking lo work with a charity wilhin Leeds. On requesl, they are providing prayer mats, Qurans in Arabic. Persian, English and other languages to our residents. We have also developed another great partnership with Santander Bgnk who have been providing financial budgeting and awareness training sessions to all staff. This ensures knowledge of financial aspects is currenl and equips our staff with the ability to share their knowledge wilh our residents which enables Ihem to manage finances effectively. Our residents are receiving regular weekly donations of food and ready meals from a company named 'Cooks' who have chosen lo support LWA. This has very much been welcomed by all lamilies. 2.4.10 The Out of Hours (OOH) Team The leam continue lo answer the helpline and support clients in refuge whilst laking cafe of the refuge building outside of normal office hour5, leading lo huge numbers of positive feedback and compliments. Many people need or chose to contact our helpline oul of office hours, due to work. family commitments. ability lo speak for longer amongst some of the reasons. Our OOH leam are so essential lo the services we offer. Not only are they based in person al our main sile commissioned refuge. but they offer direct support and help to our 43 families at any time of day or night. The team leader successfully completed her Inslitule of Leadership & Management level 3 qualificalion. She has trained all the refuge team leaders and the DV & A support workers to increase the number of staff able to SUPPDrt the helpline and to improve Ihe workers confidence and skills. Many of the workers support OL¢r LDVS Access and A53essmenl Team (AAT) during particularly busy periods. creating incredibly positive feedbaGk and partnership work. 15 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 There have been residents at high risk with cornplex needs at refuge sites where the OOH team have gone lo support in person, working over and above their contractual obligations to creale and develop valuable partnerships wilh other agencies e,g. police, paramedics and Community Menlal Health Teams (CMHTS). A client in refuge was grateful lo another OOH worker for supporting her and her daughlef when she was going through a Mental Health crisis. A client in refuge thanked an OOH woikef when leaving as she helped her dau9liler creale a CV and Ihis made a real diffe¥ence lowards her fulure opportunities_ Service serl Victim-survivor Fee back f fu es nd saf house "I have become more confidenl. l am able lo go out fieely wilhoul being controlled. I can now make my own decisions and can now use my phone and I'm learning how to use a laptop. "l am a very stroiig woman now and I can provide for my children myself. l am happy now and so are my children. This service lias bought me so much peace. seiÉnily, hope and froedom.. "It feally helped lo gel the @xtra resl on a morning as I would stay up lo pray, Ihe staff really supported me by working lo calls and sessions around Ihe timings of my fasting. as il is was very imporlanl lor Ine to be able lo spirilually recoiinecl. Thank you, honestly. I doi)'I think I could have gone Ihrough this process of applying lor PIP wilhoul you.11 has been perfect. Thar)k you for all for your help. I really appreciate. Letler from an ex- resident Dear all, Legds Womei?'s Aid enliie slaff, I've com9 to Leeds refuge as a 36-year-old womaii wilh a six-year-old soij, d8vaslaled, slialleied, l?opeless, isolaled, coiiiplelely alone oli the 4111 Alig 2023. Today, I have received my results for the Geiperal Pliainiac6111ical coiiiicil (GPhC) assess171eiil and I liave passed. FIDM Ilie 75th D8ceinber 2023 1 shall be oi? Ihe regisler as a registered p118nna¢ist. My17eartf811 gratitude to tl?8 enlire leain ￿ Leeds Women s Aid. I have beefi able lo do Iliis with yolir siipport. Yoii all gave ine a sl?eller, 3 safe space for inyself ai?d iny soil. a coiiducive eiivirofpin8nt for iiie lo sliidy foi i?Fy assessn?enl. Yoij l?elped me wilh slati017ery for my sl(Idies. You all have giveii in8 a 17ew life, a new visioip, eveiylhiiig I could hav6 ever asked for. Yoti gave iny soi? after school club, so I could spend thal tifne sludyiiig. You have give17 m8 Inore Iliai? I coiild hav& 8sked for. Thai?k yoli is not gnoiigh. yet I'ni expiessing IlTranks foi- all tha¢ eacli ai?d ev8ty one ofyou do iii yotii. owi? way to ITl again, as Ihis had paused during COVID. A specialist court IDVA attends the court every Thursday to oblain DV & A results for our service users, and IDVA, CPS and Court have bi-monthly meetings to check the effectiveness of th8se SDACS. Unfortunately, the IDVA team are still regularly over capacity and unable lo support as many viclim-survivors as we have done in the past. We were concerned about the reasons for this until an analysis was completed by our Impact and Performance team which measured a lypical amount of lime Ihal is spenl on m8elings. The IDVA team attend-. each DRAM; twice weekly MARACS and the Domestic Violence Digclosufe Scheme {DVDS)IClare's Law meeling on a weekly basis. We discovered Ihal we spend 74.5 IDVA hours on preparing for, attending and following up meetings per week. We also spend 21 hours a week on adminislralive support. This adds up lo just over two full lime IDVA posls to altend meetings and 21 hours a week additional adminislralive support. with Iltlle additional funding. 11 is important that we attend and advocate for the viGlim-survivor as often we are the only ones to have made contact and lo have heard Iheir voice and how they would like to proceed. However, this is having a 5ignificanl impact on Ihe number of olher cases Ihe team can support. We are wailing to receive an evalualion on the DRAMS as Ihis will potentially guide how the IDVA service develops. The two senior IDVA'S working with Ihose adulls and C&YP with complex needs allend meetings lo raise awareness of their service and continue to work intensively wilh service users. often having smaller caseloads for more assertive outreach work. They work hard to overcome entrenched barriers and achieve positive outcomes for their service users. The C&YP IDVA attended Leeds University to rneet with the Harassment & Misconduct Team who predominantly support students that fall into the age bracket of the clients the C&YP IDVA typically supports. We found this lo be really helpful to explain our respective roles and responsibilities. 