Annual Report 2014/15 womenscentre.org. #EveryWomanCounts. Vicki Lee Chair of the Executive Committee

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1 Each year, as we prepare our Annual Report, I am humbled and very proud of the hard work and achievements of all the staff and volunteers at Lancashire Women s Centres. Government austerity and cuts to public funding means that the demand and need for our services and support is ever growing, but I am confident we can meet these needs with compassion, care and quality-proving that our one stop shop policy not only works, but improves lives. We believe that every woman counts. Vicki Lee Chair of the Executive Committee #EveryWomanCounts Annual Report 2014/15 womenscentre.org

2 What we do Our vision is that women and their families in the communities we serve are able to achieve their potential, develop their assets and skills and live safe, healthy and prosperous lives. Sarah Swindley Chief Executive Officer Photo courtesy of: Lancashire Telegraph Our work to achieve this vision includes the following objectives: Meet Women s Needs - Delivering within a gender specific setting as a primary route to achieving better outcomes for those we work with. - Adopting an asset based approach - building aspirations and removing barriers. - Identifying the needs of different communities and adapting services to meet these needs. Are Accessible to all Women - Bringing a range of services together under one roof - a One Stop Shop. - Locating our centres in communities where needs are greatest, (currently we have centres in Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Blackpool and further centres launching in 2015/16 in Preston and Nelson). We also work in partnership with other third sector providers to extend our services to: - Chorley - Skelmersdale - Lancaster - Preston - Cumbria Are of High Quality and are Effective - Providing high quality, evidence based interventions in community settings. - Being innovative, responsive and professional. - Investing in our staff and volunteers. Our organisation continues to grow and thrive, adapting in response to the changes in the lives of women in Lancashire. We are rooted in our communities and every day I see the powerful relationships that are built when women come together to support women. We operate in a fast paced, dynamic environment and staff have worked so hard this year to focus on how we ensure a high quality service is available for all women. Partnership is vital to us and we are fortunate in Lancashire to have a third sector that is willing to put organisational issues aside, coming together to build a strong and resilient community. I am proud of the contribution LWC makes to this. 2 3

3 Our Impact Improving Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Our mental health services have further developed over this year, and we are now commissioned to deliver therapeutic services under the national NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme at all of our centres, across the East Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) footprints. In addition to our IAPT provision we ve worked collaboratively with key local partners to create innovative services to support emotional wellbeing, including the development of a pilot recovery college model (The Healthy Minds Academy) in partnership with East Lancashire CCG, participation in a pilot with DWP providing therapeutic support to participants in the Work Programme, and the establishment of a non gender specific centre (Community Wellbeing Centre) in Blackburn, which extends therapeutic support to men. Our Programmes: IAPT Provision Therapeutic services, including counselling and CBT, commissioned under the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies umbrella. Community Wellbeing Service Extending our IAPT provision to the whole community in defined localities, and in a manner which protects our gendered approach to service delivery. Healthy Minds Academy and Therapeutic Training creating a localised programme of therapeutic and recovery focussed training across East Lancashire. Peer Facilitated Activity - We support a growing network of peer facilitated group activity which provides opportunities for peer support to improve emotional wellbeing and to foster social inclusion. These include therapeutic art groups and transexual support groups. Accessing the counselling service means that I am now able to talk about my problems and understand my emotions - the counsellor was very good at listening to me and overall it was a good experience that has helped me a great deal 5807 hours 1154 women Our Chrysalis transexual support group now supports 30 members across two centres. of therapeutic support were accessed by and 78 men - 7% of total provision. 50% of individuals accessing our IAPT services will show meaningful recovery. A higher percentage of women will recover if they engage with a full course of intervention, we are working hard to understand what helps and drives that engagement with an ambitious target of recovery for the future. Following therapy 25% were no longer taking medication. 8% felt the support had helped them find and keep a job. 12% continued to access LWC services to support their recovery, for example attending therapeutic courses. 4 5

