The visit to the Hammersmith Centre was an opportunity for Advance to promote its Whole Justice Approach, which aims to improve outcomes for domestic abuse survivors by working jointly with the police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts and prison services.
This approach has seen impressive results in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, where it’s been piloted as the IMPACT programme. The programme has led to a 51% increase in the proportion of arrests leading to charges and a 34% increase in rates of conviction of DA cases.”
Andy Slaughter MP said:
“It has been very rewarding to hear how the IMPACT programme is working in Hammersmith and how you can see the results both for in terms of the help given to victims in their dealings with the criminal justice system and in outcomes. It is a model that should be rolled out across the country.”
Advance’s CEO, Liz Mack, talked about the importance of the visit:
“Andy Slaughter MP and Councillor Rebecca Harvey coming to our Women’s Centre was a great opportunity to showcase the innovative IMPACT programme, a collaboration between the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Advance and Standing together Against Domestic Abuse.
It is a shining example of how working together collaboratively delivers real change to the lives of women who experience domestic abuse, and the impact of specialist domestic abuse courts with professionals working together to make women’s lives safer.”
Mr Slaughter and LBHF Councillor Rebecca Harvey, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, were joined by Annabel Moore, VAWG Lead in London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham’s Community Safety Unit and Tanya Allen, Programme Manager, Courts & Criminal Justice, withstanding Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA).
During the visit, Advance also showcased its new Her Story, Her Justice report that calls for the police and the courts to STOP failing survivors of domestic abuse.
Media enquiries
For more information, please contact Tracie Couper, Press Officer at Advance, at tracie.c@advancecharity.org.uk or on 0743 2700 287.
- Advance’s specialist advocates work in partnership with 11 local and national women’s service providers, alongside statutory services to provide services within women’s communities across the 6 regions of Hampshire, Kent, Thames Valley, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire.
- Through our woman-centred approach, we aim to prevent the cycle of re-offending, tackling issues such as lack of consistent housing and homelessness, domestic abuse and sexual violence, mental health, emotional well-being, parenting and family relationships, education training and employment, finance, benefits, and debt.
- 53% of women in prison report having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse as a child compared to 22% of men.
- 72% of women who entered prison in 2020 have committed a non-violent offence.
- 57% of women in prison and under community supervision report being victims of domestic abuse. The true figure is likely higher, as many women fear disclosing abuse.
- 50% of women, compared to 22% of men, have reported that they offended to support someone else’s drug use.
- Read Advance’s latest report, ‘Her Story, Her Justice’.
About Advance
- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Get help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our impact