2.8.3 Practitioner Quality Support Cooidinatoi (PQSC) This has been established for a couple of years, and supports newly created specialist DV & A workers in four other supported housing organisalions, offering peer support. coordination, development of training and consistency of good practice, The praGlilioners meet four-weekly with Ihe PQSC. The PQSC is alfeady working alongside Safer Stronger Leeds communities in order to lead the DV & A sector in offering 23 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 joint training lo praclilioners across Leeds. The PQSC is main point of conlaGt for praclilioners attending the Domestic Abuse Pra¢lilioner Forum 2nd an offer has been made to agencies across Leeds to act as a point of contact if praclilioners are working with service users and would like specialist support or advice. A report is being prepared which will capture the oulcomes from the agencies and give a picture of Ihe impact that that the praclilioner roles make across Leeds, which will be reported on next year. 2.8.4 Sanctuary Support Team (SST) Funding has continued and been enhanced for Ihe SST through the local authority as part of Ihe government's New Burdens Funding. The SST Continue to Work alongside Leeds Housing Options {LHO) who manage thè sanctuary scheme itself, ensuring additional larget hardening and safely measures are installed at viclim-survivols properties, LHO will then send referrals through lo SST, lo look al what support can be provided to those individuals. Addilionally, SST also accept referrals from the partner organisations and directly from LDVS. The SST has worked with victim-survivors al every risk level. however il was recognised early in the projèct that the nature of target hardening measures required meant Ihat those accessing the scheme were generally at the higher risk. With the flexibility and skill of the team they were able lo adapt to this quickly, offering support lo high risk cases, which in turn has helped increase feferrals across the service. The multi-disciplinary team, hosted by a range of partner organisations, offer emotional. practical and advocacy support focusing on, but not limited lo. their experience of DV & A and has created additional pathways for victims-survivors of honour-based abuse and forced marriage and for those who are seeking asylum. enabling them to access the specialist support they need. SST is a partnership of nine organisations, led by LWA who employs the SST Leader. Thè project employs nine support work8rs that specialise in working wilh clients Ihal come from various backgrounds and m8rgSnalis8d groups including.. Behind Closed Doors, who specialise in supporting women and men Women's Health Matters. who speciali5e in working with women around pregnancy and disabled women Karma Nirvana, who spe¢ialise in forced marriage & honour-based abuse Shanlona and Asha Neighbourhood Project. who both employ a worker specialising In working wilh culturally diverse and migrant communities PAFRAS who specialise in Refugees & Asylum Seekers Age UK, who specialise in working with dients aged 50+ The final spe¢ialily is a post supporting LGBTQIA+ communities. This was PTeviously employed by Touchstone; however, it is currently vacant. The Team Leader is actively pursuing opportunities to engage the appropriate spècialist organisalion to continue this support. The SST are managed using Ihe successful, bul complex matrix management system, developed within the W&GAL which involves a line manager from the support worker s employing organisation and the SST Leader. The SST Leader has embedded systems and procedures to support the hosting arfangemenls of th8 front-line delivery team, The team mget regularly, for updates and reflective praclice, on a one lo one basis and joint meetings with the SST Leader and the organisalional line manager, with one to one meetings focussing on a review of each of their cases. The joint meetings lake place on a quarterly basis. and include the support worker and Iheii line manager ens(Jring that staff have the opportunity lo discuss potential issues and lo celebrate successes. wilh both manag6rs present. While support cenlres around safe hoLJsing and DV & A. they are able lo be person-cenlred in their approach and with some service users suffering isolation the team have assisted in helping them feel more included in their local community, including- learning new skills in a group setting and accessing mental health groups., language classes and family groups. 24 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 SST continues lo gather feedback from service users once support ends, with one recent example below.. ' My siipport worker was absolulely aiiiazing, sh8 was lovely iiiside aiid out and I'in just so gial&ful for hei. 8nd foi. tlig siipport. Sl?e was honestly like iiiy lairy godmolller. Her whole aura was Jiist so caliniiig ai?d Teassijring, I wouldii t be wl?ere l ani withoul hei.. l alinosl didii t wai?1 Ilpe siipport lo end, ai?d lelt 817)otional wlieii it did. Sli6 always saw ir]y potential aipd l?elp8d npe b81i6vo in inys61f.' Another service user said.. '1181111?al IFYY C8se was very specialisl diie (lo) abiise lowaiLls inys&lf 8iid lowards iny daugliler, ai?d I fell thal iny suppoit worker was absoliil8ly brilliant. The Polic8 weron'l listeijing 10 171e aiid Social S8ivices liad closed the caso, my support worker caine in aiid l?elpod ine so inuch. They Iielpe(J me gel ii) louch with who I i)eeded lo a17d inade n7e feel siippoited I know now l ¢ai7 ask for1i8lp wheii l i?0gd il and ain b8ltei' al 18cogniziiJg trigg81'S. The LDVS 2023 Impact Report, that LWA'S lrnpacl and Performance team worked really hard on, highlighted successe5 in that year. one of which was that the SST wer8 highly commended this year for"Diversity Project of thè Yea¢. al Leeds Compassionate City Awards 2023. In March 2024, Ihe SST Commissioner fed back that the SST were mentioned in the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group Annual Progfess Report. They said.. 11 s great Ihal tlie T8am is l)eii?g ieGog1?ised in Iliis way - I'm siirg Ihal DLUHC recoive a lol of case sludies, so il is a real leslaineiit to the valLie of Ihe work iliaf yoii are all doiiig 117al11)&y118v8 Included it., 2.8.5 DV & A Voices This really exciting new project is focussing on the victims-survivors voices and experiences and has been incorporaled into LWA'S Projects and Partnerships Team Ihis year. Following on from the successful foundations developed through our previous Labyrinth Project. this project aims lo facilitate a range of victims-survivors lo contribute to and influence conversations and decisions in the Domeslic Abuse Local Partnership Board. Wilh a key focus being on.. women's.. men's: children's.. and the LGBT" communities. voices, a multi-disciplinary team. facilitated by LWA on behalf of LOVS, and hosled with partner organisalions, has been eglablished. The team are currently working on a collaborative podcast, thal can b8 included in slatutory training. The "You Don't Know What You Don't Know" podcast will be played during the training lo inform allendees about personal challenges and experiences of victims-survivors around accessing Iheir services and what changes they would like to see. We will report on this more nexl yeai. This work is being keenly followed by the Domestic Abuse Commissioners Office, who are prioritising victim-survivor voice5. DRAMS These are ongoing daily risk meetings which were introduced in order lo reduce the burden on agencies of the previous daily MARAC meetings, and to facilitale quicker and safer responses lo victims-survivors in Leeds. The three core agencies are Ihe Police. LDVS and Children Social Care. The arrangements are now established and Ihey work by triaging the high-risk police incidents, allowing a more consislent approach to cases to be discussed at MARAC. Although the DRAM has reduced pressure on all of the other MARAC agencies who now only need lo attend Iwo MARAC meelings per week, the pressure is significanl for LDVS within our resources {Ihe police and Children'5 Social Care meet daily anyway lo discuss families reported to the police as part of the Front Door Safeguarding Hub). 