Coaction Hub | AWRC | Women's services Brent | Welfare advice Brent

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Coaction Hub is a 3-year partnership between Asian Women's Resource Centre (AWRC) and Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA). It aims to strengthen the Co-ordinated Community Response (CCR) to improve responses to global majority survivors of domestic abuse and harmful practices. The project aims to create an equitable partnership between a by and for global majority led organization with a second-tier white led organization with each agency bringing their expertise and insights to the project. This equity is embedded in all stages of fundraising, staffing, delivery, and resource sharing, and is reviewed with learning partners throughout the life of the project. Whilst individual agencies may lead on aspects of the project this is carried out within a collaborative partnership structure.

Throughout the project we aim to expand spaces for led by and for global majority VAWG organizations to speak for themselves and lead research from a decolonial lens. The key areas of intervention and research will include:

· MARAC
· DHR Mentoring programme
· CCR referral and delivery pathways
· Knowledge Hub
· Lessons from international models
· Coordinating the HPSP as a by and for led global majority women's platform
· Training
· Influencing policy and strategic work

RESEARCH

DHR Mentoring:
Research shows that global majority victims are overrepresented in domestic homicides, but professionals often have a lack of understanding of the barriers inhibiting these victims' help seeking. This project will create a robust DHR mentoring programme with a focus on understanding the needs and barriers faced by global majority women. As a pilot, 4 women from the global majority by and for VAWG agencies will be recruited on this programme and become DHR Chairs. They will receive full training and support to develop their skills, whilst bringing their knowledge and expertise into the DHR sector. The organizations where the mentees are located with have an engagement programme, including a honorarium for professional time

MARAC & Harmful Practices Toolkit:
This research will explore whether the MARAC model works effectively for victims/ survivors of harmful practices, and we will produce a toolkit to support MARACs to improve practice. By and for agencies, as well as MARAC Co-ordinators will inform this work via focus groups and interviews. Training will be offered to MARAC Co-ordinators and Chairs on the toolkit and harmful practices more generally.

Harmful Practices Strategic Partnership (HPSP)

The Harmful Practices Strategic Partnership is a pan London, by and for led partnership of statutory, non-statutory and by and for led organisations and other stakeholders. It is co-ordinated by the Coaction Hub, a partnership project between Asian Women's Resource Centre and Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse. This platform is unique as it started as an independent collective of professionals and activists associated with the Harmful Practices sector and then became a part of the Coaction Hub with terms of reference that reflected equity and shared leadership.

The group meets every quarter and have satellite meetings on thematic areas decided by members. Meetings are chaired by global majority led members and decision making is positively weighted in favour of by and for organizations as per the terms of reference. HPSP is a platform to support specialist organizations to contribute and be recognized for their expertise to inform policy and strategy within the Coordinated Community Response (CCR).

KNOWLEDGE HUB

This platform serves as a resource hub, highlighting issues impacting BME victim/survivors, raising awareness around harmful practices, and sharing useful articles, write-ups, case studies, blogs, and engagement pathways. Our aim is to inspire action, allyship, and equitable partnership between agencies, and improve the coordinated community response to BME women and girls experiencing VAWG. We hope you find this valuable for your work. In the fight against Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), equitable partnership, collaboration, and allyship are not just valuable—they are essential. Grounded in the ethos of intersectional feminism and anti-racism, these principles recognise the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression and the importance of addressing them collectively.

Risk Assessment:
The project will review the efficacy of current risk assessment tools for Black and minoritized survivors of domestic abuse and harmful practices. The findings will influence the piloting of more targeted risk assessment tools which will greater support, risk manage and safety plan with global majority survivors. By and for agencies will inform this work through focus groups and consultation.

International Models Research:
The knowledge hub will explore international approaches to VAWG, learning from models of CCR and VAWG interventions in the global south. We will create learning templates to integrate this knowledge into the CCR. This work will explore holistic approaches to working with survivors and focus on need as well as risk.

KNOWLEDGE HUB