The WiSER Project

The Women in Safer Engagement and Recovery (WiSER) Project is a partnership of specialist VAWG charities working to support women who are currently experiencing gender-based violence and abuse alongside experience of severe and multiple disadvantages. We work with women who are frequently excluded from mainstream services and/or find it hard to engage with support as it is conventionally offered. 

We provide flexible, psychologically-informed, and strengths-based support by offering long-term 1:1 specialist advocacy, assertive outreach, and emotional and practical support for women and girls aged 16+. 

We work responsively, based on individual needs and goals, to support with:

• Engaging with other specialist support services
• Communicating with and accessing statutory support
• Accessing benefits or other means of safe financial independence
• Engaging with physical and mental health services
• Safety planning and risk assessing for multiple areas of their lives
• Understanding harm reduction principles
• Accessing safe housing
• Understanding healthy relationships and abuse
• Building self-esteem and confidence
• Engaging in wellbeing and community activities
• Accessing flexible psychotherapy
• Accessing work, education, and training

Referral criteria

• Identify as woman or non-binary
• Aged 16 or over
• Living in one of the following London boroughs:
  • Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest
• Currently experiencing any form of VAWG (violence against women and girls) within the past 3 months (further details on the referral form)
• Multiple disadvantages must include at least four of these on referral:
  • Problematic substance use
  • Significant mental ill health
  • Significant physical ill health
  • Affected by or at risk of prostitution or sexual exploitation
  • History of offending behaviour/ contact with the criminal justice system
  • Homelessness/ insecure housing
  • History of children being removed from her care and/or at risk of further removals
  • Insecure or uncertain immigration status

Our joint WiSER partnership is a project with Solace Women’s Aid together with: 

Ashiana Network,

Hopscotch Women’s Centre,

IKWRO (Iranian & Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation),

IMECE,

Single Homeless Project,

the nia project,

and

Street Talk

We take professional referrals only; please ensure that referral forms are completed in full. Please request the latest referral form from wiser@solacewomensaid.org or contact us for further information.