25 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 LDVS atlempl contact with every single viclim-sutvivor before the DRAM meeling at 1 prn each day. This has been an incredible feat with the IDVA and AAT teams working closely and cleverly in a fast pa¢ed and pressurised environmant. to process the feferrals that begin to arrive from 7.30 am through lo the contacting of viclims-survivors and having the meeting later in the day. These arrangements continue to have a profoundly positive affecl on victims-survivofs as Iheir views are integral lo the meetings. and appropriate referrals and support can be targeted immediately. whereas the previous MARAC system wasn't able lo do that. The effeGls on LDVS however remain a significant challenge. After undertaking a detailed review of the DRAM process from the point of view of LWA delivered partg of the LDVS service, for each DRAM meeting (1 /2 hours) il takes 19 staff hours. This is phenomenal and really shows how invested we are in the process. This is equivalent to 21A days of staff lime for each 1'A hour DRAM meeting112/2 per week). 2.10 DVDSIClar 's Law The IDVA team continue lo be active in Ihese meelings, attending panel meetings. sharing decisions for what should be dlsclosed and how, and often undertaking joint disclosure meetings wilh the police and viclims-survivors. Under the scheme. members of the public can ask the police for infofmalion on their partnerfs criminal hislory and therefore know if their partner poses a risk lo them, under a "Right to Ask. provision. Addilionally, the police can approach someone, unsolicited, under a "Right lo Know" provision. when information held by them or any other agency shows concerning or safeguarding related informalion about another person whom Ihey are in a relationship with. The increas8 in demand has meanl Ihal Clare's Law meetlngs, oflen chaired by LWA, have increased again lo four limes a month. Th8 additional work for IDVA'S lo allend these m8elings (including the meetings) is 13 hours per meeling. Plus 2 hours p8r meeting for the data offic8r. w& 2.11 The Women's Lives Leeds {WLLI partnership changed ils name lo the W&GAL last year, lo belter reflect Ihe Alliance of the 12 organisalions. Some of Ihe Alliance's funded projects relain the WLL bfand name, including Ihe WLL Empowering Systems Change project. This work aims to.. embed Ihe Complex Needs Service and ils learning, develop the partnership of the Alliance itself, including strategic development., and include women and girls from thèir respective organisalions in Ih05e conversalions. The "Women's Speak Group" is Proving lo be successful in facililaling voice and opinion from those who allend. The name change is one milestone in the Alliance's development. along with Ihe re-development of the existing website, a restructured purpose, new values and an exciting emerging strategy lo drive the Alliance forward, The strategy will be reported on nexl year. The WLL VOICES projecl funded by the Comic Relief Power Up Fund continues lo lead the WFL movement and Provide opportunities foT women and girls to influence and shape conversations around their safety, health and wellbeing. Highlights include a Q&A Session with Detective Superintendent Vanessa Rolfe,. A Menstruation to Menopause event as part of the Women of Wesl Yorkshire (WOW) festival. Being chosen as the project lo receive funds from Ihe Amgrican rock group, Bon Iver, and an incredible programme called Arts lo Activism in partnership with Leeds Beckett Universily, which dellvered workshops across the City. Oue lo a successful partnership application to the UK Shared Prosperily Fund, the Work will continue for a further 18 months. The Women's Safe Parks consultation and 'Reclaim the Parks" aclivilie5 hav8 been the springboard for future involvemenl to infoim the development of national guidance. which aims lo influence local aulhorities when developing parks and public spaces. LWA'S Projects and Partnerships Director was invited to be a speaker and pane51isl at the event hosted by Leeds University lo launch the guidance. 26 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The value and impact of our work on influencing safe spaces, public areas and parks is demonslraled by an invite from Bristol University for LWA to be involved as a steering group member for a similar iniliative in Bristol. The Women's Nighl-lime Safe Space IWNSS), which initially look the form of a Health Bus on Dortmund Square in Leeds City centre, is still being funded and conlinues lo successfully support women in the night-time economy, Evidence is continually being collected which will be pulled together and consulted on before developing a business case for the suslainabilily of Ihis initiative in the nexl financial year. The WNSS has already supported some very vulnerable women. wilh on average 30 women accessing it each night, demonstraling its value and necessity as a service. Support provided mbers fr ril 2023 o March 2024.. There has been an increased demand for both our accommodation and community-based services, higher even Ihan the dramatic incr8as8s that we saw last year. Most referrals and requests for refuge and emergency accommodation cannot be accepted due lo capacity constraints, how8ver the lolal number ofwomen and children supporled in refuge accommodation was 184. Thè 24-hour telephone helpline calls and one•off work reached 7,742 calls. Thi5 is an increase again on last year from just under 7,600, which was our previous record year. Our communily-based services, including helpline, IDVA and drop-ins conlinued to support more clients. Support was provided lo adults aged between 16 and 76, 22 different languages spoken. including BSL, 110kn of people supported required an inlerpreter. 550/0 had mental health vulnerabilities and 510/0 had a disability. es of Abuse The average length of the abuse our service users have experienced is jusl over S years. 70.50/0 lup from 700/. last year) have experienced controlling and coercive behaviour 43'/J (up from 41•￿ last yearl have experienced financial abuse 53Yo (down from 55010) have experienced harassmenvstalkinglsurveillance 86ts/0 have experienced emotional abuse 69.80kn have experienced physical abuse 280A have experienced sexual abuse. act and Service User Feedback Service user feedback included.. 100Vo said I feel that my privacy was respeGted I was listened lo and believed by staff here I was supported lo make my own choices The setvice l accessed was non-judgemental After being supported here. I feel beller aboul myself After being supported here, I feel more confident After being supported here, I know more about domestic abuse After being supported here, I feel more confident to ask lor help when I need it 27 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 98 10 said I was supported to talk about my experiences ofviolence and abuse I'd come back lo the service again, if I needed to I'd recommend this seNice lo familyl friends if they needed help Staff here have been knowledgeable and competent The service mel my needs effectively The service underslood and respected my particular needs 96'h said I was able to access the service quickly 86 /0 sald Coming lo this service has made a positive difference in my life Service users said.. Q.. If using thls servlce made a difference in yourlifei please tell us how- what's changed for you? 