Recognition for supporting abuse victims

A County Durham housing association has received national accreditation for the support it offers to victims of domestic abuse.

The work of believe housing to offer high-quality advice and support to domestic abuse victims has been recognised as some of the best in the sector by the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA).

The Seaham-based housing association’s commitment to anyone who comes forward to report a problem has seen the organisation become fully accredited by DAHA. The ‘passion and drive of staff’ at believe housing to help victims of domestic abuse together with ‘top notch’ training has been praised following a two-day audit by DAHA.

The inspection included talking to a survivor of domestic abuse who has received support as well as scenariobased work with a range of frontline staff and a review of policies and procedures.

The accreditation process is designed to ensure that employees across the organisation have a deep understanding of domestic abuse rather than making outdated assumptions. Kelly Henderson from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance said: “believe housing are leading the way in embedding domestic abuse awareness across the organisation.

“Their referral pathways are second to none, they have excellent partnership working with other agencies and their staff demonstrate true passion and dedication. “We interviewed a variety of team members from housing officers to staff working on home repairs and maintenance and it is evident that everyone can see how important it is to assist customers in this area.”