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Public Affairs and Campaigns Hub

Angharad — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:08:43 +0000

Public Affairs and Campaigns Hub

We carry out campaigning and influencing work in order to influence Government policy and legislation on issues that matter to you, and the women and children you work with.

All of our public affairs and campaigns work is based on a robust evidence base, using both internal and external research resources.

We consult our members and survivors before deciding on the focus of our national campaigns and we make sure that we involve members and survivors throughout the development stages of our campaigns through Expert Advisory Groups and Campaign Development Panels.

We couldn’t do this important work without the involvement and support of Women’s Aid members. Your input, time and expertise is the foundation of all of our campaigning and influencing work, and without this our campaigns would not be as effective or successful.

Public affairs and campaigns resources

APPG on Domestic Violence and Abuse

Women’s Aid provides the Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic Violence and Abuse, a cross-party group politicians with an interest in tackling domestic abuse. The group provides a forum, which members of the sector and public are able to attend, for discussion on how policy and legislation relating to domestic abuse is affecting survivors and specialist support services.

Previous APPG meetings have been on various subjects, including: Improving workplace support for survivors, criminalising survivors, protecting children and young people online.

Women’s Aid also supports the APPG to conduct a number of inquiries and publish recommendation reports. Download the latest APPG Reports and read meeting notes here.

Attend a meeting

The APPG meets around five times a year and members are always welcome to come along. We often encourage members and survivors to speak at these meetings so that the group can hear an authentic perspective. If you are not already on our mailing list, you can sign up to receive invites to meetings here.

“Contributing to the work of Women’s Aid at the APPG was both empowering, restorative and therapeutic. Representing fellow survivors at the event (despite its unavoidably triggering nature), was both a privilege and validating.” – Survivor who spoke at the APPG

Campaign Champions Network

In January 2016 we launched our new network of Campaign Champions and now have over 11,000 Champions. Campaign Champions are grassroots campaigners, many of whom are survivors of domestic abuse, with a commitment to ending domestic abuse, who support our national campaigns on a more local level.

We have over 300 campaign champions now, who are active in lobbying their MPs and promoting our campaigns in their communities. The aim is with time this network will grow and be able to support the campaigns of local Women’s Aid member organisations.

Learn more

You can find out more about the network and how to join here.

“I signed up because I feel very strongly that as a society we need to do much more to stop domestic violence and to help women who are living with it” – Campaign Champion.

Meetings with parliamentarians

We regularly meet with MPs, ministers and peers from the major political parties about our campaigns and other key issues that affect survivors and our member services. We attend government advisory groups and roundtables to make sure that the views of members and survivors are heard by policymakers and key government stakeholders.

What you can do

You could arrange a meeting with your MP at their local surgery to talk about our campaigns or any other local issues you may want to raise with them, or invite them to come and visit your service and learn more about what you do. Having a supportive local MP can be very useful. If you aren’t sure who the local MP is for your organisation, you can find out by searching on the UK Parliament website.

Child First Campaign

We launched the Child First campaign in January 2016 after hearing from members and survivors that unsafe child contact with perpetrators of domestic abuse was the most pressing issue which needed addressing with a national campaign.

We also know that survivors of domestic abuse and their children are often left traumatised by the family court process and unsafe child contact arrangements.

We are calling on the government, all family courts professionals and involved agencies to make the family court process safer for women and children survivors of domestic abuse.

Find out more and take action.

Public affairs and campaigns news

We have been working to influence the government on many key issues that affect our member services and survivors of domestic abuse, such as:

Greater investment into lifesaving specialist domestic abuse services
The government’s Violence Against Women and Girls strategy
Reforms to the family courts and criminal justice system
Improving the workplace support for survivors
Improving support for child survivors

News

Click here to access our news page and filter for External Affairs.

Want to know more?

For more information about our campaigns and public affairs work, please get in touch.

Further information and resources

Women’s Aid Research – our evidence base

Learn more about our policy work, the Women’s Aid Annual Survey and our work with academic partners.