4 Our Impact Vision Programme Supported 235 women in 2014/15. Providing a Gendered Response to Female Offending We continue to enact the principles of the Corston Report within our service, providing a gendered response to the issues of female offending behaviour. We view this as a key route to reducing instances of reoffending or to prevent the criminalisation of women with multiple and complex needs. We now offer a package of services which work with women at all points in the criminal justice system, placing staff within police custody and prison settings to support engagement as well as further extending our community provision. These programmes are receiving increasing regional and national recognition for their impact, with our work including pilot and innovative approaches that seek to increase the use of community sentencing options for women. Our Programmes: Avert A pilot early intervention/diversionary offer for women in police custody, working to divert women from the criminal justice system at the earliest opportunity. Vision - Targeted support for women who are in the Criminal Justice System, working to reduce the risk of reoffending by addressing the issues underpinning individual female offending behaviour. Gateways Intensive support to women returning to Lancashire from HMP Styal, offered via a multi agency approach and working collaboratively with statutory and non-statutory organisations. This work specifically targets women with substance misuse issues and dual diagnosis. Avert Programme 93% of women have not reoffended during the last year. 90% of all women referred into Vision completed a full programme of support. 83% of all women who were referred into Vision achieved a positive outcome in identified areas of need. Benchmarking of Vision, against similar programmes delivered in the UK, suggests that the completion rate achieved by LWC is significantly higher than most. The stuff we do in the group sessions had made me think about what I am doing and I feel that I now have a future Gateways Programme Majority of women have accepted support to locate suitable accommodation on release from custody. 72% of women evidenced improvements in mental health and emotional wellbeing. 20% of women evidenced improved life skills. 6 All women reported improvement in their own health and wellbeing, and all accessed further support services that we provide. 7

5 Our Impact Directing Change Supporting Families and Communities to 77% Develop Resilience We have continued to support delivery upon a number of localised multi agency programmes where we are able to use our expertise in the development and provision of gender specific interventions to improve outcomes for women engaged within these services. Delivery under these programmes enables us to offer support to women in some of the most challenging and vulnerable situations, including those who are homeless and women who are engaged in sex working activity. This work is primarily delivered through proactive and persistent Keyworker support, ensuring a single point of contact to liaise within a multi-agency context. Our Programmes: Troubled Families (Blackburn with Darwen) - The provision of proactive keyworker support to families where improving maternal wellbeing is likely to have a significant impact on improving wider family wellbeing. Key workers, ensure a single point of contact to liaise within a multi-agency context. Making Every Adult Matter (Blackburn with Darwen) - Working to resettle local women who are currently either homeless or living in Houses of Multiple Occupancy through intensive one to one support. of women showed a reduction in their panic & anxiety and/or depression. 49% of clients showed improved engagement with drug and alcohol services within last 12 months. Troubled Families Programme 75% of families (5) have improved their employability status, with participants engaged in training, undertaking voluntary work and moving into employment. Directing Change (Blackburn with Darwen) Working to increase the safety and wellbeing of those engaged in sex working. As well as working to reduce instances of sex working through provision of support to identified sex workers, and those at risk of entry into the industry. I have just come out of prison. I have come to the Women s Centre. They have helped me with doctors, housing, crisis loans and other appointments. I get all the help I get from the Women s Centre. If it wasn t for the Women s Centre I don t know what I would have done. 3 Families have shown an improvement in their mental health, confidence and self-esteem, using recognised wellbeing measures. 86% of children (12) from 5 Families have improved their attendance and behaviour at school. 8 9

6 Increasing access to Education, Training and Skills Development Opportunities Our training provision continues to provide both a starting point and progression route between inactivity and more formal learning and qualifications for women who are less likely to access mainstream adult learning activity. During this year we have worked to hone our training offer, refining our programme to ensure it delivers a responsive educational programme of wellbeing and mental health recovery focussed workshops and courses. Established relationships with key local learning providers, including Blackpool Adult Learning, Lancashire Adult Learning and Accrington and Rossendale College, continue to add significant value to our training and skills offer. Our employment support service remains focussed upon supporting those furthest from work, trained volunteers lead group activity and our Achieve programme provides intensive one to one employability support for women who have had contact with the criminal justice service. Our Programmes: Community Learning Provision Rolling programmes of personal development and mental health recovery focussed training. Including in house delivery and partner provision, and the development of a social prescribing package The Healthy Minds Academy. Achieve Supporting the development of skills for employment and motivational learning activity through provision of community based intensive support for women in the Criminal Justice System. Weekly Work Clubs Volunteer led job search and application support. IT Resources Provision of IT Cafes in each centre enabling free access to IT. Volunteer support provides guidance and supported access to online training for those requiring extra assistance. Community Learning Provision 90 courses were delivered across our network of centres supporting 830 learners. On average 80% of participants complete a full course. Community Learning Provision 65% of participants self reported improved health and wellbeing. 54% of participants (from a small pilot sample size) evidenced recovery from mental ill health. Achieve Programme 95% of women evidenced improved soft employability outcomes such as increased motivation, confidence and gaining relevant identification. 57% of women moved into employment, accredited training, further education or voluntary employment. Our Impact 42% of participants in training activity said that attendance had enabled I have started volunteering and can see a future for them to set their own goals for me and my daughter, thanks for supporting me. the future