'Coiiiing lo th6 servic8 njarle yoii reali59 you not alone" 'My worker was iiyfoiipiativé, kind, lisleiied, patienl. She always kgpl lo lier word a17d called wh017 sh8 said she woiild. I fell siipported. .1 a lol happiei. l am 18C8iving lielp al￿ siipport froin iny key worker. I have becoii)e inore Goi?fid81?l. l am able lo n78nagg n7y own money, ¢oiilact coll8ge and hAve inade fiien(Is willi olhers in Ihe r8fiigg. "we now Iiavo two bedrooms, wliicl7 helps lo keep oiir digiiity. Aiid 11?is seivice SLlPPOrts lis by fiiidiijg a lawyor for lis lo con?plete lh8 applicalioii lo hoine ollice. This is very lielpliil because people who work lief? take care ol (is aild liy n7ake siift6 Ihal we feel seciirn and fegl safe. "I reel safe and can see a fiituiB for Ihe childion ancl myself.. "I h8ve bacome mora coiifident. l am able lo go oul fipely witl)oul b8iiw controlled. I can iiow inake iny owip decisions aiid cai? i?ow ijs6 1?py phoi7e and learning how lo iise a laptop. l a117 a very St￿lIg woinan iiow and I can PlDvide foi. 17?y childreii. l ain liappy iiow al￿ so ale iiiy cliildren. 'Il lias 177ade me realise I doii'l deseive to bo Iipaled like I was aiid that you can gel yOLlI- coiifidenco back and yoiii. lile back and becoine the peison 11?al yo¢1 oiice was." "I have 17ever felt so safe aiid seciii"e lill i?ow. "My SLlPPQIt workèr was very Ilelpfiil in giiidiiig me oil th8 tliings I should do iii teinis of what happgnecl and t17e next steps foiward and she ina(le nie feel nioie confidei?l and b&lioved a17d niade me feel like il wasn t iiiy f¢iiilt. "Using this seNice inade a h(Ige dilferoiice to iny lifa. I was si)eakiiig witli pooplg who iii)deistood 17po, supportgd In8 aiid reassurod iT7e, biit also gave iTpe liope. Tliey w8re al)solutoly 8177aziiig. 17ad 9￿al kiiowlgdqe of wl?al I was goii?g 117roiigl?, and helped ine lo realise I wasii l aloiie or al faiill" 'Tl?aiik youll! I caii'l praise eveiyone enoijgh, Iliey w&i"e n?y only support nelwoil(. 28 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Q.. How would things be different for you if you'd not re¢elved support here7 "I do not IhinJ( thal I woiild liave ljeei) alive loday illl wasn't foi-this s&nfice. "I Ihiiik I iiiay hava had lo rottiiii lo the hoiise wilh iny hiisbai7d and c17ildren as I was hon?eless olljerwise. '{ woiild slill be iii a violenl relationship or even worse I coulcl have b88n killed.. 'I'd have beei? losl, woiildip't l?ave ijndei'slood Ilie syslen? orlhe pmcesses. It was very c?lign to n70. My IDVA explainocl 8V8rylhiiig evoiy slep ol IIFe way. Thank you so miich. I was foit1117ale lo get a very posilive oulcoiiie ai7d I ca17 IIOW close Ihal chapl61" ol 1178 book and inove oi?. "My lifo would l)ave be8iJ veiy differeiil, I coiildn t hav8 copod any longer will? wlial I was liaviiig lo live wi117, 1 woulclii ( of goi?e back to coiirt lor a second liine aiid gol Ilie oiilc01118 1 did iii order for me to live a fl.ée ai?d indepei7deiil lil&, woiild also of had a lol inor8 heallh /ineiital heajlh ¢ondiliLw7s to cope with. become lolally isol8led, r8cIIisivo. "I woiild slill be a lolal wreck Iiol being abl& lo cope wilh wl)at is going on in iny lif8" '{ woiild ljavo been sliick in an abtlSlV8 r8lationship wilh no fiitiiip. "My in laws woiild've piovad thal I was iiol cai)able of lookiiig aft6r iny cliild. They would17ave lakei? Iny child away fiDni nie. I woiild have lost iny lil8. They'd abiised ine.. LWA r&fiig8 has giv81? me a 17ew lile. l owe lyly life lo youll l a177 alivg, becaus8 you giiys are doi17g yoiirjob will? (Ilinosl diligai?ce aiid respecl. I bow dowii lo you for yoiir work. My healt- lell gialiliida lo you. Yoti've given ine siipport, yoiitre given Ine iny pro18ssioiI. 11 is enti￿lY b8caiise of L M/A.. I'd always Ihoiighl boggars are nol choosers,. bul L WA, nyade ine experiei?c8 Ihal beggais cai? be c1700sers. Befoie GOII)117g l?ere wliile I was 01? the phoipe lo my sijpport workef, she asked 171&. woijld yoii be okay lo cliinb lo IIFe Ihird floor, il lelt so good lo exp8rie17ce t17al yoil are aboiil Ilie disabled. or WOfn811 willi heallli c017ceri?s. The i'ef(Ige was ol8aii, tidy so spacioiis," well-ITpaii?lai17ed gardei?s Iroi?l aiid back. Yo(1 all have Igally looked after yoLir IBsideiits - it's like givii)g a life back lo Ihe dead.. cause prior to coiniiig lieie I was like a ￿b01 wilh i?0 heart, no eii?olioiis,' jiisl wort(ing aiid i?ever lovii?g Inyself- I wasn l allowed lo. I was like a seNaiit of tlie hoiiseliold. 'Tliank yoii so iniicli for beiiig 117ere lo support woineii wllo need il,. will)oiil aiiy biasness,. iriBspeclivtr of skiii coloiir, ethiiicily, race, religion, C￿ed or age. L WA has giv8n lis Inore Ihan wlial we cotild17ave evei. asked for, fiiinilure, lighls, cle81) waler for drinking, Iiol water, Cold walei. for balliii?g, lub. showei., cupboards, side lables, ￿adi17g lainps, wardiobes, cleaii beds, blankels, diivels, pillows,. ciillgry iii Ihe kilclieii," wasljiiig inaGhine, diyer, storc?g8 for oijr beloiigii?gs. This list is endless. I can conliniie wrilii?g Ihis feedback aiid yel il will i?ever be able lo do juslice lo w17at yo11￿￿ given. Values and Cultur• AI LWA, our behaviours continue lo support our purpose and create OLbr culture, which in turn drives innovation and growth. We do what we do because we believe: All women and children should live in safety, free from abuse and fear. Every woman and child have a voice and should be empowered. inspired and listened lo. Women centred support is powerful and improves the lives of women, men and children. Our Values reflect our organisalion's views., they are the principles. standards & qualities Ihat tell the story about the way in which we conduct ourwork. Be Exceptional We are experts in our field and proud of having a women-centred approach. We are pioneers and leaders, striving lo perform and innovate. 29 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Be Courageous We are honest, inventive and have the integrity to challenge perceptions and practice. We are encouraging and empoweiing of each olher lo be courageous and brave. Be Inclusive We are diverse. welcoming, approachable and inclusive as employers. service providers and people. We promote unity, fairness and respect. Be Inspiratlonal We are proud of our creativity and how we motivale, listen, empower and support each other. We are encouraging and lead by example to achieve the best. Be Responsive We are collaboratlV8, aware, compassionate and sensitive. We adapt our approach to meet changing needs. our Cultur8 The Behaviours that creat Our Culture is a Sel of basic assumptions that we all share, these are 'norms' thai guide th8 way people interact with each other and others or put in a different way. 'Ihe way we do things here,. These behaviours apply to everyone, irrespective of p051tion or seniority. Slruclural hierarchy represents the division of work and skills, not the division of people. We not only agree lo uphold professional ethi¢al standards but will go further in our commitment to hold ourselves accountable to maintaining behaviours Ihal seek lo create a safe and respectful culture and Pfevenl incidences of workplace bullying. Our key principles are.. To challenge and support each other to be exceptional by being curious aboul different ways of doing Ihings, thinking beyond Our roles, and embracing learning and development in all its forms. To be courageous enough lo d8monslrate humility and vulneiabilily, and lo approach failure with curiosity rather than criticism. We welcome, accept and include everyone based on inherent worth and value, enabling divergent thinking In an Inclusive environment. We believe Ihat everyone has the potential to be inspirational both in what Ihey do, and the way they do il. Through our ¢ompassionate18ns, we find solutions by being responsive, agile and adaplable. laff feedback Once again in our staff survey we asked our leams Wial's Ihe best thing about working for LWA?" The results were.. Colleagues "The people - passionate. caring, &mpalh8tic, supportive