cwrc annual review 2012
DESCRIPTION
This review highlights the activities which have taken place at Cambridge Women's Resources Centre in 2012, our 30 year anniversary.TRANSCRIPT
Review 2012
Cambridge Women’s
Resources Centre
Changing the lives of women and
their families since 1982
Changing Women’s Lives...
2
Forty years after the Gender Pay Act, women still earn and own less than men, and are more likely to live in poverty. They do not have the same independence and financial security that men do, and they are underrepresented in public life. The recession and cuts in government spending will inevitably hit women hardest. The vital work of CWRC in enabling women to respond to economic challenges and improve their, and their families’ lives, is needed now more than ever. The Centre itself has not escaped the funding cuts, and over the last year we have streamlined our structure and activities to enable us to better respond to the coming challenges. The recent changes meant that, regretfully, we have had to lose some staff, and I take this opportunity to thank them for the many years' dedicated service that they have given to the Centre. Their work has made huge positive
differences to women's lives in so many ways, and their legacy will continue in the Centre going forward. These changes have also been challenging for the current staff, and I also thank them for their inspiring dedication, hard work and great ideas. Staff are, by far, our greatest asset, and they are the reason we can continue to support and develop the women that come to us. Thank you! We acknowledge, too, the continued support of our funders, and look forward to working with them to tackle the challenges of the future. Last year over 400 women made use of the training, guidance and support that we offer. Each of these tackled different challenges and , with our help, made positive changes to her life and those around her. It's the personal stories, some of which we touch on in this report, that continue to remind me how important our work is. Long may it continue!
Liz Hide, Chair of Board of Trustees
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The last few years have seen many changes at the Centre, and they have provided a valuable opportunity to review the Centre's work and to reaffirm our core values. We continue to be about women working together to provide practical ways to support and empower women, but the way in which we do this will change to reflect the changes in the society in which we work. Our simpler, more effective management structure gives us a stronger voice outside the organisation, and I look forward to continuing to work with our many partners and funders as we go forward. We aim to maintain and develop a working environment where women’s voices are heard and where good ideas can be nurtured, while making sure the Centre's is best placed within our changing sector.
Cambridge Women’s Resources Centre has been changing the lives of women and their families in our community for 30 years. We estimate that since we opened 1982 over 10,000 women have used our services. To celebrate this we have launched our much needed 30:30 vision campaign: We are hoping to capture the stories and experiences of as many women who have participated in the activities at the centre as we can. In addition we are asking women who have used the centre or who share it’s values to fundraise or donate £30. If 1,000 people contribute we will raise £30,000 which is essential to help to secure our future for a further 30 years.
Nicky Wrigley, Chief Executive
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CWRC was founded 30 years ago by women in the local community who had the vision of women working together to support, educate and empower one another. Many different projects have flourished at the centre since its conception. Women have learnt new skills, received practical and emotional support, made changes - inspiring them to make life enhancing decisions, creating positive outcomes for themselves, their children and their families.
Our team of staff, volunteers and members of the CWRC all value the vision of the CWRC, contributing to a vibrant culturally diverse community. We are constantly reminded that women have much to learn from one another, and are committed to help with providing the resources and support they need throughout their lives.
In a recent survey 89% of those who responded to our stakeholder
survey said that there was still a need for a dedicated women only
centre in Cambridge.
A survey carried out in November 2011 amongst people and
organisations working in the field of mental health found that 100%
thought that there was a need for dedicated women only services
for women with mental health problems.
Background
Are we still needed?
