Our Impact
We support and empower women and children to rebuild their lives and live free from abuse and fear.
Read about the life changing impact of our work and hear stories of our clients below.
Our 2023 impact highlights:
3,500 people accessed support following referrals to our services.
100% of women felt believed and supported by LWA.
Nearly 100 families supported in refuge accommodation.
88% said LWA had a positive impact on their lives.
Read our latest impact report:
Case Studies
Sofiya
Sofiya contacted our Helpline, as she had been experiencing abuse from her husband since coming to the UK several years ago. Due to her immigration status, Sofiya relied on her marriage to remain in the UK and continue working.
Their home was in her husband’s name, so she was afraid of being made homeless if her relationship broke down. Sofiya was isolated from any family or friends in the UK and had no one to turn to for help.
Sofiya had reported various assaults to the police at first… but she was conflicted between her feelings for her husband, and her concerns for her own safety.
“I was so scared and I didn’t think anyone could help me.”
Although Sofiya speaks English, she sometimes needed an interpreter when speaking over the telephone to fully understand information from the police or other professionals.
A Helpline advisor spoke with Sofiya about seeking emergency refuge accommodation. We were able to support her with applying for benefits in her own name and accessing emotional support.
“It made me understand I ‘m not alone and can’t reach out and speak to people about what ’s happening, that gave me great advice on all matters not just the abuse I suffered.”
Marianne
Marianne had been in a relationship with Ryan for over 10 years and it was when Marianne became pregnant that the abuse started. Ryan wouldn’t let her have any money and constantly wanted to know where she was. He would grab Marianne and physically assault her; she was often covered in bruises. Marianne and Ryan went on to have other children and the abuse got worse over time.
“I couldn’t even go to the hairdressers without him.”
One evening when Ryan had assaulted Marianne, she managed to call the police. On attending their home address, the police were able to take Marianne and the children to a family member’s house for safety. Following the report to the police, Marianne felt more confident to reach out for support and a referral was received for them to come into our refuge.
Marianne struggled to work with professionals following her own experiences in childhood. However, over time she started to work closely with refuge staff and open up about the abuse she had experienced. Refuge staff supported Marianne to get a Non- Molestation Order and to report incidents to the police where Ryan breached the terms of the order.
The Children’s Team in refuge were able to support Marianne with parenting the children alone and with other meetings with Social Care and appointments relating to child contact issues. They also worked closely with the children and encouraged participation with other activities in refuge such as wellbeing sessions, after school clubs and other play and activity sessions.
The Refuge Team supported Marianne with the child contact issues through court and following this the children are settled and happier. Marianne has now moved on from refuge to her own property and she is more confident to ask for further help and support if she needs it.
“I am highly grateful that I have my support worker. She has been there for me from the minute I came into refuge. She is always there no matter the problem and has been really helpful.”
Aisha
Aisha had been experiencing emotional and physical abuse from her husband for many years. After one particular incident, she reported him to the police and gave permission for her contact details to be passed to Leeds Women’s Aid.
When we contacted Aisha, she was filled with self-doubt and inse curity. She doubted her choice to even contact the police. Our support workers reassured Aisha that she was absolutely right to have reported the abuse.
Aisha told us that her husband had systematically isolated her from her family over the years they had been married. He could be abusive to Aisha both physically and emotionally.
He controlled the family finances, so Aisha did not have any money of her own.
“He told me he would kill me if I tried to leave”
Our advisor spoke to Aisha about the support that we could offer. Aisha didn’t know what to expect when speaking to the police and she wanted support to understand the process.
We transferred her to the IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) Team, who found out that her husband had been charged with various offences, including assault.
The IDVA team were able to provide support to Aisha with the criminal charges brought against her husband. We kept her updated during the course of the criminal justice case; explaining the process every step of the way.
Eventually, the case went to trial and with the support of her IDVA, Aisha felt able to give evidence in court. Her husband was found guilty of the charges against him. A Restraining Order was granted as part of his sentence preventing him from contacting or approaching Aisha giving her additional protection.
“My IDVA always made me feel at ease, I cannot thank her enough for being there for me through my process and my problems. Also, at court she was amazing all the way through and always rang up and checked in on me and made sure I was okay. She was very understanding and listened to all my concerns.”
Anna
Anna has been referred to our services many times and has experienced DV&A from several partners. Most recently she has experienced physical, sexual, emotional, financial abuse, stalking and harassment and extensive coercive and controlling behaviour. Anna also endured traumatic events throughout her childhood which have left long-lasting effects on her mental health. She uses drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Anna received intensive support from our Complex Needs IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) following a referral for support with the abuse she was experiencing from her ex-partner. Anna was often in a state of crisis, needing immediate safety planning and emotional support. The IDVA also worked closely with other agencies working with Anna and attended regular professionals’ meetings.
Throughout support, our IDVA kept in regular contact with Anna, speaking with her several times a week. She also encouraged Anna to report further incidents to the police, which resulted in further criminal charges being brought against her abuser.
During the course of the criminal case, the IDVA kept Anna up to date and explained what would happen at the trial. Anna was extremely worried about giving evidence and how she would cope in such a stressful situation.
With the support of her IDVA, Anna was able to attend the trial and give evidence. This was the first time that Anna had supported a prosecution all the way to trial. Her abuser was found guilty of the charges brought against him and Anna was also granted a Restraining Order as part of sentencing to provide additional, ongoing protection for her.
Since the trial, Anna has not had any contact with her ex-partner. She has increased her engagement with other services and continues to make positive changes in her life as a result including reducing her reliance on drugs and alcohol.
“I feel so much better in myself. I don’t have a lot of friends or family, so it feels amazing just knowing that someone actually cares if I am okay or not. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, your patience with me and everything you have done for me.”