Our Vision
Our vision is a society where DVA is never tolerated or silenced, empowering women and children to live in safety, free from fear.
Our Mission and Purpose
We provide a range of life saving and life changing supports empowering
women and children on their journey to safety and recovery. We do
this by:
• Providing accommodation and specialist domestic violence support
services to families.
•Working with communities to educate and challenge attitudes to
domestic violence through prevention and awareness raising.
• Campaigning and advocating for social change, legislation and
government policy
Our Values
COURAGE, EMPATHY, EMPOWERMENT, HOPE and INTEGRITY
Our, values and principles underpin how we deliver our
Vision – they are central to everything we do. They influence
our every action and interaction at SDVS, when working with
women and children and when advocating on their behalf.
Our teams live and work through these values on a day to
day basis, and they are reflected across our philosophy and
approach, our business planning and daily practices.
We believe that …
- Nobody deserves to be abused
- No person should ever have to experience the torture of being abused by a ‘loved one’
- No one should be alone in carrying the burden of blame, shame and judgment perpetrated upon them
- Early educational interventions with young people entering intimate relationships are key to combating domestic violence in future generations and breaking the cycle of violence
We acknowledge that …
- Domestic violence is a serious and life destroying crime for which the client is never responsible
- Is a cycle of abuse that only escalates with time
- Occurs in all walks of life – all classes, creeds, ages and races
- Is an unequal balance of power and control that an individual holds over another in any intimate or close family relationship – husband and wife, same sex partners or adult children and an elder parent
- Takes many forms including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, financial abuse and coercive control
We commit to …
- Empowering our clients to express their voice and be heard
- Listening, hearing, believing and respecting those who contact us for help whether they plan to leave an abusive relationship or seek support in staying safe in the relationship
- Working in a non-judgmental environment supporting clients – only they know the reality of their abuse
- Maintaining a confidential service for all our clients and ensuring that we always work according to Children First Guidelines and Legislation 2017
