Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Services Helpline

Freephone 0800 0198 668

Helpline workers provide confidential support and information and access to temporary refuge accommodation to women and children experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse. The helpline is open 10 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday.

• Women and children experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic violence
• Friends and family seeking to support women and children who are experiencing, or - who have experienced, domestic violence
• Professionals supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence.

• The Helpline staff respond according to caller's needs and may for example:
• Refer women with or with out children to emergency safe accommodation.
• Provide information about legal, housing or welfare rights and options and referral to relevant services and professions
• Carry out online crisis and safety planning
• Offer emotional support and (if appropriate) refer to counselling services
• Refer women to face-to-face support via community based drop-in or outreach domestic violence services in their locality
• Refer callers to the online Survivors Handbook or send them an information pack, with a range of help and information leaflets that are all available in different languages.

In addition to offering confidential support and information, Helpline staff are a source of practical help and information about housing rights and entitlements, information on getting injunctions or reassurance about calling the police.

Women and children who have/ are experiencing domestic violence or abuse. (NDWA’s Outreach workers provide a service for men who have/ are experiencing domestic abuse).

Family and friends who are affected by someone else’s experiences of domestic abuse (male friends and family can access support via the telephone helpline).

Agencies who are supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

A chance to talk and consider your options.
Advice on housing, finance, home security, personal safety, health, children.
Advocacy to get your voice heard.
Counselling.
Referral to CAB benefits or dept advice, legal advice or other services.
Referral to safe temporary refuge accommodation.
Coffee Morning.

Does your relationship make you feel uncomfortable?

Would you like a chance to talk to someone who is in a similar situation?

A chance to meet new people / make new friends?

Come along to the Advice Centre for a coffee (or teaJ) and a chat. Meet new people in a safe, friendly, women only environment, where children are welcome.

Every Friday 10 am till 12 noon – no need to book – we look forward to seeing you there.

West Bank House, Albion Road, Chesterfield, S40 1LL
Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm

Helpline - 01246 540444
Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

A refuge is a safe house which offers temporary accommodation for women and their children. There are over 500 refuges in the UK, providing a place of safety for any woman who needs to escape violence, married or single, with or without children. Many of these refuges are run by local Women's Aid organisations. North Derbyshire Women's Aid has two refuges which are run by women and are for women and children, one of these has disabled access.

Many women come to the refuges for a break from the violence. Refuges provide a breathing space where decisions can be made free from pressure and fear. Women can stay as long as they want - this can be anything from a few days to several months. The refuge will help if you need to find a more permanent place to stay. If you need to you can stay in the refuge until you're permanently re-housed.

Our refuge addresses and telephone numbers are confidential, so that it's difficult for the abuser to find a woman who has left home. You will usually be unable to stay in a refuge in your local area – this is for safety reasons. The refuge staff will want to be sure that your abuser will not be able to find you. Because of this you'll need to be a safe distance from the areas that your abuser has associations with.

NDWA refuges provide you with your own room for yourself or to share with your children. The living room, TV room, kitchen, playroom will be shared with other refuge residents. One refuge has ensuite bathroom facilities in the other one you will be sharing with other families. You‘ll be expected to cook for yourself (and your children). It's up to you and the other residents whether or not you eat together at mealtimes or each cook individually.

We have our own code of conduct regarding the day to day running of the house which includes alcohol use, bedtimes for children, incoming telephone calls and rotas for using the washing machine. You can be as self contained or as sociable as you want to be.

Any women who's experiencing domestic violence can go to a refuge, but you don't have to prove that you have been abused. It doesn't matter if you're married or single, and you don't have to have any children. If you do have children, the National Domestic Violence Helpline will help you find a refuge for all of you, so you don't have to separated.

Domestic violence is experienced by women of all races, ages, classes and religions, and occurs in heterosexual, lesbian and gay relationships. You can look on the Domestic Abuse Directory for a service, or ring the National Domestic Violence Helpline, and they will try to find a refuge for you.

