We are delighted to have raised £296,906 for Women's Health Matters from the National Lottery Community Fund's Reaching Communities programme.

Women’s Health Matters supports women and girls from Leeds’ most disadvantaged communities to overcome inequalities. The majority have experienced domestic, emotional or sexual abuse and have mental health problems.

We started working with Women's Health Matters in mid-2019 to develop an application to the National Lottery Community Fund's Reaching Communities programme to build on learning from an existing project we previously helped them to achieve funding for.

In March 2020, we were due to receive a final decision on our application any day, but the Fund paused it to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our application was reactivated in September 2020 and following some adjustments for a post-COVID environment it has finally been successful.

Over three years, this new project will support around 250 women who have experienced complex trauma, usually domestic abuse, and are at risk of having a child removed into care. Often the women supported will have poor relationships with their Social Worker and be mistrustful of statutory agencies.

Through a combination of professionally faciliated peer support, education groups and volunteering opportunities, Women's Health Matters will work with women at the earliest possible stage, before children are removed, and help them build strong relationships with women in similar situations, with their children and with Social Workers.

After a wait of almost a year we are thrilled this project can now get started.