Violence against women and girls and Multiple Disadvantage

The problem

The report ‘Gender Matters’ by Lankelly Chase found that of the 17,000 people in England who experience the most severe forms of disadvantage each year, 70% are women. The research also showed how women experiencing multiple disadvantages are much more likely than men to have faced violence and abuse in their adult lives.

This group of women fall through the cracks in systems. Services and other support often fail to account for how their experiences and needs are different to their male counterparts.

What we aim to achieve

Standing Together are working with us to transform services and systems to better meet the needs of women experiencing any form of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and Multiple Disadvantage.

Working to the principles of the coordinated community response, we will build a coordinated local partnership to ensure that women experiencing violence and other forms of Multiple Disadvantage in the borough can access services and support that are gender responsive and trauma informed.

A specialist has been commissioned to improve service delivery and partnership working across Westminster's VAWG sector, supporting us to achieve our objectives:

• Upskill - make sure professionals across a range of agencies have the skills, tools, confidence and knowledge to support survivors and women experiencing Multiple Disadvantage.
• Connect - improve how different providers in the borough deliver services and support for this group of women both at an operational and strategic level.
• Map and feed up - identify and address blockages and barriers that women experiencing VAWG and Multiple Disadvantage face when attempting to access accommodation and support that is appropriate for their needs.  
• Pilot and evaluate - try a range of interventions and approaches and review how effective they are in improving outcomes for these women.

Find out more

Find more information about services for women in Westminster and access a wide range of useful resources and articles on women, VAWG, Multiple Disadvantage, trauma informed and gender responsive approaches.