and fun", .1 fgel appTrciatgd" °inspiiing collgaguos" LWA Mission- sense of purp08e "Making a r981 difference to people s lives" sonse of a positwe puTpos8 in my mlo" Supportlve envlronment 'A vary p8rson-Genlrod organisation", 'ablo lo work flexibly around oth6rparts of our life", °siipported lo do yOLirjob the best you can" 30 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Operating model and risks Fun raisin We are regulated by the Fundraising Regulalor and all our fundraising practices are elhical and considerate. We have an in-house Fundraising and Marketing Director and all our fundraising and marketing is done to further the organisations charitable aclivilies. We fund our work with income from a wide range of restricted and unrestricted funds. Our reslricled funds include our commissioned seNices by which we are contracted after an open tender lo deliver and repotl back on specific setvice delivery. Our largest contract is from Leeds Cily Council, delivering the LDVS consortium. Other restricted income includes additional grants from LCC, along with granls from the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF). the MOJ, Home Office, WCYA and Comic Relief. Our unrestricted income gives us the flexibility to fund a range of work directly for our service users and for our infrastructure. 11 also allows us to invest in reserves (see section 5.8). which can be designated for specific charllable purposes. For a large part of 2023 our fundraising capaGily was reduced due lo people leaving and difficulty in reGruitmenl (which 15 currently a common factor within the charity seclor). We recruited a Fundraising Officer in early 2024 and the team have worked really hard in raising our profile and funds for both reslricled and unrestricted income slreams in which we raised just over £113,600. In summer 2023, we launched a fundraising appeal for a new dedicated C&YP Hub which will be based al our main site refuge. The Hub is an exciling and innovative projecl and will make a hugè difference lo lives of C&YP who have been impacted by DV & A. As well as raising funds through the public appeal, money will be raised through a variety of income streams including grant making Ifusls. busines5 and community support. The team are working with key Stakeholders lo promote the project effectively and we aim to reach our fundraising largel of £317,000 by early 2025. Our strategy of increasing individual giving and our supporter base is conlinuing. and we have a wide rangé of regular givers, one off donations, peoplè doing fundraising events and are developing our legacy strategy. Fundraising events have included supporters doing the Three Peaks challenge. Ouiward bounds challenge, sk runs, a fashion show, and Leeds Women's Aid online silent auction which had an amazing respons8 from the publi¢. Our amazing support8rs raised just over £41,000 last year. ketin In 2023. we ramped up our social media oulpul on all our official channels, sharing information about our services, client case studies, organisalional announcemenls, slatements on current news lopics and fundraising Conlent. This has resulted in significanl audience growth, with over 1,000 new followers across Inslagram, X. Linkedln and Facebook. Our social media approach has involved creating new forms of conlenl including a series of Inslagram Reels for 16 Days of Aclivism in collaboralion with a local band. to speak out againsl misogyny and raise awareness of our serwices. We have updated our promotional materials, producing new versions of our bookmarks and posters. We also designed LWA coasters which include our contact details and information on how to spot lesser-known Signs of abuse. We have continued lo build up slrong contacts with various community organisations and venues across the city to display our materials and signpost people to access support. We also ran some story lines for social media, using different service user stories. running with between six and len slides sharing Clips of their storiès, ending with a shout out to olher women who may have experienced something similar, with contact details. 31 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 11 you or any¢)ne you know are suffèrtng from Domestic W￿lenCe and Abuse, ¥¥t.' . Call us on our 24n helpllne". i)111 24r: 04n'i Or contact us on Llve Chat on our webslte: LEEDS WOMEN'S AID Ambassador In June 2023, Leeds Women's Aid welcomed Laura Bartlett. founding editor and publisher ofglobal magazine House of Coco, as ils first ever charily ambassador. Laura has already hosted a large-scale International Women's Day event in support of LWA, which resulted in many new supporters and strong social media engagement, 5.4 Chari 'Ir is a ipal hoi70111- to b8 the fiisl Leeds W0177en s Aid Ainbassa(loi', I l?ave imi778nse adinii'alion foi. the wo1* that Iho teain does aiid I Ihiiik Ihal 1118 seNice Ihey piovide is 0118 011118 ii?osl iinportai?l ii? 17iy l?oiip8lowip ol l.eeds I look lonvaicl to spr8ading the word ol Ilie woik Ihal Le&ds Woiiien's d08s so Iliat woineii aiouiid Ihe city who noed a saf8 space Gai? access il." Laura Bartlell Our charily continues to have a positive Presence within the local community and has a strong and loyal cuslomer base and receives high quality donations which we are very grateful and sincerely Ihank them for. The retail manager has been resourceful in raising a diverse range of incorne through the shop such as RAG'S, eBay. we buy books scheme, and recycle for charity. We also parti¢ipaled in the local community late night Chrislmas shopping evenl and hosted local makers (arts and crafts). We offer a really unique additional seNice. whèreby our retail manager arranges special shopping evenls for groups of residents from our refuges lo corne to the shop and choose whatever they like from Ihe shop for free. These events are very well received by both residents and staff alike as il really helps families. Excitingly, we made 2nd plarR in the Horsforth Chrislmas shop window compelilion 2023.. Leeds Women's Ald Shop you always make such an effort with your windows year round. We walk past the shop every day on our way for school drop off and love the passion you havel You are a great member of the iiew road side community and the proceeds of your ertorts for Leeds women and kids is admirable 3iid needed. 32 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 5.5 D nation We have received grants, donations and gifts in kind from hundreds of individuals and organi5ations, and would particularly like to thank the following donors and funders= AECOM, Amazon Community, Arla Foods, Bevan Brittan. Burberry. Cartwright Pickard, Calvertey Parish Church, Centurion management, Children's Service ILCC), Coco Cola. Dunelm, Elizabeth & Prince Zaiger Charitable Trust, England Cricket. Engage Inleraclive, Eversheds Sutherland. ENGIE Power Lld, EKPCC GEN, FABB. Foresters, Golden Acre Foods, Headrow House. John Lewis. Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Women's Ice Hockey Team, Leeds Rhinos, Leeds Uniléd. Leeds University Women's Rugby Team. Luminale, Lyons Davidson Solicitor5 Maishall Mill, MiGhael Page, Northern Diamonds. Opera North. Punch Creative. Trust, Ridley & Hall Legal. Sl Columba, South Group Family Services, Church TPS Leeds. Wade Charily, Wagamama. Water Lane Boat house, Wates, White Rose Academies Trusl, Women's Inslilute. Wickes, Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire ITV, Yorkshire Housing. In addition, LWA value5 ils individual supporters and fundraisers for their dedication and hard work, some of whom have been tirelessly fundraising for the organisation for over 22 years. Some reasons why people Support LWA: .1 Ilope Ihis contiybiil8s lo yoiii. brillianl efforts in lielpi179 WolF￿n and tl?eii' familiés diiiing difficiill times. "This is an iiiiport8flt cljarily ai)d yoii do valual)le wort(. Thaiik yoti. "Tl?ai?k you, Lebds Woin817 s Ai(J for tl7e incredible work yoii'i'e doi17g foi. woin817 and cliildipn in oiii. iegioii. 