Abuse Victim Support

Our Service

TheAbuse Victim Support Project is a multi-stranded project consisting of one onone counselling and using art and performing art as therapy. 

a.   AVS Counselling serves to provide a holistic package ofemotional and practical support to those dealing with domestic violence, sexualabuse and rape; whether it is happening now or has happened in the past. Weprovide immediate and free one to one counselling for individuals, in safe andsecure surrounding. 

b.   AVS  “In the light” project was designed by victimsof abuse and works in tandem with our A.V.S. Counselling project, it is twotiered:-

i.       Uses the Arts as part of the therapy andhealing process, encourages abuse victims to participate in various art formsas a means of recovery and coming to terms with the devastating and long termeffects that abuse has on its victims. 

ii.       Raise awareness of the issue in thecommunity by participating in art & cultural events, with the view toincrease public understanding of the long term effects of such abuse, informindividuals of help provided and help individuals to identify causes andeffects of abuse in the wider society.

Oneof the purposes of this project is to provide information as a preventativeaim, to break the vicious cycle of abuse which is multi-generational, when leftwithout intervention.

We work in partnership with other similar organisations and take referralsas well as signpost individuals to suitable services.

What distinguishes the AVS project from other services, is the approach wetake to counselling. The many tieredapproach that we take with our clients is a result of feedback from clients whohave stated that the traditional approach has not always been successful. Our approach which has one on one sessions, groupssessions, arts as therapy sessions and service user forums allows our clientsto create their own method of support, based upon a ten step programme.

We hold an annual community festival toraise funds and awareness of the AVS project. This festival to support a project that has been designed andimplemented by victims of abuse from the Sundon Park area, seeks to tighten thebonds within this community and provides a significant opportunity for thesevictims of abuse to bring in a visible and direct focal manner public attentionto their cause. 

Equality And Community Cohesion

NINE RED Presents…(CIC) has a core aim"That each individual in society, irrespective of race, ethnic origin,gender, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, creed, disability, age,religion or political belief has the right to be and to provide; inspiration,motivation and achieve emotional, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing."

As this is our core mission, all of ourprojects are underpinned with this message and are designed with this messagein mind. 

The organisation is diverse in itscomposition, in regards to Directors and Volunteers coming from varied social,cultural, ethnic, religious, educational, age and gender backgrounds. 

It is the company's policy to giveopportunities to disabled persons. Our board of Directors has a member who isregistered disabled. Our community services are specifically targeted at BME,disabled and socially disadvantaged groups and individuals, as such we activelyencourage all individuals to become involved in all our projects.

The company works with the communityinclusively and treats all people equally irrespective of race, ethnic origin,sex, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, creed, disability, age,religion or political belief

Social Inclusion

•         Service users are directbeneficiaries but also through the volunteering programme have the ability tocontribute to the delivery of the project, its design and implantation.

•         The service users also have a forumto discuss the project and implement change and reform where needed, but alsoare provided with a platform from which they can engage with other appropriateagencies, such as UB Volunteering, Voluntary Action Luton, Police Service, CPS,Victims support, Rape Crisis, Housing, Luton NHS and Luton Borough Council.

•         Focused workshops and seminars areorganized to generate an information exchange and grant service users a voiceto be heard.

•         Service users and members of thecommunity form the majority of the creative team and projects committee toensure that our projects reflect the views and concerns of the wider community.

Project Evaluation

•         Stake holders and agenciesattending Service User Forums brings service providers and agencies face toface with service users thereby enabling the latter to offer critical feedbackon what works for them. In response it is expected that such feedback wouldinfluence service planners and policy changes. We will track the change indelivery approach adopted by provider.

•         Results of the effectiveness of theproject will be fed back to stake holders and agencies, so that needs ofsurvivors, as expressed can be taken into direct account when shaping andformulating policy. These results will be captured by our monitoring andevaluation exercises.

•         We will capture data on the numberand level of participation in the programme by service users. Also we willmonitor the level of participation in the "User Forums"

•         The monthly group sessions andhealing arts sessions will be monitored for effectiveness and feedback from thegroup will be collected.

•         We will make use of both group feedbackand responses to individual questionnaires which would be administered at aparticular juncture of the programme.

•         We will measure level of engagementwith others in group sessions.

•         The degree of openness and spontaneityin communicative exchange.

•         Expressed change in communicativerelationship with others close circle. Degree of change in confidence .

•         Comparative assessment individualfrom commencement on programme to present time, using a combination ofobservation and self assessment by individuals in one to one exchange.

•         The level of confidenceexpressed/demonstrated in being able to engage with members of the public.

•         Reduced level of reliance uponservice for counselling.

•         Ability to take directresponsibility for day to day affairs

•         Information will be gathered fromdirect feedback from service users. We will use the User Forum as a medium to capture this information.

•         We intend to learn the bestapproaches to supporting each individual client.

•         To learn and build new models fordealing with victims of abuse.

•         To be able to identify individualswho may be vulnerable to becoming a victim of abuse and alternatively the kindof individuals that could become potential abusers.

•         To discover the best approach toimpart life skills to clients who have suffered domestic or sexual violenceresulting in arrested development of key social skills.