WAVE handbook : the strength-based, needs-led approach as a tool of empowerment in women's specialist services supporting survivors of domestic abuse. A pilot study

Abstract

" This handbook is aimed at setting a milestone, with which we aim to incentivise services to go beyond focusing on the risks a woman experiencing gender-based violence faces and to also<br/ >explore her strengths and skills together with her, which will serve her as key tools in building a new life.<br/ ><br/ >The strength-based, needs-led (SNBL) approach in women's specialist support services (WSS) was identified as one of the four key working fields the Network would be focusing on in the coming years. <br/ ><br/ >The aim we set at the beginning of our journey was, first, to provide a useful, operational definition of what the strength-based, needs-led approach is, and second, to start building a tool-kit and a body of knowledge which we<br/ >could use to guide our research and practice further. Here, we recognised that an inquiry into which SBNL elements the group members currently already use in their own organisations would offer a good starting point. <br/ ><br/ >We opted for a pilot study, with the goal of defining key themes and priority issues, and to come up with recommendations on the next steps of developing this work-approach. We used a qualitative questionnaire within six women's organisations from across Europe which are presented in the Appendices of this handbook.<br/ ><br/ >A persistent issue, emerging from the results of the pilot study, seems to be the presence of patriarchal traditions, regardless of the country, cultural tradition, and the organisation itself. These can also impact the culture of support services which at times relate to a woman mainly as a "victim to be supported" rather than a survivor with her own strengths and abilities. All the WSS who took part in the study found that, for their work to show impact in the long run, working from a SBNL approach is much more effective in supporting women than just focusing on risks and a criminal justice led response."