Before the end of the year, Beacon had set up its 1-1 counselling service for parents at Benchill SureStart, Woodhouse Park SureStart, and Family Action Benchill (each centres run by Barnardo’s). The managers at Beacon and Benchill SureStart continued to work together to develop the service, and ensure it met the needs of parents, and resulted in a change of focus from January 2011. It was recognised that domestic abuse was a significant problem in the area, and that many parents using the centres were experiencing this, or had experienced it in the past. The new service offers 1-1 counselling, but focuses on domestic abuse, with the team of 3 counsellors each having received specialised training for counsellors working with domestic abuse issues. A year on, and this service continues to provide benefits to the people that use it, and we are looking forward to continuing our work with Barnardo’s.

Outcomes
People benefit from better mental health and well-being, particularly around confidence, self-esteem, assertiveness, and relationship skills. These are the building blocks of resilience that are vital in getting out and/or staying out of abusive relationships.

Funding
The service has had a range of funding to date, but since January 2011 (for the new focus on domestic abuse) we are very grateful to the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales, and also to the Zochonis Charitable Trust.