Chapter 6: Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention

One of the projects I am involved in is the STAGE partnership. The partnership is led by Changing Lives and made up of seven organisations who work with women across the North East and Yorkshire. 

The project consists of operational delivery of services, but the learning achieved via this work aims to make recommendations, via briefing papers, to influence policy. The partnership has an influencing group consisting of key members such as Jess Phillips MP, Kate Davies from NHS England, Baroness Hilary Armstrong and Dame Vera Baird.

The work undertaken by the partnership has led to a legal definition for adult sexual exploitation being finalised. It is hoped that the definition will form part of the new Victims Bill.

The partnership includes organisations who work with women from the black and minoritised sector working alongside Changing Lives to ensure that the women have their voices heard. To understand more about the nature of exploitation for this group, what is happening, and how exploitation differs for different groups.

Exploitation training and a STAGE toolkit are available to help organisations identify and respond to those who may have experienced adult sexual exploitation.

What more needs to be done?

There are real opportunities for the police to do more to support women with multiple unmet needs who have been the victims of exploitation. They are in a position where they are responsible for so much, as they are the gateway to access to justice for this group. For example, having specialist dedicated officers in each area employed to work on VAWG who have had training on legal frameworks.

The Adults Sexual Exploitation definition, and how it impacts on legislation such as The Care Act, will be a key turning point in having women's needs met as it will allow women to be seen as a victim who needs support, rather than being seen as complex and hard to engage. Our current processes do work for women who are not experiencing complex issues - but those who have experienced complex trauma in their life fall between the gaps and as such, we are failing them.

We also need more refuge space, or dispersed accommodation with intensive support. Not just for victims of domestic abuse, but safe space for all vulnerable women, as at present we are placing people into unsafe spaces. Women are often turned away from existing provision as they are seen as too complex. 

I also sit on a national women's working group and a discussion within this group is about how access to drug and alcohol treatment can be improved for women. The hope from this group is that when commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services, a dedicated option for women could be considered. Whether this is a separate offer or thought given to how women's specific organisations can work with treatment providers to improve the offer. It is important to note that the willingness to work together is there across the partnerships.

Through my work at Changing Lives, I feel that it is my role to challenge the system constructively to look at these issues in a different way and to work with partners to find the solutions. Within the work that I am a part of, I feel that I am able to strengthen the voice of the women. Without this advocacy, our most disadvantaged women will always be seen as being the problem, instead of a vulnerable, misjudged victim with unmet need.

Recommendation 1. Giving every child the best start in life