Violence Against Women and Girls services questions: people's answers - easy read

People’s answers for Violence Against Women and Girls Services questions : Easy Read

This is an easy read version of Analysis of the Call for Evidence responses to the Violence Against Women and Girls Funding Review. For more detailed information the full document is available.

The Scottish Government is planning new funding for Violence Against Women and Girls services.

Violence Against Women and Girls services are things like:

• safe places to stay
• counselling
• advice
• money
• legal support
• specialist health care
• specialist crime support
• education
• help finding a job

These services are for women and children who are being hurt or harmed.

What we asked

We asked everyone what they thought about these services in June, July and August of 2022.

We asked everyone:

• what kinds of services were needed
• how to make very good services
• how to make sure that people who have experienced violence can help to design the services
• about the way funding happens
• what can be done to stop violence against women and children happening in Scotland

Who answered our questions

We had 4 hundred and 75 answers to our questions.

Over 80 of these answers were from organisations.

Nearly 400 answers were from people answering by themselves.

We also organised 7 meetings with organisations which were interested in these services.

We collected information from the 7 meetings.

We added this information to our report.

What people think

Nearly half the people who answered said they agreed with this:

Services should be offered by other organisations as well as:

• third sector organisations
• local council areas
• the Scottish Government
• NHS Scotland
• Police Scotland

8 out of every 10 people who answered thought that these services should be every woman's right.

8 out of every 10 people who answered thought these services should be every child's right too.

7 out of every 10 people thought that services should be planned to suit each local area.

4 out of every 10 people thought that services should be exactly the same in every local area.

3 out of every 10 people wanted the funding to last 5 years.

Slightly fewer people wanted the funding to last 10 years.

7 things that many people say are needed

Number 1 is the thing most people said is needed.

Number 7 is the thing fewest people said is needed.

1. Single-sex spaces and services

There should be services and spaces where only women are allowed, including only female staff.

This will help women to feel protected.

2. Working together

These kinds of services should work closely together:

• healthcare
• mental health support
• money support
• law support
• safe spaces to stay
• specialist crime support

It's the only way that women and children can be properly supported.

3. Funding

There is not enough money to give good services.

There are long waiting lists.

There needs to be more money for these services.

4. Training

Workers who support women and children in these services need proper training.

Good training means that:

• women and children will not carry on suffering
• women and children will feel confident that they are going to be supported

5. Safe Spaces to Stay

Safe spaces are also called shelters and refuges.

There needs to be lots of safe spaces that women and children can get to in an emergency.

Safe spaces need to be:

• quick to get into
• right across Scotland

6. Mental health support

Women and children should get mental health care that:

• helps them feel stronger
• helps them feel happier
• understands their trauma

Trauma is what happens to our mental health after something very upsetting has happened.

There should be these kinds of support:

• 1 to 1 therapy sessions
• support from people going through the same kind of thing
• group sessions
• play therapy

7. Law help

There should be these kinds of support:

• helping women find the right support for them
• getting the right benefits
• someone else to speak up for them – this is called advocacy
• advice for immigrants

Immigrants are people who have moved to a country to start a new life there.

What happens next

We will write a report about all of the answers to our questions.

The report will be ready by June 2023.