Job search advice and support 88.2%
English and Maths 87.4%
Basic Computer skills 86.6%
Creche 93.3%
Confidence building 91.6%
Informal networking 73.1%
ESOL 80.7%
Supporting vulnerable women 97.5%
Working with women offenders 79.0%
Volunteer opportunities 79.0%
Internet cafe 75.6%
The table on the left
shows our current
services and how
important stakeholders
felt it is that we
continue to provide
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Working in Partnership
Return to Work
Psychology
Course
Anxiety
Management
On-site
Crèche
Samaritans
Art Group
Informal Drop In Pregnancy testing
Craft Skills Share Volunteering opportunities
Working with
women offenders
ICT Freedom Programme
Internet Café
One to One Support
Make the Best of You
Emotional and
Practical Support
English for Speakers of
Other Languages
Maths
Information, Advice and
Guidance
Job Search Workshops Outreach
Upholstery
What we have done in 2012
New things planned for in 2013
Parenting support Support for mothers of
young offenders Dedicated support for women with
mental health problems
Domestic violence support
for Asian women
Cross cultural
friendship group
Upcycling
Creative writing
Cambridge women’s
heritage project
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Learning Opportunities
Gaining Skills
Growing in Confidence
Moving on
Our courses enable women from diverse backgrounds to gain basic
skills. We offer courses for women in a friendly and supportive
environment, often allowing a learner to take their first steps towards
a recognised qualification. In the last year we have seen women
meet their goals in English, maths, computing, and English for
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). This year we also had a
group of women learning upholstery, some members of this group
have decided to continue with upholstery as a career option.
Learning in an all woman environment empowers our learners.
They find they can learn vital life skills, explore ideas and achieve
goals. Tutors tailor classes to meet individual needs and women
learn at their own pace. Learners enjoy the opportunity to share
experiences with other women and benefit from the rich cultural
diversity our centre offers.
We know that women see the benefits of their involvement with the
centre in many aspects of their lives. Following our courses many
women have gained full and part time employment or have gone
on to do voluntary work, or further training. After reaching good
communication skills in English many of our ESOL learners come
back to take further courses with us, and see the benefits in all
areas of their lives in Britain.
We provide high quality accredited and non-accredited
training to women.
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Kirsty Trigg, Courses Administrator
“ Working at CWRC I have realised how
many women there are in Cambridge with
many and complex needs. It’s a real
pleasure to be involved with a centre which
helps women move on with, and sometimes
rebuild their lives. ”
More than 90% of
our learners say one
of the best things
about our courses is
the friendly and
supportive
atmosphere
“I have been happy
in this course I feel
more confident I
would recommend
this course for
everyone”
More than 80%
of the people who
responded to our
survey felt that we
should continue to
offer courses in our
main subject areas.
Learning Opportunities
Excerpt from letter from a learner
“. . . at CWRC I had found focus, direction, recognition of my
abilities, a thirst for knowledge and a determination to continue to
invest in my own personal growth. The realisation that as an Adult
Learner, I had a lot to offer my fellow classmates, that I was seen
as an equal and I was celebrated as an adult learner was a great
boost to both my learning and confidence.”
Comment from Dr Bev Morris, consultant
“The Centre offers something special to women. It is a safe and welcoming environment that both supports and challenges learners to realise their potential. The different experiences and skills of all the women, learners and staff, are used to make this a learner-focused approach”.
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Supporting Women into Work
Supporting Job Search One to one sessions provide individualised support and advice,
giving participants the opportunity to look at options available and
relevant to their current position. The Return to Work course
provides the participants skills and space to make decisions, plan
and prepare for employment. Job Search workshops addressed
immediate issues such as interview practice and CV and job
application writing.
Our job search services give women the skills to use immediately or
to prepare for employment when they are ready, often this is
dependant on gaining further training or skills through volunteering.
For others it is a preparation for when their children are settled in
school.
At the Return to Work course Sue revised and updated her CV. She also worked on her confidence and greatly improved her interview skills. In addition Sue made friends with another participant and they supported and encouraged each other in their job hunt. Sue is now happily settled in a part time retail job which fits in with her family commitments, and she is still in touch with her new friend.
We work in partnership with Cambridge Housing Society who provide
a National Careers Service advisor who is based in our centre one
day per week for one to one careers advice and who also delivers
group sessions to some of our training courses.