5.6 Volunteer We are proud to work with volunteers of all ages from teenagers working on Iheii Duke of Edinburgh Award to people Wanting to support LWA and help their community. Due to their hard work and dedication we have a thriving and well- established shop and without them the shop would not be the success it is today. We currently have 17 regular volunteers assisting in the day lo day running of the shop. Why people volunteer: .1 have chosen lo voliinleer foi- Iliis chaiily 8s l anj coiilidenl il n7akos a diMerei?ce lo woineii aiid fai?7ilies. Tli6 slall and customers iiivest in tl?e cl7arily...I liave ii?gt soine geiiero¢is people who I believe iiipdeislaiid the iinportanco of Ihis work. "I l?ava volurileeied at Ihe Leeds Womon's Aid shop foi. alinost 7 Yea￿ i)ow. I love Ihe f17ei?dliiJ85s, Ilpe chance lo chal (o GLisloineis ai)d the salisfaclion of giving s011701hii?g ba¢k lo a worthwliile Gha171y' Investments We continue lo have our investments in CCLA'S deposit fund, giving us over £60.000 of unrestricled income in interest. The also reduces the risk for us in terms of having funds in numerous bank accounts, leaving only amounls Ihal are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Reserves Po The Board review our reserves policy at least annually, and the policy is risk-based and considers good practice in the chaiily sector and is therefore.. Based on a detailed understanding of Ihe actual and predicted cash inflows and outflows of Ihe charity. Not based upon holding a sel number of months cover on expenditure. Integrated with the risk assessment and Strategic plans of the charity- 33 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Not based upon a Glosure scenario unless this is considered likely. Regularly reported lo and reviewed by the Trustee Board. It was agreed that our reserves policy should provide: A level of working capital that protects the conlinuity of our core work, allowing for funding we receive for reslricled funded projects. A level of security against the financial risks idenlified in our risk assessment, including cover for unforeséen expenditure or unanlicipaled loss or deferral of income. A level of funding for possible opportunities (Designated Funds). A level of funding following the unexpected and unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 to plan for any future similar occurrences. A level of funding for infrastructure inveslm8nts. Arising from a review of our risk-based ￿serveS policy. the Board approved an updated reserves policy in September 2024, assessing the level of reserves required be￿een £710,000 and £819,000. Oui new unrestricted resetwes lolal falls comfortably at Ihe higher end of this range. Although some funders slill work on the out-dated model of betweén three- and six-months running costs, ours is the model recommended by the Charity Commission. Due to the expansion in this year, 8n amount of £75,000 has been designated as contingency for the nexl financial year, wilh an additional £25,000 contingency should we need to support the C&YP Hub. Finan l Review Principal funding sources cthinuetobeLocal Authority contraclsand rental income including Housing Benefit. We are very grateful for the respectful partnership Ihat we continue to enjoy with LCC. This year they have continued lo provide us robust and considerate contract management and worked with us lo secure additional funding lor our much-needed services. We ¢onlinue to be appreciative of the Conlinued governmenl funding and contracts, discussed in other sections above. Our figures for our voids {empty refuge spaces) tolalled 11.V/o. which was a reduclion on last y8arfs 15.80/0. This breaks down lo 9.70/0 for our Independent refuge. and 15.20h for our LDVS commissioned refuge. This is a positive reduction i our independent refuge, bul an increase in our commissioned refuge. Work is regularly done to liaise with our regislered social landlords regarding managing our turnaround of properties. Bad debt written remains very low al 1%. The Iruslees submit the audited financial slalemenls for the year ended 31 March 2024. The net income for the year amounts to 8 Surplus of £365.782. This is mainly due lo restricted funds lo be carried over. This compares to a surpltjs in 2023 of £17,502. Reserves carrted forward are £1,347.543 of which £550,387 are reslricted and £797,156 are unrestricted funds. Our unrestricted reserves at £797,156 falls comfortably at the higher end of the new reservès range. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Future plans LWA'S strengths ar8 in delivering excellent services. leading collaborative partnerships, developing new and innovative seNices and having strategiG influence locally. regionally and nationally. Demand for our seNices continues to increase and we are proactively looking at ways in which we can develop, improve and increase our servi￿5 to support more women and children. We do this by playing to our strengths for development and working within our partnerships. We have started to evid8nce progress against our new strategic objeclives for 2023- 2026, as reported on in section 1.3, they are.. 1. To be a leader of, and a voice for, Women-￿nIred support in Leeds and surrounding areas. 2. To be a gfeal place to work where people can develop and grow and our values, including equity and diversity, underpin what we do and how we do it. 3. To be an organisalion thal innovates by idenlifying and investing in opportunilies ensuring long term sustainabilily and slabilily. 4. To reflect on and assess how our accommodalion offer impacls clients in Leeds and lo explore oppot1unities to enhance high quality accommodation provision. Governance and declslon-making LWA operates as a charitable company and registered ils purpose and objeclives with the Charity Commission on 12 November 1991. It is a company limited by guarantee governed by ils Articles of Association which set out clearly the purpose of the charity together with rules about how il Conducts ils business. including ils governance. Followlng a regular assessment of the trustee skills and experien￿ we need to deliver our strategy, Irustees are recruited by external advertisement in the same way that employees and WOTkers are recruited. and Ihere are role profiles and an application form. Our growing reputation and profile mean that we a150 receive unsolicited approaches from time lo lime. Applicanls are interviewed by Ihe Chairloepuly Chair and Chief Executive. and the final decision 15 made by the Trustee Board. All new Trustees receive an induction, and Ifaining 1$ planned, commissioned and delivered regularly. The or9anisalion employs a Chief Execulive who takes decisions on Ihe day to day running of Ihe charlly. The Chief Executive manages staff, ensures proper financial management, follows policies agreed by the Trustees. and complies with legal obligations and those directed by funders. the Charily Commission, Companies House and olher regulaloTy bodies. Truslees ensure