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Public Affairs Officer

Jess Milton — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:05:41 +0000

Public Affairs Officer

Location: Flexible – remote or hybrid (UK based) with required travel to London and occasionally Bristol
Salary: £29,450 per year (Grade 3) plus Inner London Weighting of £3,483.94 (if eligible)
Length of contract: Permanent
Hours per week: 37 hours per week (flexible working hours)
Closing date: 5^th July 2024
Interviews: W/C 15^th July 2024

Purpose of the role:

As the Public Affairs Officer in the External Affairs team at Women’s Aid, you will play a pivotal role in our government and parliamentary engagement work. This will include leading on monitoring parliamentary activity and identifying opportunities for Women’s Aid to influence the political agenda and ensure parliamentarians are kept up to date on issues related to domestic abuse.

You will play a pivotal role in supporting our influencing work with the new government on key pieces of legislation, Women’s Aid’s next big campaign and assisting Women’s Aid’s secretariat role to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic Violence and Abuse. Alongside organising meetings and events for the APPG and with key political stakeholders, you will lead on the development of public affairs and campaigns materials, including policy bulletins, briefings, speaking notes and letters to government ministers.

How to apply?

Please submit your CV and a Cover Letter. Your Cover Letter should be no more than 2 pages long and should include a summary of your reasons for applying for the position. You should also include details of how your skills, behaviours and experience meet those necessary for the role, as listed in the Job Description and Person Specification.

Please ensure that you also complete the EDI form and send all completed paperwork to recruitment@womensaid.org.uk. (Please clearly mark your name and the role title in the subject line of your email).

Women only need apply under schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010. Please read our Single Sex Statement here: Women’s Aid: Single sex services statement – Women’s Aid (womensaid.org.uk)

If you have been shortlisted for interview, you will be informed by email. Regrettably, we are normally unable to acknowledge unsuccessful applicants. All posts, including remote posts, must be based in the UK. Women’s Aid is committed to quality, equality, and valuing diversity. Applications are particularly welcome from Black and minoritised women. Please note that applications will be reviewed, and interviews arranged, on a rolling basis, so for the best chance of success, please apply ASAP.

Who are Women’s Aid?

Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. We are a federation of over 170 organisations which provide just under 300 local lifesaving services to women and children across England. For almost 50 years we have campaigned on behalf of our members and survivors to shape policy and practice, and to raise awareness of domestic abuse.

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Commissioning Learning Hub

Chloe Browning — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 14:20:05 +0000

Commissioning Learning Hub

Good commissioning is key to delivering high quality domestic abuse services.

Specialist women’s domestic abuse services are independent from the state and often have decades of experience, making them uniquely equipped to respond to the needs of survivors in their local area.

Specialist ‘by and for’ services are run by and for the communities they serve, such as Black and minoritised women, Deaf and disabled women and LGBT+ survivors. In doing so they offer a uniquely empowering experience to the communities they support.

Investing in specialist women’s domestic abuse services has been shown to not only benefit survivors but relieve the burden of domestic abuse on other local services, as women can access the support needed to leave their abuser and rebuild their lives.

Women’s Aid know that best practice commissioning saves local services money and more importantly, saves lives. We recognise that public sector commissioners face difficult decisions in a climate of increased cuts to public services and want to support and empower commissioners with the knowledge and tools to make the best possible commissioning decisions for survivors.

Working alongside Public Lawyer Julian Blake we have produced an Alternatives to Procurement Guide. The guide explains why exploring alternatives to procurement when commissioning domestic abuse services is not just better for survivor outcomes but aligned with statutory guidance. If you would like to discuss this guide further, please email policy@womensaid.org.uk.

Below you can find specific information on key duties, commissioning resources and tailored support for Local Authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners and Integrated Care Systems.

Local Authorities

Part 4, Domestic Abuse Act (2021)

Places a duty on tier one local authorities to provide safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse and their children.

In order to achieve this the act also requires local authorities to:

Appoint a multi-agency Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board.
Conduct a needs assessment every three years for accommodation-based domestic abuse support in their area for all victims and their children, including those who come from outside the area.
Develop and publish a strategy for the provision of such support to cover their locality, having regard to the needs assessment.
Give effect to the strategy (through commissioning / de-commissioning decisions).
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy.
Report back to central government.
Require local authorities to have regard to the statutory guidance in exercising their functions.

Section 7, Domestic Abuse Act (2021)

The Secure Tenancies (Victims of Domestic Abuse) Act 2018 ensures that when mandatory fixed term tenancy provisions in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 were implemented, lifetime tenants who suffered domestic abuse would retain lifetime security, when granted a new tenancy by a local authority for reasons connected with the domestic abuse.