7 Our Impact Providing Accessible and High Quality Information and Advice 85% reported reduced levels of anxiety and depression following support. 98% reported an improved or stabilised financial situation. 74% worked with the team to produce a financial action plan. A key element of this work is our expanded Money and Housing Advice Service, which now operates at all of our centres supporting women who are surviving on low incomes, living in circumstance of extreme poverty and deprivation, and those who have poor financial literacy skills. Often these factors have contributed to additional vulnerabilities or perpetuate their persistence, for example contributing to anxiety and depression or placing women at risk of offending behaviours as a means of coping with their economic situation. We continue to work with local partners to enhance our offer and bring in specialist advice provision to our centres, including Hyndburn CAB and local solicitors. We also continue to provide practical assistance (including provision of food, clothes and toiletries) to those in immediate crisis. The Centre has helped changed my life completely, specifically the debt counsellor, she helped turn it all around make a fresh start, if it hadn t been for them, I don t know what would have happened, I may have been homeless. Our Programmes: Money and Housing Advice Service Providing debt advice, money advice and financial literacy support across our network of centres. Delivered through one to one casework and group training activity. Legal Advice Working in partnership with a range of local solicitors we were able to provide free drop in legal clinics at all centres Emergency Food Provision In reflection of the impact of welfare reform and slow localised economic recovery, we are increasingly required to provide basic sustenance to those most in need. This services works to complement local food bank provision, responding to immediate crisis presentation in service. Emergency Food Provision Over 100 emergency food parcels provided. Legal Advice At just two of our centres we supported 114 women, accessing 220 appointments for legal support. 365 women have accessed individual support for issues relating to debt. Money and Housing Advice Service 85% reported higher confidence with money management following support. 95% reported that they had accrued no further debts

8 Our Wider Organisational Impact A Commitment to Sharing Best Practice We remain committed to sharing what we learn with others. We see this as a key route to enabling us to reach more women than we could through direct delivery at our centres alone, and to those beyond our geographic boundaries. We continue to explore and expand appropriate routes to support this activity, and to ensure that we have the data and information available to evidence the impact of our work and models of delivery. Our Impact LWC CEO Sarah Swindley has a key role within the Kings Fund led GSK IMPACT Network. This network of health and social care VCFS leaders provides an opportunity for our organisation to share experiences and expertise, and to work with others in the sector to build recognition of the significant and vital contribution to the health and social care system that VCFS organisations play. LWC Criminal Justice Team have been involved in contributing to the development of a new national Outcomes Star as a new participatory outcomes measurement tool for use in supporting work with offenders (currently known as the Justice Star). We will be piloting use of this tool in service over the coming year. Chrysalis (our Transsexual support group) continues to share knowledge and experience with others, as well as offering a valuable peer support service. The group is now an organisational member of the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. LWC are part of the Home Office IOM (Integrated Offender Management ) Women Offenders group, giving an opportunity to showcase our work, learn from others and share best practice at the highest level. Working to support Health Education North West (HENW) Workforce Transformation, LWC hosted and supported a Third Sector Apprenticeships Project Manager in a six-month scoping project. Our research focussed on Third Sector Organisations delivering Health, Care and Wellbeing services throughout the North West and involved the mapping of skill gaps and workforce shortages and how these can be addressed through utilisation of Apprenticeship Frameworks. Concluding recommendations reported to HENW aimed to inform and support strategic planning and decisions moving forward. For the Third Sector Health & Care workforce, this project will continue to provide valuable support funds for organisations to upskill their existing staff and new recruits through Apprenticeship Frameworks, representing an opportunity for substantial positive impact through learning and development. support, encourage, enable 14 15

