Solace Women's Aid

Jazz Against Violence is back for its fourth year, raising vital funds in support of Solace. On Tuesday 6 October, eCubed will bring an evening of live jazz and soul to Amazing Grace in Canary Wharf, with three brilliant artists performing throughout the night. Alongside the music, there’ll be food, cocktails, a raffle and live auction, with every penny raised going towards Solace’s work supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. It’s a chance to enjoy an evening with friends, colleagues and clients, while helping raise vital funds for survivors. 🎷 Tuesday 6 October  📍 Amazing Grace, Canary Wharf  🕕 6pm–11pm A huge thank you to eCubed for bringing Jazz Against Violence back for another year in support of Solace. 🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eJUrsTix 

The government has recently committed to offering everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets by Christmas. For this to happen, women sleeping rough must be seen and accounted for. Today, our Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, launched alongside Single Homeless Project, Crisis and Change Grow Live, data gathering begins, with more than 115 councils and hundreds of organisations taking part across England.

𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴? Today, the biggest Census yet begins. This week, more than 115 local authorities and hundreds of homelessness, women’s, health and community organisations across England will come together to build a fuller picture of women’s rough sleeping. And today, alongside our partners Solace Women's Aid 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟱𝟬 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 #𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁. Because four years of evidence has shown us that women are still being missed. Women experiencing rough sleeping may spend the night on buses, in A&E waiting rooms, walk through the night to stay safe or stay with strangers rather than sleep visibly on the street. Last year, the Census identified 10x as many women as the Government’s annual snapshot in comparable areas. We’ve also seen what happens when women are better identified and understood. Census findings are already helping local areas change services, introduce gender-informed outreach and develop accommodation that better meets women’s needs. Now we want to take that progress further. With Government committed to offering everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets by Christmas, #MakeWomenCount is calling for the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census to be funded and rolled out across England from 2027. What started as a London pilot has grown into a national movement. Now it needs national backing. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀. 👉 Read more about #MakeWomenCount and support the campaign: https://lnkd.in/eM-SqwXY #MakeWomenCount #WomensRoughSleepingCensus #Homelessness 

The Prime Minister has announced the creation of specialist courts to handle cases of rape and other sexual offences across England and Wales over the next two years. Solace welcomes the measures, which must be implemented thoroughly and consistently. Read our full response here: https://lnkd.in/enRRmwaM

After 10 years at Solace, our Director of Services, Dr Jennifer Cirone, has seen first-hand the life-changing difference our services make for women and children affected by abuse. To mark her decade at Solace, Jen is taking on two running challenges this September: the Great North Run, which she has now completed, and the Ealing Half Marathon on 27 September. Jen has been asking friends and family for a donation of £10, representing £1 for every year she has spent at Solace, with every donation helping raise vital funds so our work can continue. If you’d like to support Jen ahead of her next challenge any donation, whatever the amount, would mean so much and help Solace continue supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. Thank you to everyone who has already supported Jen, and good luck for the Ealing Half Marathon! 🏃♀️ 🔗Find out more and donate now: https://lnkd.in/etfTdtBa 

We couldn’t be prouder of Jen- her tireless commitment to stopping violence against women and girls continues!

Abuse should never be a barrier to a woman’s success at work. Domestic abuse doesn’t stop when someone arrives at work or logs on for the day. For survivors, the impact can show up in ways employers may not immediately recognise. Difficulty focusing, changes in attendance, struggling with deadlines or needing time away from work may be connected to court dates, police interviews, health appointments, financial pressures or the ongoing impact of abuse. The fear, exhaustion and grief don’t disappear during working hours. They can follow survivors into every meeting, deadline and interaction with colleagues. We know that most employers want to support their colleagues, but knowing what to say, what to do and when to act can be difficult. That’s why we’ve created our guide for employers, designed to give workplaces the confidence and practical tools to recognise the impact of domestic abuse and better support survivors. One in four women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. That means someone in your workplace could be experiencing abuse right now. 🔗 Read our guide and learn how your organisation can help make sure domestic abuse doesn’t stand in the way of a survivor’s safety, stability or career: https://lnkd.in/e9wGhx4D 

It was an honour to join the Mayor of London, the Deputy Mayor of Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer Schwartz, and the London Victim's Commissioner Andrea Simon, for the launch of the London Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy this morning. Alongside the Chair of the Solace Shadow Board, a panel of domestic abuse and sexual violence survivors, Alexia Cheneau, we discussed the range of ways in which London can be safer for women and girls. We look forward to continuing our work with these decision makers.

One of our Shadow Board members has written a powerful blog reflecting on the Simon Levy case and what it tells us about how we respond to violence against women and girls. Drawing on Professor Jane Monckton Smith’s research, the blog explores how domestic abuse and violence can follow identifiable patterns of escalation, and why recognising these patterns matters. As the blog highlights, women and girls deserve to be believed, protected and supported before harm is done, not after. 🔗 Read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/eezKZsv2 

Could your lived experience help shape the future of Solace? We’re looking for four survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG) to join our Shadow Board and work alongside our Board of Trustees. Shadow Board members will use their lived experience, skills and perspectives to help shape Solace’s strategic direction, governance, culture and commitment to social justice, ensuring survivor voices are at the heart of how we work. No previous board experience is needed. Training and support will be provided. We particularly welcome applications from people from the global majority and other underrepresented communities. 📅 Applications close 18 September 2026. 🔗 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eaXtsJ4b