The amendment under Section 79 of the Domestic Abuse Act requires local authorities to grant new secure tenancies to social tenants leaving existing secure tenancies for reasons connected with domestic abuse.

Section 7, Domestic Abuse Act (2021)

Under Section 69, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires local authorities to give priority need status to people who are homeless because of domestic abuse and who are eligible for assistance in England. This was one of the earliest provisions in the Act to be enacted, coming into force in July 2021.

Victims and Prisoners Act (2024)

Places a duty on ICBs, LA’s and PCCs to collaborate in the commissioning of community based domestic abuse, sexual violence and serious violence services.

Access our Women’s Aid Statutory Duty Toolkit here.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Victims Funding Strategy (2022)

The strategy looks to improve equitable access to services by asking commissioners to:

Ensure that needs assessments capture the diverse needs in a local area and identify and address barriers which prevent victims from using services such as language barriers.
Improve referral routes (particularly for services supporting children/young people following sexual violence or domestic abuse).
Ensure funding stream applications are accessible, particularly to smaller or ‘by and for’ organisations.
Ensure services do not discriminate against service users and staff and have well promoted processes in place to deal with any potential incidents.

It also recognises the need for sustainable funding by asking commissioners to:

Pass multi-year funding commitments on providers, to encourage stability.
Encourage the retention of staff with experience to prevent loss of knowledge and information.
Ensure that the application processes for funding streams are proportionate to the amount of funding on offer.

Victims and Prisoners Act (2024)

Places a duty on ICBs, LA’s and PCCs to collaborate in the commissioning of community based domestic abuse, sexual violence and serious violence services.

Integrated Care Systems

Health and Care Act (2022)

Places a duty on ICBs to address the needs of victims of abuse including domestic abuse in their Joint Forward Plans.

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022)

Places a duty on ICBs to contribute to a partnership assessment of ‘serious violence’ in local areas. ‘Serious violence’ now includes domestic abuse.

Victims and Prisoners Act (2024)

Places a duty on ICBs, LA’s and PCCs to collaborate in the commissioning of community based domestic abuse, sexual violence and serious violence services.

Access our Integrated Care Systems briefing here.

Commissioning Library

For a full list of our research and publications about domestic abuse please visit our Research and Reports page.

Women’s Aid Resources

Government Resources

The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network

How to take action

Councillor and Commissioner Hub

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APPG Inquiry into Women’s Access to Justice: 2014

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:45:39 +0000

APPG Inquiry into Women’s Access to Justice: 2014

In March 2014 the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic and Sexual Violence released a report revealing that the criminal justice system continues to fail women when they experience domestic violence.

The report concluded the APPG’s Inquiry into women survivors’ access to justice, which received both written and oral evidence from 90 organisations and nearly 50 survivors of domestic violence.

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APPG 2015 Report: The Changing Landscape of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:45:00 +0000

APPG 2015 Report: The Changing Landscape of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

In February 2015 the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic and Sexual Violence, supported by Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis England and Wales, released a report revealing that funding for violence against women services is not fit for purpose.

The report concluded the APPG’s Inquiry into domestic and sexual violence service provision, which received both written and oral evidence from over 60 organisations and more than 100 survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

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APPG 2017 Report: Domestic Violence Recommendations Report on Online Abuse

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:44:29 +0000

APPG 2017 Report: Domestic Violence Recommendations Report on Online Abuse

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic Violence convened an Expert Discussion on the issue of online abuse in October 2016 with representatives from online providers, the police and prosecutors, support services and Government. The APPG are concerned about the increasing levels of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) perpetrated online and the use of technology and social media to control, abuse and threaten victims. The APPG’s report outlines a range of recommendations on the action needed for a modern, effective response to online forms of domestic abuse and VAWG.

Published: Women’s Aid, 27th February 2017

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APPG 2018 Report: Creating a Truly Transformative Domestic Abuse Bill

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:43:48 +0000

APPG 2018 Report: Creating a Truly Transformative Domestic Abuse Bill

The APPG welcomes the proposed domestic abuse bill as a landmark opportunity to transform the national response to survivors of domestic abuse. The APPG is a valuable parliamentary mechanism for engagement with, and scrutiny of, the proposed legislation.

The group knows that there are a multitude of issues facing survivors, many of which the APPG has covered before, including access to justice in the criminal courts, experiences of the family courts and child contact arrangements, effective police responses to the crime, the sentences handed down to perpetrators, and domestic homicide. The purpose of this report is to discuss key recommendations that have stemmed from this year’s programme of work which has focused on key areas identified by the officers.

