Impacting on the service design: A women’s centre designed by women
“[It] makes me feel really hopeful… you’ve really listened to what we said in the forum… makes me feel really excited for the future… hopefully women will be able to go into this centre and get the help they need.”
Women’s Forum Member
During 2020-2021, staff from the Residential Women’s Centre team attended our Women’s Forum five times to consult members on the design of the Residential Women Centre (RWC) pilot in Wales. Members were consulted on topics including staffing, the presence of children at the centres and rules around substance use and move-on support. Members also had the opportunity to speak to the architect of the pilot site to discuss the physical environment and interior of the Residential Women’s Centres, and what was important to support recovery. The RWC team provided feedback to members to show how these processes shaped the service design.
On the topic of compliance the women shared their varying experiences of detox, relapse and advocated for a person-centred approach. It was unanimously felt that zero tolerance does not work. Detox assessment will be offered as part of a women’s journey in the RWC, to ascertain whether on or off-site detox is appropriate.
On staffing, the forum members advocated strongly for the role of lived experience within the staffing as well as a trauma informed approach. They also shared that having on-call support during the night is important for continuing recovery. The specification states that there will be staff with lived experience and 24/7 staffing on site.
On the benefits and challenges of involving children in the provision. Some women shared that having the chance to recover alongside their children would have benefitted them, whilst others made clear that there needs to boundaries to support those who are no longer legal guardians or are unable to have children. As a result, the specification includes two separate 2-bedroomflats with a separate entrance as well as family visiting rooms and a family contact centre.
Lastly, following on from feedback from the forum in January 2021, the guide for the builders of the pilot Residential Women’s Centre includes elements such as lots of green outdoor space, it being a calming space and not having a fences, which members were pleased about:
“He listened to us about the pastels and [not being] institutionalised/health… it looks welcoming.”
Women’s Forum Member
