Who We Are
We are an organisation of women committed to the eradication of Domestic Abuse. We strive to raise the profile of women and children affected by Domestic Abuse and promote the provision of services to meet their needs across South Ayrshire. We have safe and secure refuge accommodation, where you and your children (if any) can stay. At our refuge you will have a flat with your own living and cooking facilities with a communal living area to meet with other families who may live there with similar experiences in relation to Domestic Abuse. The refuge workers are there from Monday to Friday with an on-call service out with office hours, to help support you through the choices you make. There is space for children to play and a children’s worker to help them make sense of their experiences.
Are you in any way ill-treated or frightened by the partner you live with?
Are you afraid or anxious about the way your partner behaves?
Are you ashamed of things that happen to you within your relationship?
Are you concerned about your children witnessing abuse?
Women’s Aid Bill of Rights for Women
I am not to blame for being beaten and abused
I am not the cause of another’s violent behaviour
I do not like or want it
I do not have to take it
I am an important human being
I am a worthwhile woman
I deserve to be treated with respect
I do have power to take good care of myself
I can decide for myself what is best for me
I can make changes in my life if I want to
I am not alone
I can ask others to help me
I am worth working for and changing for
I deserve to make my own life safe and happy
Perhaps you are still living with an abusive partner and don’t want to leave him.
Perhaps you are looking for a place of safety for you and any children you may have.
Perhaps your experience of abuse happened several years ago.
Whatever your personal situation, we would like to offer you our support.
Any woman who would like to talk about any of the above issues can access free, confidential support and information from:
South Ayrshire Women’s Aid
28 Sandgate, Ayr KA7 1BW
Tel: 01292 266482
Hours: Mon-Fri 9.00am – 4.30pm
Out of hours and public holidays answering machine only.
Talking to a support worker about past or current experiences of abuse can help you identify the choices that you feel are best for you and your future. We can provide information about legal and housing rights, contact and residence, money etc, so you can consider your options and plan ahead.
It may be that you choose not to leave your partner. That choice will be yours and it will be respected. If you want we will continue to support you in any way we possibly can. However, if you and your children need to find somewhere else to stay as a result of Domestic Abuse we can provide you with information about local refuge provision.
What We Do
What can our Women’s Aid office provide?
- Crisis support and/or on-going support to enable women survivors of Domestic Abuse to identify options and choices.
- Help in securing safe, alternative accommodation
- Information about legal, financial, housing and benefit rights and entitlements.
- Referrals for additional home security, such as locks, security alarms, etc.
Women’s Aid Locations
If you are in any way worried, Women’s Aid can help. There are Women’s Aid groups based all over Scotland. We are ordinary women who are concerned about domestic abuse. Click link to see Women’s Aid in the rest of Scotland:
www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/
Rural Outreach Service
The outreach service provides a woman with the opportunity to talk in private and receive:
- Emotional support in coping with her situation (a woman doesn’t need to be in crisis, have left or be planning to leave her partner to receive support).
- Information (legal/housing/benefits rights).
- Crisis-response support (if required) – safe accommodation for a woman and her children who urgently need to flee a situation of domestic abuse.
Support and Information can be accessed throughout all of South Ayrshire, for example Girvan, Maybole, Tarbolton, Mossblown, Annbank, Coylton, Troon, and Dundonald, amongst others.
If your circumstances prevent you from leaving your home, support can be arranged through home visits with the outreach worker.
For more information regarding this, please contact South Ayrshire Women’s Aid:
- Office Tel: 01292 266482
Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate
An IDAA provides a person centred service to high risk cases of domestic abuse where there is a risk of homicide or further serious injuries. Our IDAA will advocate on your behalf at the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference in the event of you being referred. This support is short to medium term but the woman can then be passed to our Support Service to address any other issues she may have in relation to domestic abuse.
Support can be accessed throughout South Ayrshire in the person’s home, in South Ayrshire Women’s Aid office in Sandgate, Ayr or at a place of safety, wherever the person feels more comfortable and safe.
- Individualised support and safety planning (to ensure that the risk to the woman is reduced) this is developed with the woman and is specific to her.
- Safe accommodation if necessary
- Advocate on behalf of women with Police Scotland, Procurator Fiscal, Social work and any other relevant agencies.
- Court Support, this includes organising special measures when attending at court. This could be a court supporter, separate waiting room, side door, video link, or screens.
Specialist Support Worker
Our Special Support Worker post is funded by The Robertson Trust.
The Specialist Support worker who has experience in delivering mental health services, will offer additional support to women whose mental health has suffered as a result of domestic abuse. Through an initial assessment process the needs of the woman will be identified. The worker will draw on her experience of introducing techniques to reduce, but not limited to the following –
- Reduce anxiety
- Depression
- Symptoms relating to the trauma they have been subjected to
- Women will learn effective coping strategies to deal with the impact of domestic abuse on their mental health and wellbeing.
- This approach is aimed at assisting in the woman’s mental health recovery, improving her self-esteem, building confidence, improving her overall wellbeing whilst also supporting her with the domestic abuse she has been subjected to.
It is not intended that this specialist support will replace clinical services through the NHS rather it would be seen as an immediate response to a crisis situation while awaiting access to NHS services.
Where We Are
Our address is:
28 Sandgate
Ayr
KA7 1BW
Please use the map below to find our location. We are within easy walking distance of Ayr train station and most of the major local bus routes.