WLL Project Evaluation and Learning

Welcome to the concluding final evaluation and learning report for the Women’s Lives Leeds (WLL) Project. The Women’s Lives Leeds (WLL) Project was a Big Lottery, since renamed National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF), Women and Girls Initiative Funded 4-year Project that delivered a range of opportunities including frontline services that enabled women and girls to lead safer and healthier lives and was created by a partnership of Women’s led and centred organisations in Leeds, who joined together to form the “WLL Partnership” in May 2015. The Partnership included Asha Neighbourhood Centre, Basis Yorkshire, Behind Closed Doors, Getaway Girls, Hooner Kelah, Leeds Women’s Aid, HALT (who have since merged with LWA), Nari Ekta, Shantona Women’s Centre, Together Women, Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service, and Women’s Health Matters. Between them they have a collective of over 250 years’ experience supporting the most vulnerable women and girls across the city of Leeds who experience multiple needs including; mental health, domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, experience of the criminal justice system, sex work and substance misuse. The focus of the work was on providing support to the most disadvantaged communities in Leeds, with the aim of reaching greater numbers of the most vulnerable women, ensuring they receive holistic, joined-up support no matter where in the city they live. As one, they applied to the Big Lottery’s, Women’s and Girls Initiative fund, to fund the WLL Project and later that year were successful. The partnership was granted over £2.2mil over a 4-year timescale. The WLL Project focussed on Women, Young Women and Girls and identified specific target groups: young women, women with complex needs and recently arrived new migrant communities and was based on initial research completed in December 2015 that identified current needs. The Project aimed to achieve the following 3 outcomes: 1. Improved and extended access for vulnerable women and girls in Leeds to the services and support they want, when they choose 2. A holistic response to ensure that the needs of women and girls with multiple and complex issues are better supported 3. Women and Girls will be empowered to support their peers and influence service delivery, development and design across the city The Executive Summary was completed in November 2020 and has already been shared with all stakeholders, partners and commissioners including Leeds City Council, Public Health and Clinical Commissioning Groups. The purpose of this report is to detail the learning, challenges and successes taken from project delivery throughout its lifespan and its achievements with the aim for this to be shared to inform other providers in their service development. This report has been informed by views from service users, external stakeholders, ongoing external evaluation, staff and the WLL Alliance gathered over the last four years.