This year we ran an ESF funded 7 week Return to Work Course and
a rolling programme of drop in Job Search Workshops. Fifty two
women attended this programme during the year.
Progression routes
Successful outcome
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Jo Burton, National Careers Service advisor
“This has been a very interesting and
rewarding year, working with a wide range of different women - supporting them in exploring career options and opportunities; and helping them in accessing courses and finding jobs".
Comments from women using our services
“ I found a job after I had a meeting with the guidance
worker, she was the one who helped me to write my CV and gave
me tips for my interview (Thank you very much!) “
“ With the help of CWRC I feel more able to plan my own future with confidence! ”
“ The Return to Work course was brilliant, I had a wonderful time and it definitely gave me a good idea of what to do when the time is right. But when I am ready I know what to do.”
50% of the women
who use the IAG
services have English
as a second or other
language.
There are 2 million
‘stay at home’ mums
in the UK. 50% of
them would like to
work but can’t find a
suitable job.
Some of the women
seen have never
worked; others have
lost confidence after a
break from work due
to ill health or bringing
up a family.
Supporting Women into Work
One of our strengths highlighted in an external assessment:
“The enthusiasm of staff to provide a proficient service,
demonstrating patience with service users at all times and
encouraging their progress and achievement throughout their
journey.”
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Dawn Project
Personalised Support
Positive Outcomes
The Dawn project has built very good partnership relationships
with a wide range of cross sector agencies to ensure that Dawn
clients are able to access the best and most appropriate
specialised support to meet their needs. Many partner
organisations meet the women in our centre. Our support
strengthens the likelihood of women’s successful outcomes with
other support agencies and reduces the likelihood or frequency of
re-offending.
Jo was signposted through Probation as part of an 18 month
supervision order. The Dawn team were able to identify that
housing was a fundamental issue relating to Jo’s offence. Through
multi agency working, safe and supported accommodation was
secured providing opportunities for Jo to establish further positive
changes in life. Jo has continued to engage with the Dawn Project,
having gained further guidance, encouragement and friendship
from within the CWRC community. Jo has not re-offended.
The Dawn project offers women information, personalised support
and an opportunity to look at aspects of their lives that they would
like or need to change. One-to-one and group support addresses a
wide range of needs. The project aims to work with women to find
ways to break the sometimes chaotic cycle, helping them to increase
in confidence and to be able to live safer and more fulfilling lives.
The Dawn Project works with women who are in or are at risk of
being in the criminal justice system.
Making Links
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Roz Naderer, Development Worker
Part of my role is about networking, which involves meeting people out in the community, and everything I do touches other people lives, this adds meaning to my life and work. Since working at CWRC and the Dawn Project I feel part of an ownership, which motivates me in my work, to always look
for positive outcomes in all situations that I encounter.
97.5% of stake-
holders surveyed felt
that we should be
supporting vulnerable
women.
“The service you
provide to the
community is truly
a blessing”
More than 250
women have
benefited from the
services of the Dawn
team in Cambridge.
Dawn Project
Comment from Dawn client:
“Coming to the CWRC through the Dawn Project has helped me
change and re-establish my life. It is somewhere that I have been able to begin my life again. It is a really important place for vulnerable women, like myself, to be able to access the support and guidance I received then and continue to receive now. I know it is somewhere I can come back to.”
Anthony Owen, Solicitor at TV Edwards
“The Dawn Project at CWRC has impressed me beyond any that I have worked with in terms of its lack of judgmental attitude and willingness to work with anybody in desperate need. They care for the whole person... In these days of cutbacks and public indifference to the plight o the most needy the Dawn Project shines a beacon of light creating hope for those for whom all hope has been lost.”
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Other Activities
Volunteer run groups
Internet Access
Supporting women’s groups
We currently have three volunteer groups running in the centre:
A weekly Art Group run by Audrey where participants create their
own work, participate in community art projects and explore
famous artists including visits to the Fitzwilliam Museum.
