“Sexual abuse not only damages someone’s childhood it can also severely limit a young person’s future opportunities. Our ethos is to provide a safe place to live where clients can feel supported and cared for in order to recover and heal from past experiences of abuse. The practical tenancy support provided is underpinned by specialist knowledge on the issues involved in sexual abuse and how they affect young women and their children.
The recovery process can start once the client has her basic needs met and a stable, secure base from which to work. By using a mixture of one-to-one methods and group work we can support the client to take control of her own life; to increase her self-confidence and self-esteem; to form healthy relationships and build supportive social networks that will bring about long-term self-sufficiency. This work builds on the client’s existing strengths, helping them gain an insight into their feelings, emotions and therefore their actions and to develop strategies for real and long lasting change in their lives.
Our multi-agency approach ensures we can obtain the appropriate specialist support for our client’s many diverse needs. Consistency and strong professional boundaries are vital in this work, as is listening to and learning from our clients and being flexible and willing to change our approach when necessary to guarantee the best outcomes for them. All this work takes time and can lead to greater independence for clients and a reduction in their dependency on statutory and voluntary agencies. Without this investment of time it is unlikely a client could move much beyond the recovery stage and will continue to require the input of external services for many years to come. It is vital we give these young people a future that includes choices, hope and the opportunity to thrive, and improves the long-term quality of their and their children’s lives.”
Extract from Chapter 8, Helping Recovery & Healing, A Supported Housing Project Approach by Jacqui Smith (YWHP) from Good Practice in Promoting Recovery and Healing for abused Adults edited by Jacki Pritchard.
Copyright © Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2013
Reproduced with permission of JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS via PLSclear
