Independent Advocacy

Q Who can use the Woman’s Trust IDVA Service? 
A Any woman who lives in the boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea who has been affected by domestic violence.

Q Who can refer me to the IDVA service? 
A Any agency or organisation you have spoken to about yoursituation can refer you. You can also refer yourself.

Q What if I don’t want to be referred by an agency?
A You should always be asked if you consent to the referral. We only work with women who have consented to the referral.

Q What happens then? 
A One of the IDVA’s will give you a call within 4 hours of receiving the referral (where possible). The IDVA will have a chat with you and get some basic information and then invite you to come in for an Initial Appointment at time that is convenient for you.

Q What happens at the Initial Appointment?
A The IDVA will ask you to tell her about your situation. She will ask you some general questions such as date of birth, national insurance number/if you have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, children’s name and G.P details etc. She will also complete a risk assessment with you. She will explain what this is and how it works. The IDVA will also ask you to sign a client contract and a client consent form.This form allows us to advocate on your behalf with other agencies and organisations in order to maximise you and your children’s (if you have any) safety. The IDVA will ask you what YOU want to happen. Together you will work out an action and safety plan. If it is not possible or not safe for you to come into our office for an appointment the IDVA can go through the above with you on the phone.

Q What if I don’t want to sign the consent form? 
A That’s fine. You don’t have to. Woman’s Trust is a client led organisation that is provided by women for women. We would however, explain to you the benefits of consenting to information sharing and also the instances where by law we would have to breach confidentiality, which include disclosures of Serious injury or harm will be caused to you or another individual, Child abuse/child protection concerns, A miscarriage of justice will occur or your advocate is summonsed by a court of Law.

Q If my case involves Social Services, would you disclose to them information that I had given you? 
A No, not unless we were bound by law to do so (see above). The IDVA is there to support YOU

Q Where is the information I have given you stored? 
A All the information you give us and the information we may receive relating to you is kept in a personal file which is locked away in a secure cabinet. Information is also stored on our secure database. Nothing relating to any of our clients is removed from our offices at any time.

Q What if I the police are involved and they ask you for my file for evidential purposes? 
A Your file is confidential but you are entitled to see any records Woman’s Trust holds about you. There may be lots of information in the file that does not directly relate to the criminal proceedings that the police are dealing with. Therefore, if the police ask for any client’s file, we ask them to go to court and get a court order to remove it from our offices. If this is granted, we give them the information that is relevant to the proceedings and nothing else. 

Q How long can I be supported by my IDVA?
A  For as long as you need her support. This may be only a couple of weeks or it could be a couple of years!