A psychology group which has been run by Marion and Margot for
3 years gives women the opportunity to understand more about
themselves and their relationship with others.
We have a craft based Skills Exchange group which meets one
Saturday per month. A variety of skills have been covered but the
most popular has been knitting and crochet.
CWRC also offers a variety of other classes and support to women
who come to the centre. Volunteers play a key part in the delivery
of this provision.
Public internet access points in our reception and coffee room are
used on a daily basis for a wide range of reasons including job
search, keeping in touch with family and friends and for Home
Link search and bidding for housing.
CWRC offers space for a Women’s Consciousness Raising Group
which meets monthly and for a Lesbian and Bi-sexual Feminist
Group which meets fortnightly. Both of these groups are unfunded
women’s groups and we are pleased to be able to support them in
this way.
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Other Activities
“When I first came to the centre, I’d been through a lot. It’s changed my life and helped me move on to who I am today. I didn’t even know I could do art!”
(Joy)
Making Links
Partnership working is very important to us, it benefits the
organisation but more importantly it gives our centre users the best
possible options for specialised services. We have formed a number
of formal and informal partnerships and engage in relevant local,
regional and national networks.
We also have a dedicated group of volunteers who ensure that we
have a visible presence at many of the key events in Cambridge
such as the Big Day Out, Arbury Carnival and Mill Road Winter Fair.
“The Art Group is lovely, relaxing, friendly - and educational too! Every week I look forward to coming and meeting others. It gives me a real boost.”
(Amelia)
Comments from members of the Art Group
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Volunteering
There are many reasons why women volunteer with us. Some come
to use our services and are identified as having the potential to
become peer mentors supporting other women experiencing similar
issues. Others take courses and realise they have skills that they can
use here. Many women who volunteer with us have experienced
domestic violence, mental health problems or financial issues and
benefit from ongoing support whilst contributing to the work of the
centre. For women from overseas it is an opportunity to practice
language skills and build a friendship network.
Volunteers bring huge added value to the CWRC, making us a
more diverse, responsive and in-touch organisation, and offering a
springboard for women to develop confidence in their own personal
resources.
New opportunities Volunteering roles at CWRC are tailored to each volunteers skills
and interests. Current roles include classroom assistance, reception,
fundraising, Trustee Board, cake making, supporting women and
raising our profile.
Our volunteers have found that volunteering has had a wide range of
benefits including: learning and developing new skills; increase in
employment options; increase in motivation and sense of
achievement; sense of being part of a community; putting something
back into the centre; meeting a diverse range of people; developing
new interests; sharing of life experiences; support and inspiration.
Building self belief
Positive gains from volunteering
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Maggie, ex Volunteer—now in employment
“ I came to live in Cambridge in April 2010
fleeing domestic violence. I was very distressed
and suffering from a lack of confidence. I came to
the Resources Centre a week after I arrived in
Cambridge. The staff were welcoming and
friendly; I found emotional and practical help.
After a few weeks I began volunteering for the Dawn Project. I did
one day a week, but beginning to regain my confidence I became
more involved. I believe the Resources Centre is unique. For me,
the CWRC has been a lifeline, not only for helping me regain
control in my life, but also I hope a better future. ”
55 volunteers have
become involved with
the centre since 2009.
“I think that the
CWRC is a
wonderful place
with wonderful
people in it!”
28 volunteers
coming to the centre
have had direct
experience of issues
particularly relevant to
the Dawn project.
Volunteering
Noreen Jones,
Student, Volunteer and Trustee
“ I started coming to CWRC in 2004. Initially I did
courses in computing, and have done course in literacy
and numeracy. I became a trustee of the centre in 2006
and enjoy coming in regularly to volunteer. I get great
satisfaction from seeing women achieve their learning
goals.“
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Opportunities for children
On-site crèche
By providing structure and learning in a group setting our crèche is
good preparation for school or nursery giving children the security
they need to make friends and to trust and enjoy new experiences.
