Our Children and Young People’s team delivers a range of services, including prevention work, for families and young people living in the community.
Creative therapies are available to children and young people from the age of 2 to 18 affected by domestic or sexual violence at some point in their life.
Through art making, play, drama and talking, the child and the therapist work together to make sense of the child’s difficulties and offer a safe and contained space where the child can express her/ his thoughts and feelings
The aim of creative therapy is to help the child or young person develop a better understanding of their feelings regarding their current situation and experience of domestic violence. They learn they are not to blame for the abuse and improve their self esteem.
Family Support Workers and Play Workers provide dedicated support for children across our 19 refuges, including liaising with a range of statutory agencies, arranging activities, and facilitating therapeutic interventions to support their recovery after experiencing or witnessing abuse.
Our Child Advocate provides coordinated, holistic support for children and their families as they navigate relevant statutory and specialist services.
It can be very difficult for children to talk about sexual abuse. Our role as advocates is not to ask difficult questions but to see what support a child might want and we make a plan around what they want to do. We can help children and families access other support and we can talk about safety and managing any ongoing risks. Some young people want to report to the police and the case may then go to court and we can offer support through this.
Solace works alongside Redthread, a London-based youth violence charity, to provide Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) based in London’s four major trauma centres. Our IDVAs provide specialist support for young people aged 11 – 25 who are admitted into hospital due to Violence Against Women and Girls
Hear2Change
The Hear2Change project works with young people in schools and community settings across Haringey and Islington with the aim of changing attitudes to Violence Against Women and Girls. The project is led by a steering group of young women who meet regularly to decide on project priorities. The project also provides support to young people through workshops, assemblies and one-to-one advocacy work for those who have experienced, or are at risk of, violence and abuse.
The POW Project
The ‘Protect Our Women’ project is a community-based programme for young people aged 13-25 years in Haringey. Young people in schools and youth clubs complete 10 AQA accredited workshops on the topic of Violence against Women and Girls. The programme engages young people in creative ways with a Champions programme supporting young people to take learning back into their communities.