Know your worth
Fylde Coast Women's Aid (FCWA) recognises the importance of how domestic violence and abuse affect people. Domestic abuse has no quick escape and it can take individuals many years to start to regain control of their lives.
Many people can appear to be going round and round ‘within the cycle of abuse’ and can find it hard to leave the relationship or may find themselves going on to other abusive relationships.
To help break this cycle, FCWA has developed a more structured programme called ‘Know Your Worth’ which helps clients in recognising their value and provides further insight into domestic violence and abuse, its impact, and its effects on children.
Victims and survivors of domestic violence and abuse tell us that they struggle to understand where everything went wrong, often blame themselves for the abuse, and have feelings of guilt. It’s important to empower clients to move forward and not let domestic abuse define them and understand the abuse they have experienced.
By gaining a greater understanding of the cycle and the signs and symptoms of domestic violence and abuse, participants will be given the tools to make informed decisions about their lives which will have a positive impact on their decision-making around future relationships.
Power to Change
The Power to Change programme provides education and support in a group setting to women who are or have been, in abusive relationships. It is based on the idea that women working together in a safe, friendly, and non-judgmental environment can change their lives for the better.
Going through domestic abuse can damage your self-esteem and make you feel very isolated and even ashamed of what has happened to you. Being in a group where others have had similar experiences can be very beneficial; it offers a safe space to share experiences, feel that you are not alone, and draw strength from each other.
The three main aims of the support group are:
- to help you understand the dynamics of abuse and change patterns of behaviour learned by women within abusive relationships.
- to raise awareness of women’s basic rights.
- to build self-esteem and empowerment, enabling you to recognise your individual strengths, maintain your independence, and acknowledge your rights to respect, dignity, independence, choice, and control.
You and Me, Mum
You and Me, Mum aims to provide a ten-week self-help programme which will empower, support and develop further understanding of your role as mothers, in addressing the needs of children and young people who have lived with domestic violence.
Throughout this ten-week programme, FCWA creates a non-judgmental, non-threatening environment for mothers. Women will have the opportunity to safely explore the impact domestic violence has had on their relationships with their children and young people
The course covers
To understand how domestic violence affects you as a parent
To understand the effects of domestic violence on children and young people
To develop effective communication skills with children and young people
To promote healthy and nonviolent relationships
To explore key protective behaviour messages and strategies for keeping mothers, children, and young people safe.
**NB This course is not designed for families where the primary perpetrator of domestic abuse is still in the family home. This is because changes in mothers’ behaviours due to learning from attending the course might increase the risk of domestic abuse to themselves and to their children.**