This gives mothers the confidence that their children will settle well,
which in turn gives them the opportunity to look for employment or
further training.
Children receive individually tailored care giving them the
opportunity to explore, socialise and learn in a safe and supportive
environment. We see children form friendships and grow in self-
esteem and confidence. Crèche staff help children to build on their
strengths and to try new things.
The crèche is a central feature of the services we provide, enabling
women with children to commit to regularly using our services.
Crèche
We offer a free on-site crèche for women using our services. For
many children it is the first time that they have been away from
their mothers outside of the family network. Our crèche offers a
safe place for children to interact and play with other children from
diverse backgrounds. For many women, knowing that their
children are happy and well cared for is an essential part of
accessing learning or support services.
Moving on
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Crèche
Rachel Stevens, PBD assessor
“ I thoroughly enjoy coming into the setting as it is very
obvious that the team works extremely well together, constantly
communicating with one another to ensure the care of the children
is continuous, meeting individual needs. The cultural diversity is
not only supported but celebrated and it is a warm and inviting
place to come.”
Sholeh Rahimi, Crèche Manager
“ I am committed to the core principles of
CWRC: to support women as well as to provide
information in an empowering and non-
judgemental place. ”
Comment from crèche user
“ Many years ago my son came to the crèche and he was
very, very happy here. Over the years the staff have changed but
the high standards of the crèche have remained. Now my
grandchildren use the crèche and they always enjoy coming. The
staff are very friendly, kind and caring, and know what they are
doing. If you have a problem you can ask a member of staff and
they are sure to sort it out.”
Crèche facilities were
provided for the
children of more than
80 women in 2011 -
2012
“Your provision of on-
site child care is still
unique and
empowering to
women”
More than 90% of
stakeholders
responding to our
survey felt we should
be offering crèche
services to women.
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In this year we have received project funding from:
Skills Funding Agency—to deliver accredited training
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge and Peterborough Probation Foundation
Corston Coalition Funders
Cambridgeshire County Council
European Social Fund—Community Grants
We are members of:
GET Group, Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service, Women’s Resources Centre (London), WAVET, Clinks, Cambridge Women’s Voluntary Sector Forum, Women’s Breakout
We have worked in partnership with:
Peterborough Women’s Centre
Cambridge and Peterborough Probation Foundation
Cambridge Housing Society
Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre
Cambridge Women’s Aid
Cambridge CAB
Addaction
Cambridge Samaritans
NACRO
Illuminate Charity
Trussell Trust Food Bank
Beson Trust
Dhiverse
Richmond Fellowship
Papworth Trust
Making Space
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Vision and Mission Statements:
CWRC Vision is that all women in Cambridge
and beyond realise the potential in themselves, their
families and their community.
CWRC Mission is to provide training, activities and
support to enable our vision to succeed.
CWRC Aims:
• To increase women’s skills, confidence, motivation and self-esteem
• To increase women’s employability and their ability to make positive live choices
• To increase the number of women playing an active role in their communities, increase social cohesion and improve the quality of relationships and social interaction
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“ The centre provides support and advice specifically tailored to women's needs locally that they could not get elsewhere in Cambridge.“
“ I think it is really important and so valuable to all women that the centre is there, for times of need and for all the help it gives to women over the years.“
“This is an invaluable resource. Providing space where women are supported and their needs understood. CWRC can help women who have childcare or cultural needs as well as women who may have had negative experiences in education.“
Contact us:
Phone: 01223 321148
Email: [email protected]
Find out more:
www.cwrc.org.uk
www.facebook.com/cambridgewomensresourcescentre
To contact the board or to enquire about becoming a
board member: [email protected]
Donate by text (maximum £10), JustGiving through our website, or cheque made payable to CWRC. To make your money go further ask us for or download a Gift Aid form from the website
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