6 May 2010
Research from the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the School for Policy Studies has confirmed the effectiveness of a local training programme which teaches women about domestic violence and empowers them to make positive choices about their lives.
Conducted by Dr Emma Williamson and Dr Hilary Abrahams, the study evaluated the FREEDOM programme in Bristol. This 12-week programme provides women with a supportive group setting in which to learn more about the reality of domestic violence and abuse, how to recognise it and the effects it has on family life, and where to go for help.
The Freedom Programme has been rolled out in many areas of the UK including Bristol and is provided by licensed and trained practitioners in different locations. In Bristol, the Freedom Programme Network was developed to share good practice and ensure the quality of the programme in the city. To date, there has been little evidence about the effectiveness of the Freedom Programme and this study, funded by Barnardo’s, was commissioned on behalf of the Bristol Freedom Network to evaluate the Freedom Programme run in Bristol.
Volunteer participants from the programme were asked to complete an initial survey and then a post survey (if they completed the course) or an exit survey (if they dropped out).
Judging by the women’s responses to the surveys, the report concludes that the Freedom Programme has been successful in its aim to teach women to recognise abusive behaviour and its impact. In particular, women reported that they were now making decisions more equally with their partners over issues such as how to spend their leisure time and when to see other family members.
One of the questions at the outset of the research was whether attendance on the programme had had any impact on the number of children on the child protection register. It was not possible to give any statistics for this because of the limited number of women involved in the follow-up but women did report improved relationships with their children as a positive outcome from their attendance on the programme.
The report also found that the programme does not stand alone but as part of a wider range of multi-agency responses to domestic abuse. Freedom Programme practitioners often find themselves fulfilling a much wider role in helping women who have experienced abuse and the report makes the recommendation that it would be helpful if facilitators had more information about the specific needs of the clients at the beginning of their time on the programme. This might take the form of an informal interview where participants are asked about visible and invisible disabilities such as mental health problems, and issues of poverty and low income. Facilitators could also discuss the existing support networks which may be available to women alongside the programme.
Overall, this evaluation has shown that the Freedom Programme has a positive impact on the lives of the women who participate and as such provides a service to assist women to move on from abusive relationships and to be aware of potential abuse within future relationships.
You can find the complete findings of the evaluation in the final report (PDF, 274Kb).