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APPG 2019 report: See the recommendations from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:42:58 +0000

APPG 2019 report: See the recommendations from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse

Since the announcement of the intention to bring forward legislation on domestic abuse in 2017, the APPG has sought to highlight that domestic abuse is much wider than a criminal justice issue alone.

In 2018-19 the group continued to focus on ensuring legislation is scrutinised and amended to truly reflect the needs of survivors and life-saving specialist services. The topics of these meetings examined the wider aims of a domestic abuse bill, and continue to be a valuable parliamentary mechanism for engagement on, and scrutiny of, the legislation.

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APPG 2022 Report: The Road to Recovery: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Domestic Abuse Survivors

Jess Milton — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:42:26 +0000

APPG 2022 Report: The Road to Recovery: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Domestic Abuse Survivors

Women’s Aid is the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic Violence and Abuse was set up as a forum to work with parliamentarians on the issue of domestic abuse and to facilitate engagement between organisations, academics, commissioners and leaders in the violence against women (VAWG) space and key decision makers. It also provides an important platform for survivors of domestic abuse to discuss their experiences with parliamentarians to inform policy changes to better support survivors of domestic abuse.

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APPG Report 2016: Domestic Abuse, Child Contact and the Family Courts

Chloe Browning — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:41:32 +0000

APPG 2016 Report: Domestic Abuse, Child Contact and the Family Courts

In April 2016, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Domestic Violence launched its report highlighting the urgent need for an end to cross-examination of survivors of domestic abuse by their abuser in the family court.

The report is the result of a Parliamentary Hearing in January about the treatment of cases involving domestic abuse in the family courts. The APPG launched the inquiry after becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of women and child survivors of domestic abuse within the family courts.

Key issues highlighted

The Government, family court judiciary and related statutory agencies take domestic abuse seriously and are committed to working towards protecting children in these families. However, this Hearing has highlighted key areas of concern relating to the experiences of survivors of domestic abuse in the family courts, and these will be explored in more detail in the briefing:

A need to ensure safe child contact, not contact ‘at any cost’.
Access to Legal Aid and Litigants in Person.
A lack of access to special measures in family courts.
Implementing Practice Direction 12J – Child Arrangements and Contact Orders: Domestic Violence and Harm.
Understanding the impact of domestic abuse on children.
Specialist domestic violence training throughout the family court judiciary.
The role of child contact centres in supervised and non-supervised contact.
A presumption that the father is competent to provide safe and appropriate care and parenting despite their abusive behaviour and assessing the risk a perpetrator of domestic abuse poses to their child.

Recommendations and calls for action

The Ministry of Justice, and the President of the Family Division must clarify that there must not be an assumption of shared parenting in child contact cases where domestic abuse is a feature, and child contact should be decided based on an informed judgement of what’s in the best interests of child.
The Government must put an immediate end to survivors of domestic abuse being cross-examined by, or having to cross-examine, their abusers in the family court.
The Ministry of Justice must urgently set up an independent, national oversight group overseeing and advising upon the implementation of Practice Direction 12J – Child Arrangements and Contact Order: Domestic Violence and Harm.
The Ministry of Justice and President of Family Division must ensure that special measures, such as dedicated safe waiting rooms for vulnerable witnesses and separate entrance and exit times, are available throughout family court proceedings and any subsequent child contact, to ensure the safety and well-being of both vulnerable women and children.
The Ministry of Justice, President of the Family Division and Cafcass must ensure Judges and court staff in the family court, Cafcass officers and other frontline staff in other related agencies receive specialist face to face training on all aspects of domestic violence, particularly coercive and controlling behaviour, the frequency and nature of post-separation abuse, and the impact of domestic abuse on children, on parenting and on the mother-child relationship.
The Ministry of Justice, President of the Family Division and Cafcass must ensure expert safety and risk assessments in child contact cases are carried out where there is an abusive parent involved and they must be conducted by a dedicated domestic abuse practitioner who works for an agency accredited to nationally recognised standards for responding to domestic abuse.
The President of the Family Division must ensure family court judges never order child contact in support contact centres where a risk assessment has found that the abusive parent still poses a risk to the child or non-abusive parent.

Published on the 20th April 2016

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