Blackburn and Darwen District Without Abuse (BDDWA) exists to assist in the relief of people who have suffered or who are at risk of suffering domestic abuse, through the provision of support, advice and accommodation.
Their aim is to secure the safety of those affected by domestic abuse and support their development so that each individual is helped to grow and fulfil their potential into the future. They are against all forms of abuse whether the abuse is: physical, verbal, psychological, emotional, sexual or financial.
The charity is a Company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 1st May 2006.
The services provided by BDDWA developed from grassroots level. In 1989, a group of women from the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, with a strong commitment to the empowerment of local women was formed. The group’s interest in keeping victims of Domestic abuse and their children safe, led to them investigating local services. This highlighted the lack of provision of domestic violence related services within the local area.
The steering group informed Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council of the need for safe, supportive accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic violence and submitted a request for funding so that they could begin to provide the services that were required. The immense support of the council members lead to the allocation of two grants, the first allowed for the purchase of the group’s first refuge. This was a small two bed roomed terraced house. The second grant funded the employment of a full time Refuge worker.
The Refuge project worker and three volunteers, with support from four Management Committee members, began working on the project in January 1991.
The Women’s Information and Self Help (WISH) Centre was opened in March 1998, becoming an invaluable place for women to get advice and support. The WISH Centre quickly became a valuable resource for women in the local community. By 2011 the organisation had expanded so much that the WISH Centre moved premises from Cardwell Place to King Street to accommodate the number of staff and clients. The organisation are also now able to support many more families in purpose built refuge accommodation.
In April 2014 the name of the organization was changed from Blackburn with Darwen District Womens Aid to Blackburn with Darwen District Without Abuse (BDDWA for short) to reflect the fact that services are now also available to support men, as well as women.
Other services that BDDWA now offer include a helpline, advice work, IDVA, ISVA, BME services, a free legal surgery, counselling service, floating support service, programmes for both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and their children and awareness raising projects in schools.
Blackburn and Darwen District Without Abuse incorporating WISH (BDDWA) is structured to ensure the most effective way of managing the day to day running of the organisation and planning strategic developments for the future. No organisation can stand still, especially where there are economic and political challenges, and the Trustees and strategic members of staff are fully aware of this. The current structures of the Board of Trustees and the staff team positively enhance the running of the organisation and support development opportunities.
The Board of Trustees is formed by co-opted members who offer their specific expertise. Their input is invaluable and helps the smooth running and growth of the group. They are always available when required and their specific specialisms enable a breadth of support that is vital to Trustees and staff members. Other local and national organisations also contribute to Trustees work and their responsibilities in managing BDDWA.
The Board of Trustees are aware of the need to encourage new members and during the year new people have been approached with a view to joining the Board. Hopefully this approach will help to recruit new members who wish to support the organisation. Encouraging new people to join the Board is helpful to the development of the work undertaken and ultimately to the success of the organisation and the services that can be offered to women and children. It is seen as a positive that new Trustees join the team. Recruitment of new members is done through local networks that the organisation links to and by word of mouth. When requests to join the management group are received people are invited to attend the volunteer training programme that is in place and once completed potential Trustees then meet with the existing members to conclude the recruitment process.
The Trustees have a yearly cycle of meetings where business is discussed, decisions are taken in a democratic manner and every member can ensure that they take an active part in the organisation and keep themselves up to date with all aspects of the project. Where urgent decisions are required between Trustee meetings the Project Manager wherever possible will consult with three Trustees to agree a decision. If this is not possible and only one or two Trustees are able to make the decision then colleagues will be consulted at the earliest opportunity by those Trustees who have made the decision. The next Trustee meeting following such an urgent decision will be used to enable all Trustees to ratify the decision. This ensures there is accountability for decision making and a clear process in place that can be scrutinised by all