9 Our Wider Organisational Impact Ensuring that we Provide High Quality Services Our income in 2014/2015 was 1,191,784 A 35% increase on 2013/2014. Expenditure We have 20 different income streams, including income generated from donations, grants, contracts and trading activity. Our largest funders in this year were Comic Relief, EL CCG, Social Investment Business and Lancashire and Cumbria CRC. The provision of high quality support to women in vulnerable situations remains a key priority for the organisation, with significant work undertaken during this period to ensure this. We have been able to maintain and improve the quality of our provision despite the significant economic challenges that have been faced in our local and wider economy, contributing to continuing high demand and increasingly complexity amongst those who access our services. Our Impact We achieved Approved Provider Standard from the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. We received the title of National ESF Gender Equality Leader in the National 2014 ESF Mainstreaming Leader Awards. Shortlisted in the Not for Profit category at the 2014 Lancashire Business View Red Rose Business Awards. We retained British Association Counselling and Psychotherapy Accreditation for our service, one of only a handful of providers in Lancashire with service accreditation. We retained our Investors in People Standard, evidencing our commitment to the continual development of our volunteers, staff and wider organisation. Our total reserves are 419,359 and equate to around 4.5 months of running costs, in line with LWC Reserves Policy. 16 Our expenditure across our work streams is: Advice, Education and Training 8.5 % (2.8% FYE14) Working with Women at Risk 37 % (38% FYE14) Core services 4.3 % (11% FYE14) Mental Health Services 50 % (48% FYE14) It was such a pleasure to work in an organisation where the people are so engaged, motivated, dedicated and committed to your success Investors In People Assessor, May

10 Looking Forward Our Wider Organisational Impact Contributing to Local Social, Economic and Community Development The charity plays an important role in contributing to the local economy of Lancashire, in particular by supporting workforce development in the local health and social care sector (both VCFS and statutory providers). Volunteers remain vital to the organisation, providing specialist skills, additional capacity and supporting us to remain embedded within our local communities. Our volunteer roles also continue to provide a key progression route for many women who have accessed our services, enabling them to use their lived experiences to support others. We are also a significant local provider of training placements, in particular for counselling students and for trainees within the IAPT framework. Our Impact 56 employees (of which over 90% live within the geographic county of Lancashire, and within the communities we serve). We have hosted 5 Business Administration Apprenticeships. Volunteers have donated 30,000 hours, equivalent to an in kind donation of around 230, volunteers have progressed into paid employment citing their voluntary role as directly contributing to their success. We opened our first LWC Charity Shop, providing new volunteering opportunities and generating vital income. Recruit with conviction - LWC are interested in knowing where women are going, not where they have been. With this in mind, we are happy to offer employment and volunteering opportunities to those that may have an offending history or have gaps in their career due to periods of vulnerability. We will recruit based on potential and assets, not on deficits. The environment within which LWC operates becomes more challenging year on year. We will continue to strive to deliver high quality services that support women and communities. The climate of austerity and the large scale contraction of the public sector means our services have never been more vital or more subject to scrutiny and pressure. I am confident that we have the skills and experience to meet these challenges and will succeed by keeping our beneficiaries at the heart of what we do. 130 volunteers working across our network of centres in counselling, administration, reception, group facilitation and retail roles. I feel like I m gaining new friends, new experiences and new hope LWC Volunteer Sarah Swindley Chief Executive Officer 18 19

11 Many thanks to the funders of our service(s) Awards for All Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Comic Relief East Lancs Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Families Health & Wellbeing Consortium Girdlers Charitable Trust Health Education England Henry Smith Charity Health & Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF) Hyndburn Advice Network Lancashire Adult Learning Lancashire County Council Cumbria & Lancashire Community Rehabilitation Company Lloyds Community Fund Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company NHS England Police & Crime Commissioner for Lancashire Social Investment Business (SIB) The Garfield Weston Foundation The Swan Mountain Trust Tinder Foundation (UK Online) Blackburn with Darwen Without Abuse European Social Fund National Offender Management service Achieve North West Heritage Lottery Fund Many thanks to key partners and supporters of our work Angela Allen, CEO, Families Health & Wellbeing Consortium Joy Arrandale, Mental Health & Learning Disability Commissioning Manager, East Lancs Clinical Commissioning Group Louise Fisher, Assistant Chief Executive. Cumbria & Lancashire Community Rehabilitation Company Soroptimist International Blackburn The Kings Fund Womens Breakout Clive Grunshaw, Police & Crime Commissioner for Lancashire Thank you to our trustess: Vicki Lee, Chair. Tracy Mardsen, Treasurer. Susan Ramsdale. Lynette Harwood. Angela Thornton. Barry Foley. Alex Hanson. #EveryWomenCounts Follow Lancashire Women s Centres enquiries@womenscentre.org Accrington Centre: Blackburn Road, Accrington, BB5 1HF Blackburn Centre: 25 Wellington Street (St.John s), Blackburn, BB1 8AF Burnley Centre: 4 Nicholas Street, Burnley, BB11 2EU Blackpool Centre: 162 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 3PS Community Wellbeing Centre: 10 Richmond Terrace, Blackburn, BB1 7BD Preston Centre: 31 Fishergate Hill, Preston, PR1 8DN