adherence lo legal requiremenls. i.e. maintaining correct policies.. Health and Safely at Work,, Fire Safely,. Risk Assessments., recruitment and selection.. and olher policies such a5 grievance and disciplinary. LWA is an independent organisation - however, il benefits from being part of Ihe wider Women's Aid network across the UK. All Trustees give of their time freely and no Trustee remuneration was paid in Ihe year. Tru51ees are required lo disclose all relevant interests and regisler them with the Chair of Trustees and in accordance with the charity's policy withdraw from decisions where a conflict of interest could arise. Related parties and co-operation with other organisalions.. none of our Tfuslees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with Ihe charity. Any connection between a Trustee or senior manager of the charity with a client or other stakeholder must be disdosed to the full Board of Trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a relaled party. In Ihe current year no such relaled party Iransaclions were reporled. We are also keeping abreast of the developments in the Charily Act 2022, Some provisions have been introduced in this financial year, with the second tranche in the nexl financial year. 35 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Risk man ement The Trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises- A fully updated Risk Register, comprising of an annual review of Ihe principal risks and uncertainties that Ihe charity faces. The establishment of policies, systems and procedures lo miligale those risks identified in the annual reviews. The implemenlalion of procedures designed to minimise or manage any potential impact on the charity should those risks malerialise. A review of our Ixjmmitlee structure, with separate commillees focussing on risk, Finance and Governance Committee and People and Organisalional Development Commiltee. These commillees have Irusleeand sènior management Tepresenlalion along wilh a commissioned external and independent Health & Safety consultant and Ihe organisalion'5 Data Protection Lead when required. The Risk Regislerfocuses allenlion on the area5 of: Governance and Management; Operational Risks regarding People and AclivitieslPremises', Financial., Environmenlal and External. We identified furlher risks following an incident of someone being housed in refuge who was unbeknown lo us a serious offender, which was duly reported lo the Charity Commission. This incident has been successfully closed by the Commission. Other risks regularly identified include Ihal of our service users being al risk of injury or even dealh, There ar8 also ongoing, daily risk assessmenls on service delivery. and al regular intervals in respect of premises. Attention has also been focused on other non-financial risks induding those arising from fire, flood, lerrorist attack, technology, reputation and health and safely of staff. These risks are managed by having robusl policies and procedures in place, and through regular awareness training for staff. Flnancial sustainablllly is one of Ihe risks identified by the ch8rily. A key element in th8 management of financial ri8k is a regular review of LWA'S linancial position through management reports including available liquid funds to settle debts as they fall due, liaison with the bankwhen necessary, and aclive managemenlofdeblors and Creditors balances to ensure sufficienl working capilal. LWA continues lo be dynamic and strategic in ils use of unreslricled and designated reserves, Dala Securit and Protection Data security and protection is of paramount importance lo LWA. We deal wilh very sensitive personal data relaling to the people we support, our staff arsd our supporters so it is vital that we process this information securely and in accordance with data proteclion law. Th8 organisalion Conlinues to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018. As dala controllers. LWA continues to monitor and review our stalulory due diligence. LWA has a named Data Protection Lead {DPL), who isa qualified Dala Prote¢lion Practitioner. She continues lo report to the CEO and the Finance and Governance Committee ofthe Board regarding Subject Access Requests, Data Breaches and areas of consideration and improvemenl. This is reviewed both internally within LWA, and also as consortium lead for our LDVS and W&GAL partnerships. AII LWA staff receive data protection Iraining, which was updated this year and conlinues lo be rolled out. Briefings and gular updates are circulated to all staff lo ensure that they remain up lo date. There have been no breachesofdatawhich have needed to be reportedto the Infomiation Commissioners Office (ICO). nformation Communica ions Technolo Our ICT strategy evolves depending on environmenlal and staffing changes. Next year we are condu¢ling an organisalional wi(le IT refresh, lo enable belter hybrid working and hot desking for staff and for partners in other organisalions. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Statutory Information uditofs A resolution lo appoint BK Plus Audil Limited. Chartered Certified Accountants & Registered Auditors as auditors for this financial year was proposed and agreed at Ihe Annual General Meeling. following an open and transparent invitation to tender process. T slees of he chari The Directors of the charitable company are ils Trustees for the purposes of charity law. The Trustees who have served during the year and since the year end are lisled al the front of the financial statements. Public Benefit In setting our objectives and planning our aclivilies. Ihe Trustees have carefully considered the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit in the Charities Act 2011 in particular to its supplementary public benefit guidance on the advancement of health and saving of lives. Sla res onsibilities of he Trustee Company law requires Ihe Trustees to prepare financial slatements for each financial year which give a Irue and fair view of the slate of affairs of the company as at Ihe end of Ihe financial year and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that period. In preparing tho$8 finanrAal statements the Trustees are requifed to Select suilable accounting po5i¢ies and then apply them consislently. Make judgments and estimates Ihal are reasonable and piudent. Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate lo presume that th8 Company will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounling records which disclose wilh reasonable accuracy al any lime the financial position ol the company and lo enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply wilh the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assels of the company and hence for taking steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. re of information to Auditors Slalemenl of disc105 The Trustees of the company who held office al Ihe dale of approval of Ihis annual report confirm Ihal.. So far as the Directors are aware, there is no relevant audit information {informalion needed by the company's auditors n connection with preparing Iheir report) of which Ihe company's auditors are unaware, and each Director has taken all the steps that they ought lo have laken as a DiTeclor in order lo make themselves aware of any relevant audil information and to eslablish that the company's audilors are aware of Ihatinformation. Approved on behalf of the Board. Nneka Ikeogu Director and Chair of the Board Dale 37 