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Specialist services for women by women
NAWP is a specialist domestic violence service. Why do we define ourselves as a specialist service and why is it important to define ourselves as a specialist service? These questions can best be answered if we consider the experiences of South Asian women when approaching services for support and assistance.
Why do South Asian women approach services?
- South Asian women are fleeing domestic violence - physical, emotional, social, financial and psychological - perpetrated by her spouse and in some cases, other family members
- Women have lived in fear and under threat (especially is she has insecure immigration status)
- At the time a woman flees her violence situation, she is homeless and may require an array of services from the community and statutory sectors
In what ways can a generic
service limit the quality of services South Asian women receive?
Generic women's services offer quality provision to women however for
South Asian women, they may lack cultural sensitivity, in-depth knowledge
and experience of working with South Women and the complex issue of violence
and language specific support provision. Where a specialist focus is absent,
South Asian women can experience -
- Invisibility - feeling that 'she will not be taken seriously' often expressed when her voice is subsumed by the caseworkers (even though she speaks English) and re-interpreted and misinterpreted for her so that it does not reflect her experience - her experience is mainstreamed
- Discrimination - services do not understand her specific needs even though she is well able to express her needs in English often resulting in expressions of racism against her as well as discrimination, labelling and stereotyping
- Experience of services that have failed her such as inappropriate rehousing further exacerbating her vulnerability
- Isolation - not having the same access to information and services that others may have - could be for language but it could also be the result of the combination of factors already stated
- Anxiety because the negative feelings she was escaping from return to her at the point of access to mainstream services resulting in lowering her self esteem, damaging her confidence and making her feel that she has committed a mistake by fleeing
How does the lack of access to specialist provision impact South Asian women?
- She is denied services which means she is not being given equality of access and other equalities issues are not being met
- The initial assessment of her need is inappropriately done which means that some of her needs are not identified and some are identified too late when a higher level attention may be needed to address them (which is more costly in terms of money, time, staffing and services involved)
- Her vulnerability is increased because her cultural identity and a cultural perspective which is where she comes from, is made insignificant
What difference does a specialist service make?
- Statutory services know that if a woman is placed in an appropriate culturally specific refuge then they will probably not have to deal with her again as an emergency case
- The equalities framework for service provision is met because she is given the same assessments and her needs are identified without stigma, prejudice and the forms of discrimination she may otherwise face
- Better value for money - the cost of increased vulnerability is high because it means that somewhere down the line, the additional needs that a woman has as a result of not getting appropriate services in the first place will have to be met - prolonged stay in emergency housing can increase dependence and instability affecting housing and education and employment opportunity
- Cultural perspective which empowers women to rebuild their lives - women do not leave their cultures when they flee domestic violence, they leave violence