Bradford Survive and Thrive

More Information

In 2019, we joined forces with charities Staying Put and WomenCentre to create Survive & Thrive – a one-stop-shop for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse in the Bradford District. 

Together we provide early intervention and prevention, specialist work with children and young people, recovery and confidence building and packages of practical and emotional support, work with perpetrators, counselling to children and adults and access to high quality crisis support, accommodation and housing, also moving away from support model to advocacy model with our practitioners trained as either Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates (IDVAs) or Independent Sexual Abuse Advocates (ISVAs). Our 'One Front Door' considers the needs of all family members not just the person seeking support. We work with families to agree a package of support best suited to their particular situation which builds on their strengths and promotes resilience.

The Survive and Thrive partnership recognises and promotes the importance of a “Think Family” approach, meaning we take into account family circumstances and responsibilities. 

Referrals for all services provided by Survive and Thrive can be made via this contact form, or via phone: 0808 2800 999.

For professionals working with families around domestic abuse, our Professional’s Handbook contains more information about the support Survive and Thrive can offer.

Who do we support?

We offer support for children (0-18) and their families that have lived with domestic abuse. It is recognised that domestic abuse may have a long-term impact on children and young people, and recent changes in the law recognise that children who have witnessed domestic abuse are victims themselves.

For many children and young people domestic abuse can result in trauma that impacts on daily life functioning with symptoms such as:

• Anxiety
• Difficulty managing emotions
• Anger and aggression
• Low mood
• Disturbed sleep/nightmares
• Appearing withdrawn

How do we support?

We work with children, young people and their families to manage these trauma symptoms and help parents, family members and professionals understand the impact of trauma and ways in which they can support. Where we feel that children are sufficiently stable and are ready to process their trauma, we can offer sessions with our trauma therapist, who can further support children and young people through their journey of recovery.

Children and Young People who have experienced domestic abuse may also struggle to form and maintain positive relationships with family and friends. We work with families to strengthen relationships which have been affected by domestic abuse, helping them to find safe ways to express difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions, and to find solutions to problems together.

We are also able to support children and parents fleeing domestic abuse and living in temporary accommodation. In addition to support around reducing trauma symptoms, we can offer either family or group sessions based on Theraplay, which is designed to strengthen the bond between parents and under 5s, as this can be impacted by domestic abuse. We also deliver groups for children over 5 to help them to learn simple techniques to manage emotional responses and explore ways to keep minds and bodies healthy.

For children aged 13-17 who may have lived with, or may still be living with, abuse, our Children's IDVA can support around safety planning, managing trauma symptoms, identifying and reducing risky or harmful behaviours and developing healthy and respectful relationships, with the aim of building resilience, increasing confidence and developing problem solving skills, as well as advocating for the young person and ensuring their voice is heard.