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEEDS WOMEN'S AID Opinlon We hav6 audiled the financial slalemenls of Leeds Women's Aid (the 'charTly'l for Ihe year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the slalemenl ol financial aclivilies. the balance sheel. the slalemtsnl of cash flow5 and notes lo the financial slalemenls, includin9 signiliGanl accountin9 policies. The financial reporting framawork that has been applied in their preparation is applicable 18w and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financi81 Reporting Standard applicab18 in Ihe UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion. the financi81 slalem8nls.' give a true and fair view of Ihe slate of the charilabte company's affaifs as al 31 March 2024 and of ils incoming resources and application of fesources. fof lh9 year then ended. have be8n properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accotsnbng PraclirA', and have been prepared in aexordance wilh lh8 requlremenls of tho Companies Act 2006. Basls lor oplnion We conducted our audit in accordance with Inlernalional Standards on Auditing {UKI IISAS IUKII and applicable law. Our responsibiliti95 under th059 standards are lurther described in the Audilorfs tssponsibililies lor the audit ol lh8 financiél s181&menls section of our report. Wo afe indtspendenl of Iha charity in ?c¢ordance wilh the ethical Tfjquiremenls that are relevanl lo our audit of the financial sial8rnenb In the UK. including the FRC'S Ethical Standard, and we have lullilled our olhei ethical respon5ibililies In accordance wilh these requirements. We believo that the audil evidgnce we have obtained is ¥ulTicienl and appiopriale lo provid• a basis lor our opinion. Con¢luslon8 rolatlng to golng con¢grn In auditing the financial slalamenls. wè have Gon¢luded that th8 Iruslg8s' use of the going concern basis of accounling in the prep8ralion of lh9 financial slatemonls is appropfiale. 8ased on the work we have performèd, we have not idenlilied any material unc8rtainlies relating lo events or Conditions Ihal, individually or collectively. May casl s¢9nilicanl doubl on the charity'5 ability lo continue as a going Concern lor a pefiod ol al least fvlelve months from when ltte linanci8151alemBnls afe aulhorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of tha Iruslees with respect lo going cone8rn are des¢ribed in the rél8vanl $9clion9 of this report. other Inlormatlon The olher infomalion compflS85 lh• infoimalion in¢ludod in th8 annual report other than the financial slalemenls and our auditor'5 rèport Ihereon. The Iruslees are responsible for the other information contained within th8 annual report. Our opinion on the financial 51alemen15 does not cover the olher inlormalion and wa do not express any form of assurance conclusion Ihereon. Our responsibility is lo read Ihg other informalion and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is malerially inconsislenl with the financial sialemgn15 Of OUT knowledge obtained in Ihe cour56 of the audit, or olherwi58 appear5 to be materially misslaled. 11 we idèntify such materi81 inconsislenci95 or apparent material misslalemenls. we are required lo dolermine whether this gives ri58 lo a rnaterial mi5s1alemenl n Ihg financial slalemenls themselves. If. based on the work we have performed. we conclude that there is material rnisslalemenl ol this olhgr information, we are required lo rgpotl that fact. We have nothing lo T&port in Ihis regard. Matters on which we afg requlred to report by oxceptlon We have nothing lo report in respecl of the following maller5 in felalion lo which the Charities IAccounl$ and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us lo report lo you if. in our opinion.. the information given in the financial statemenls is inconsistent in any malefial respect wilh the Iruslegs, report.. or sufficient accounting records have not been kepl., or the financial slalements are not in agreemgnl with the accounting Tocoids., or we have not received all the inlom)alion and explanatsons we require lor our audit. LEEDS WOMEN'S AID INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT {CONTINUED TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEEDS WOMEN'S AID Responsibilities of tru$tèes As explained more fully in the slalement of Iruslee5' responsibilities, Ihe Irusleas, who are also Ihe directors of the ch3fity for the purpose ol company law, afe responsible lor Ihe prepaialion of Ihe financial slalemen15 and for bging satisfied that they give a true and fair view. and for such internal control as Ihe Iruslees determine is necessary lo enabla tha preparation of financial slalemenls Ihal are ITee from material misslalemenl. whether due lo fraud or error. In preparing th8 linancial slalemenls. the Iruslees are responsible for assessing Ihg charity's ability lo continue as a going coneeTn, disdosin9, as applicable. matters related lo going concern and using the going concern basis ol a¢counlin9 unless the Irusle85 either intend lo liquidate the charitable company or lo cease operations. or have no realislie allernalive bul lo do 50. Audlto¢• re8ponsibilitles lor the audlt ot Ihg linanc5al slatoments Wg havé been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities A¢1 2011 and ieport in accordanc* wilh the AGI and relevant regulations made or having effect Ihereunder. Our objbclives are lo obtain rgasonablo a8$uian¢e about whether the financial slalamenls as a whole are Irga from material misslalemenl, whether due lo Iraud or error. and lo issue an audiiorfs r8port that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level ol assuranrA bul is nol a guarantee that an audit conducted In ac¢ordanc8 with ISAS IUKI will alway5 delecl a material misslal8menl when il exisls. Mi5sl3lemenls can afise from fraud or error and are consldered material if, individually or in the aggregate, Ihgy eould reasonably be expected lo influence the economic decision5 of user5 lak8n on thè basis of Ihese financial statements. The exlenl lo which our procedures are capable of dgtocling irregularilios. including fraud, is detailed below. A further descfiplion of our r6sponsibililies is available on the Financial Roporting Coun¢il'8 website al.. hllp8',11 ww.frc.org.uklaudilDfsresponsibililies. This description form8 part of our audilols report. 39 LEEDS WOMEN'S AID INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEEDS WOMEN'S AID Our approach lo identifying and a3595sing the risks of material misslatemenl in respect of irr8gularilies, including fraud and non-compliance with law5 and regulations. was as follows.. The engagement partner ensured Ihal the en9agemenl tgam collecliveEy had the appropriate compelenca. capabilities and ski115 10 identify or recognise non4ompliance with applicable18ws and regulations,. We identified the laws and ￿gUlationS applicable to Ihe company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience ol the industry secloi", W9 focused on specific laws and regulations which we considefed may have a direct material effect on Ihe rinancial slalemenls or the opgralions of the company, including the Companies Act 2006, laxalion 18gislalion and data protection, anli4Jribery, employment. environmental and health and 5af8ty1ogislalion', We assessed the extent of compliance with thè laws and regulalion8 idanlifiad above through making enquiries of managemgnl and inspedinglggal COTf8$pond8nc8.' and EnsuTed laws and regulations were communicaled within the audil team rogularly and the team remained alert lo inslancas of non