There are also some specialist refuges, designed specifically for women from different religious or cultural backgrounds, and there are also refuges which can provide additional support for women who have more complex needs. If you'd prefer a refuge specifically for women from a particular cultural or religious background, or need one which has specialist equipment and adapted rooms, please ask and the National Domestic Violence Helpline will help you find a refuge where you will feel most comfortable.

You can look in the Domestic Abuse Directory or alternatively call the National Domestic Violence Helpline or telephone Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Services Freephone helpline. 0800 0198 668. It's best to phone the helpline on the morning that you want to go into a refuge, between 10am and midday. It's much easier to find a space in a refuge during the week, and you can go into a refuge on the same day. However, the National Domestic Violence Helpline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if you need to leave outside of these times they'll still be able to help you.

You can also access refuge accommodation through Social Services, the Citizens' Advice Bureau, Housing Departments or the Police. Many refuge organisations are also listed in the telephone directory.

Once refuge accommodation has been arranged, a helpline worker will discuss the location of the refuge with you. It's important that you keep this information to yourself, and that you take care not to leave it at your home as you leave.

You can refer yourself by telephoning the Derbyshire domestic abuse Free- phone helpline on 0800 0198 668, the National Domestic Violence Free-phone helpline ( 24 hours) 0808 2000 247, or agencies who are in contact with you for example the Police or Housing Department can refer you.

Women’s Aid has a national network of refuge services, so if you feel it would be safer for you to live elsewhere you can be referred to another refuge in the country.

The NDWA helpline workers will do their best to find you a space in the location you want to be in, but this can’t be guaranteed as availability is always changing. It’s best to call and check.

You can stay in a refuge for as little or as long as you need to. This might be anything from a couple of days to several months until you are re-housed or it is safe for you to return home.

You may just want a breathing space, to enable you to work out your future. Some women and their children stay at refuges for months. While you’re at the refuge you can talk to refuge workers about your housing options. If you need help, they’ll guide you through the process of finding some permanent housing, if that’s what you need, as well as discussing other housing options. You may decide that you want to go back to your own home - staff will help you with this if you need it.

You can return home from the refuge at any point. You may decide to return with an injunction. You may decide you want to be re-housed elsewhere. The choice is yours, and refuge workers will help you to decide what you want to do. They will also tell you how to get advice regarding joint property and mortgage agreements. Don’t agree to sign any documents relating to the tenancy or ownership of your home until you’ve taken legal advice.

When you leave a refuge, you can go back as a resident if you need to. If you just need further information or support but not accommodation then you can contact our helpline.

If you go into one of our refuges but then find yourself unhappy with either the location or the refuge itself you should talk to one of the workers at the refuge. If the situation can’t be resolved within the refuge, they will help you to transfer to a different refuge where hopefully you’ll feel more comfortable.

If you would like to make a complaint, NDWA has policies, rules, regulations and separate management committee who are accountable for the practices at the refuge. If you experience a problem with an NDWA refuge where you’ve been resident you need to follow the complaints procedure. You will find the complaints policy on this website - Complaints Policy & Procedure.

You won't be able to take lots of bulky items to the refuge. There probably won't be room for things such as furniture, large toys and televisions. The refuge worker will discuss with you what space is available.

It can be very distressing to have to leave behind your home and possessions. It's worth remembering that the local authority has a duty to store the possessions of a person going into refuge accommodation. However, this can be quite difficult to arrange if the abuser remains in the property.

If you need to leave in an emergency, it's difficult to plan what to take with you, but if you can spend a few minutes preparing, view a list of the essentials that will be extremely useful. Don't worry if you don't have the time to remember everything.

TheNDWA helpline can find you somewhere to stay where you can take your children. You won't be separated. Generally there are always lots of children in refuges - so they won't be short of someone to play with. We have special children's support workers, and are well equipped with play areas, toys and educational materials. We also arrange regular activities and outings. The refuge workers will help to guide your children through the adjustment of leaving their home and settling in so they begin to feel at home in the refuge. Refuge workers will also help you sort out practical arrangements, like finding a new school or nursery. Find out about more about children and domestic violence.

