THE AGENCY Contact: Katy Smith, Senior Project Worker at Lighthouse Women’s Centre, 37 Berners Street, Ipswich, IP1 3LN

website: http://lighthousewa.org.uk

Email: info@lighthousewa.org.uk

Phone: 01473 228 270

Lighthouse Women’s Centre is a is a voluntary sector organisation, affiliated to Women’s Aid, offering domestic violence and abuse services and advice to women and their children in Suffolk. As part of this service, practitioners have been trained in and running Who’s in Charge? groups for women since 2013.

CRITERIA Catchment area: Ipswich / Suffolk.

Age range: Mothers only, aged 18+

REFERRAL Individuals can self refer, or referrals can come from other services such as GPs, Children’s Services, Schools, Family Support. Initial contact can be by phone, but forms are required to be completed.

ASSESSMENT An assessment form is completed with parents. As long as they fit the criteria and are not a risk to others, they would be accepted. There is a waiting list until the next course starts.

THE SERVICE Who’s in Charge? is a group work programme developed by Eddie Gallagher in Australia, supporting mothers to understand CPV, and to work towards more healthy family relationships and the cessation of violence. It uses a mixture of approaches including narrative and solution focused therapies and CBT. It takes place over 9 weeks in the training room of the Community Women’s Centre. This is a women only service.

EVALUATION Courses are evaluated by parents and practitioners. A full evaluation of the Who’s in Charge? programme is being planned.

Data entered: July 2015. Reviewed: August 2017 Updated May 2021