Ascent Advice and Counselling is a strand of the Ascent project. Ascent has been funded by London Councils since 2013 and is a project of the London Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Consortium.
Women and Girls Network lead the Advice and Counselling strand of Ascent, a pan-London partnership of 14 specialist VAWG organisations that provide specialist advice and counselling services to women and girls who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual and/or domestic abuse.
The project provides advice and support to women and girls affected by all forms of VAWG, as well as support to professionals.
As part of this project, Solace:
- Runs the East London Advice Line
- Provides advice casework for women in North London, East London and South East London.
- Delivers pan-London specialist housing advice.
- Provides access to 1-1 counselling sessions in North London, East London and South East London.
The wider project also provides:
- Specialist advice for black and minoritized women and girls, delivered by organisations that are led by and for Black and minoritized women and specialist 1 -1 counselling and group work for Black and minoritized women, delivered in a number of community languages, and 1 -1 counselling for women who have experienced sexual violence.
- Pan-London young women’s advice (14 years+) delivered by Women and Girls Network.
- Pan-London specialist advice for women experiencing sexual exploitation, including women who are involved in prostitution, and women who use substances problematically, delivered by nia
- Right of Women family law legal advice line and legal training,
- No Recourse to Public Funds financial support, provided by Southall Black Sisters
Ascent Advice Plus
To provide support to more women across London, MOPAC funded Ascent Advice Plus and Solace leads this project. This funding has increased the capacity of the Ascent Advice services, extended advice support to 26 weeks, and added specialist partners who provide consultancy support and training for partners working with LBT+ women, deaf and disabled women, and women with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Ascent Advice and Counselling and Ascent Advice Plus work with women and girls (including transwomen) who are assessed as being at standard or medium risk of VAWG.
‘You saved my life report highlights the life changing work of the Ascent Advice and Counselling partnership
Read the executive summary here
How to refer
We are now closed for referrals in all boroughs for Ascent Counselling.
To make a referral for a service user located in Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Wandsworth or Westminster please call the West Hub on 0808 801 0660. The line is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with extended evening hours from 6pm to 9pm on Wednesdays. Referrals for these boroughs can also be made by emailing advice@wgn.org.uk
For service users located in Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Camden, the City of London, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Islington, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest please call the East Hub on 0808 802 5565. The line is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with extended evening hours from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesdays. Referrals can also be made by contacting advice@solacewomensaid.org
Both advice lines can also offer support to professionals working on cases involving VAWG.
To find out more about the project, please contact AscentA&C@solacewomensaid.org