NDWA refuges are equipped to accommodate small animals such as fish, mice and other caged pets, however we may be able to organise the fostering of your pet for the period of your stay in refuge. It’s also worth remembering that the local authority has a duty to store the property of people who go into refuge accommodation, and sometimes they will accept a pet within this definition of property. Alternatively you may wish to arrange for a friend or family member to look after your pet whilst you are in a refuge.

In the kitchen each family is given a space in the fridge/freezer and has a locked cupboard available to store food. If you or your children have special dietary needs – whether for cultural, religious or health reasons – you may be able to use a separate part of the fridge to store your food, and sometimes there’s a separate fridge for vegetarians.

Specially adapted fire alarms and pocket talker personal amplifiers are stored for the use of the hearing impaired. They can be provided to the resident for the duration of their stay. On leaving refuge Derbyshire Fire Service can be contacted as they will provide alarms for new homes.

A set of personal cooking utensils is available for families who may need to use them separate to the communal utensils. It may be that a Muslim family would not wish to share utensil's that had been used to cook non Halal meat.

Information regarding the sourcing of Fresh Halal meat is available.

We can provide a ‘do not disturb sign' to display on your bedroom door to enable silent prayer.

A variety of festivals are celebrated throughout the year. Residents can decide how and what they would like to celebrate. For example a special breakfast was held to mark the celebration of Eid, a Christmas tree was put up by residents to celebrate Christmas, and Divali was a session topic for the children in the playrooms.

Churches are listed in the Yellow pages and residents can be signposted where appropriate.

If you’re in full or part-time regular employment that you wish to continue with, but need to go into temporary refuge accommodation as a result of domestic violence, consider discussing your situation with your manager, your boss, or your personnel officer. By having this confidential meeting, you may be able to arrange some time off work - this could be allocated as annual or sick leave.

You may be given the opportunity to transfer, so that you can continue working while moving to another area. If you are in employment, you will be expected to pay rent at the refuge, although you may be entitled to some housing benefit if you have a low income and/or dependant children.

If you leave full or part-time employment in order to relocate and move into a refuge, you should be able to claim benefits. You’ll need to discuss this with a refuge worker as soon as you move into the refuge. They can help you with your application.

If you're subject to immigration control, you can't usually claim most state benefits. This is known as having "no recourse to public funds”. There are some (minor) exceptions to this rule. Funding is available through Supporting People to allow women with insecure immigration status and who are experiencing domestic violence to access "housing related support” either in a refuge or other temporary accommodation.

Local authorities do have a statutory power under the Children Act 1989 to ensure that children "in need” or "at risk of significant harm,” are adequately fed, housed and cared for. Some local authorities may use this provision to pay for you to stay with your children in refuge accommodation. Local authorities also have the power under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 to assist victims of domestic violence, but this is subject to local discretion.

Some refuge organisations will provide you with accommodation and support even if you have no recourse to public funds, though they will have to cover the costs from their own reserves, and therefore may have to place limits on the number of women in this situation that they can take at any one time. View the Survivor's Handbook for more info on this subject.

You can still call the NDWA helpline. Workers can suggest other options which might be available to you. For example, you may be able to access emergency accommodation through your local authority. This would be in your local area and may be something like a hostel or a bed and breakfast.

You may want to consider friends and family that you could call upon to let you stay with them on a temporary basis. However, bear in mind that your abuser may more easily be able to find you there.

You may want to consider finding somewhere to rent privately. For more help and information on general housing options you could contact Shelter.

If you want to stay in your own home, you may want to get an injunction to protect yourself and your children, and to keep your abuser away.

If you decide not to go into refugethe NDWA helplinecan put you in touch with local outreach and support groups in your area. You can still receive personal and legal advice without living in the refuge, although we wouldn't advise a woman to remain in her home if the situation could endanger the lives of her or her children. View more info on this subject in the Survivor's Handbook.