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WMWA Newsletter, September 2025 |
Welcome to our September newsletter!
This month, we’re highlighting powerful stories, inspiring partnerships, and the impact of community support in our work to end domestic abuse. From raising awareness of Child to Parent Abuse to giving voice to lived experiences through our Family Court Pathfinder work, we’re proud to be driving change where it’s needed most.
You’ll also read about a moving survivor story shared through the latest in our One in Twelve series "A Lost Poem", our engagement with military communities, and a very special legacy gift from the Florence Farmer Trust. Plus, we’re celebrating our incredible fundraisers who took on a double trek challenge and brought us closer to our goal.
Thank you for walking this journey with us — together, we are making a difference.
From the West Mercia Women's Aid Team!
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Child to Parent Abuse: Raising
Awareness and Taking Action
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14th October marks Child & Adolescent to Parent Violence Awareness Day (CAPVA), highlighting a hidden form of domestic abuse where children—sometimes even adult children—use ongoing abusive behaviour towards a parent or carer. This can be physical, emotional, financial, or coercive. Though it affects an estimated 3% of UK families, many cases go unreported due to shame, fear, or concerns about criminalising the child. A lack of national guidance also means responses are inconsistent, leaving many families without the support they need.
West Mercia Women’s Aid is helping to break the cycle through our Young Persons Prevention Project, delivered with local partners to support 11–18-year-olds. The programme combines education and mentoring to challenge harmful behaviours and build healthy relationships.
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| Find out more
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One in Twelve - A Lost Poem |
On 23rd July 2024, the first National Policing Statement on Violence Against Women and Girls was published. The report highlights that at least 1 in 12 women will be victims of male violence each year, though the real number is likely higher. We are committed to ensuring this report - and the truths it reveals - are not forgotten. For every newsletter, we ask one of the women who has recently used WMWA’s services to tell their story.
This month we feature "A Lost Poem" - capturing the isolation and silent suffering endured in an abusive relationship this moving story is a powerful reminder that, even decades later, the emotional impact of domestic abuse can linger long after someone has physically escaped it.
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| Read "A Lost Poem"
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Listening to Survivors:
Transforming the Family Court
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In 2023, West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA) launched the Lived Experience Advisory Network (LEAN) to give survivors of domestic abuse a voice in shaping services. A key concern raised was the Family Court system, where many felt retraumatised and unheard. In response, WMWA partnered with local agencies and the judiciary to form a working group focused on improving survivors' experiences and ensuring their voices are understood.
As a result, the Worcestershire and Herefordshire Family Court has been chosen as a national Pathfinder site, launching in November 2025. WMWA will lead on delivering specialist support in this new model, which also includes Shropshire and Telford. What began as a conversation with survivors is now driving real change.
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| Find out more about Pathfinder
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Collaborating for Change:
Domestic Abuse in Armed Forces Communities
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Last month, Leoni, WMWA Project Co-Ordinator was proud to attend the Armed Forces & Domestic Abuse Conference in Portsmouth, hosted by Aurora New Dawn. The event brought together leading voices, frontline practitioners, and advocates from across the UK to explore the unique challenges—and opportunities—around tackling domestic abuse within military communities.
With speakers from organisations including SafeLives, Aurora New Dawn, and the military itself, the day sparked powerful conversations about the complexity of abuse in the armed forces context. We explored the barriers to reporting, the impact of military culture and service life on families, and the importance of tailored, trauma-informed support for survivors with lived experience in these settings.
Events like this remind us just how critical partnership working is in driving systemic change. When services, charities, the armed forces, and survivors come together, we build deeper understanding—and with it, better responses for those affected by domestic abuse. At WMWA, we remain committed to collaborative approaches that centre survivor voices and challenge abuse in all its forms and contexts.
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WMWA Welcomes Dr Ellie Chowns to Discuss Vital Local Projects
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In September we were pleased to welcome Dr Ellie Chowns, Green Party councillor and Parliamentary candidate, to West Mercia Women’s Aid.
Our CEO, Sue Coleman, and Head of Client Services, Helen Richardson, met with Ellie to share insights into some of our most important current projects, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing domestic abuse services across our region.
The meeting focused on several key initiatives, including our role in the Family Court Pathfinder programme - a national pilot aimed at improving the experiences of survivors navigating the family justice system. They also discussed our delivery of the IRIS project, which strengthens the response to domestic abuse in primary care settings, as well as our growing work supporting the military and garrison communities across West Mercia.
Reflecting on the visit, Sue said:
“It was great to welcome Ellie and share an update on our vital work. These conversations are so important in raising awareness of the realities survivors face—and in building the support needed to create meaningful change.”
We’re grateful to Ellie for taking the time to engage with our work and for her continued interest in the issues that affect survivors and families across our communities.
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Florence Farmer Trust - Supporting our future
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Last month, we were deeply honoured to receive a generous donation from the Florence Farmer Trust—a gift rooted in compassion, community, and a powerful legacy of support for women in need.
Florence Enid Farmer was a dedicated member of Foley Park Methodist Church in Kidderminster. When she passed away in 1986, her will established a trust fund. For many years, the trust quietly made occasional donations in line with Florence’s wishes, helping women who were often overlooked.
This year, the sole remaining trustee made the difficult decision to close the trust, and sought to pass the remaining funds to a charity that reflected Florence's values. We are incredibly grateful that West Mercia Women’s Aid was chosen as the organisation to carry forward her legacy. Our work supporting women experiencing isolation, disadvantage, and domestic abuse aligns closely with Florence’s vision of a safer, more supported life for women in her community.
We are proud to honour that vision and to use this donation to make a meaningful difference in the lives of women across West Mercia.
Florence’s kindness lives on—and we are privileged to be part of her lasting impact.
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Congratulations to our fundraising team!
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What was meant to be a canoe and hike challenge turned into a double trek – and our incredible fundraisers took it on with unstoppable energy.
From muddy paths to a biker escort at the finish line, it was a day full of determination, teamwork, and unforgettable moments.
Thanks to your amazing support, we’ve already raised £4,669 towards our £5,000 goal to support our vital work!
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| Read the full story
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