Sheffield Womens Aid

Who we are

Sheffield Women’s Aid are a small charity established in 1974 solely based in Sheffield but housing women and children from anywhere in the UK who need a place of safety.

SWA has been providing emergency accommodation for women and children who have suffered and survived domestic and sexual abuse and violence for over 50 years. We accommodate women aged 16+ and their children (of any age or gender) if they depend on their Mum for their personal well-being and can accommodate larger families.

Sheffield Women’s Aid (SWA) is one of the leading domestic abuse charities in Sheffield.  SWA believes that every woman and child has the right to live free from all forms of violence and abuse and has been providing refuge and safe accommodation, supporting hundreds of women and children every year since 1974.

Our culture and values

Sheffield Women’s Aid (SWA) is one of the leading domestic abuse charities in Sheffield.  SWA believes that every woman and child has the right to live free from all forms of violence and abuse.

In our work we create a culture that values, encourages and supports our staff and volunteers to find ways to help and inspire our residents to reflect upon their accomplishments and achieve their own aspirations - to ‘Thrive, Not Just Survive’

We strive to be a beacon of good practice in delivering trauma informed care within a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE). This approach is extended to our residents (women and their children), to our voluntary Board, paid staff and volunteers.”

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Through our core values and all our work we promote equality, diversity and inclusion by recognising and working to address intersectional barriers faced by the survivors we support and all colleauges within our team.     

SWA values are:

• Compassion :  We understand impacts of abuse and trauma, and will provide services that are compassionate, trauma informed, and strength based.  We will act compassionately towards colleagues as well as those we support, and recognise how kindness and compassion can make the difference to someone’s day.

• Generosity & Helpfulness:  We will be generous with our time, knowledge and experience, and will not withhold knowledge or skills or gate-keep information. We believe that the women and children we support deserve the best and will work with them to achieve positive outcomes. We will always aim to be helpful in our approach and seek feedback routinely to ensure we are meeting this value and improve how we work.

• Honesty & Respect:  We will share how we feel honestly in our day-to-day interactions with colleagues and those we support, and will not make promises we cannot keep.  We are non-judgemental and respect the choices made by those we support.  We respect our colleagues by being honest, caring, professional and accountable in our feedback, to build trust between us.

• Feminism & Justice: We see domestic abuse as both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality, and will provide safe, women only spaces for support and recovery.  We will challenge the systemic nature of patriarchy, misogyny and racism in our day-to-day work and be clear that perpetrators are accountable for their actions.  We will not tolerate victim blaming culture or language, and will advocate for survivors to help ensure they receive justice.

• Inclusiveness: We recognise the intersectional experiences of domestic abuse survivors with different backgrounds and needs, and reflect this in our service delivery. We will be inclusive by recognising individual differences in our colleagues and those we support, and continually strive to include the voices of survivors, colleagues and partners in the way our services are shaped.