A partnership approach; supporting and empowering vulnerable women within one UK city

This paper draws upon a three year longitudinal qualitative evaluation of a voluntary sector strategic partnership and delivery project involving eleven women-centred organisations. The consortium worked together to support the most vulnerable women and girls across a city in the north of England over a four year period (2017-2021), funded by the Big Lottery (charity). The partnership of 11 different women-centred and female led organisations delivered front-line services which aimed to enable women and girls to lead safer and healthier lives. Partners combined their expertise to support women with multiple needs including: mental health, domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, experience of the criminal justice system, sex work and substance misuse. The project aimed to achieve 3 outcomes: 1. Improved and extended access for vulnerable women and girls across the city 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 Our evaluation placed the project staff, partners, stakeholders and service users at the centre of qualitative data collection, drawing upon a co-produced Theory of Change approach to data collection. Our sample of 34 service users, 54 professionals (19 of which were repeat interviews) and monitoring data shows that the project successfully met its objectives and developed a model of practice that can be used in other contexts to support and empower women in need. This paper will describe key lessons from the evaluation focusing on the model of the project (service delivery) within the partnership setting. The service involved complex needs workers supporting women holistically for up to 9 months; an outreach community engagement service; the development of a virtual service directory; women and girls’ hubs; and peer support. Paper is of interest: This paper reports evaluation findings from examining the largest gender-specific consortia in the UK who came together specifically to support women and girls across one city, drawing upon feminist principles to empower those defined as the most vulnerable. This was a successful model of support (service) within a problematic partnership.