Today we are delighted to launch our Impact Report for 2020/21.
This year our impact report focuses on the coronavirus pandemic – what this has meant for our services and how we adapted to ensure those who needed our support could access it.
The coronavirus pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain on many sectors and services, and it is widely known that all forms of Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) have risen as a result of self-isolation and social distancing guidelines.
Our own data at Thrive shows us that we have consistently received a greater number of referrals into our services than we did during the same period last year, and that risk levels were greater than what we would usually expect.
This tells us that women are most likely waiting until abuse and violence at escalated to a high level before reaching out for support – which is both dangerous and unsettling.
This year has been extremely challenging but our team has successfully risen to the challenge. Staff have balanced difficult home working and family arrangements alongside delivery of a consistent, trusted and high quality service. We cannot thank our committed team of key workers enough.
We also want to express our thanks to funders who have also risen to the challenge, ensuring that money poured into front line services quickly and effectively to ensure that we were able to cope with increased demand.