Toolkit

If you are delivering or planning to implement a WHA or any of its components in your local area, we’d love to hear about it. Please get in touch with us via our contact page

 

1. Introduction

Read here: WHA Toolkit Introduction

The introduction to the WHA Toolkit provides the background to the pilot project, which the Toolkit was produced as part of, and outlines each area of the project. Read the Introduction to develop an understanding of the Whole Housing Approach as a whole before exploring areas of the Approach in depth in the individual toolkits.

Click the images below to read the stories of Isla, Rashida and Rosa - three survivors who received support from a WHA project - and find out the impact this made on each on each of their lives:

Thanks to Scriberia for the the infographics!

 

2. Cost Benefit Analysis

Read here: WHA Cost Benefit Analysis

This toolkit provides more information about the case studies that were included in the Introduction and the methodology that was used to carry out the cost benefit analysis. It provides templates for anyone interested in carrying out cost benefit analysis of their own domestic abuse interventions.

 

3. Economic Abuse

Read here: WHA Economic Abuse

This toolkit explores economic abuse in depth. Economic abuse is often a cause of housing instability for victim/survivors of domestic abuse, so it’s important that anyone considering implementing the Whole Housing Approach has a solid grasp of economic abuse and how it can affect victim/survivors living in different housing tenures.

Economic abuse resources

 

4. Refuge Services

Read here: WHA Refuge services

Refuge services are a lifesaving service for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. This toolkit is a reference guide for local authorities, commissioners and partnerships. It offers practical guidance for commissioning and funding quality, safe and specialist refuge services and aims to support the delivery of the new duties proposed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on funding support for victims and their children in accommodation based domestic abuse services, which includes refuge.

Refuge resources

 

5. Social Housing

Read here: WHA Social Housing

This toolkit is a reference guide for professionals working in the social housing sector including local authority housing solutions services, housing management, registered providers (housing associations), domestic abuse services and for victim/survivors to describe what they can expect from their local authority’s housing service. 

See the DAHA accreditation chapter below for a framework created especially for social housing providers and services to develop and embed good practice for an effective organisational and coordinated community response to domestic abuse.

 

6. Private Rented Sector

Read here: WHA Private Rented Sector

This toolkit highlights the challenges that victim/survivors experience in private tenancies and considers initiatives and offers guidance for engaging landlords and professionals working in the private rented sector (PRS) at a national and local level.

It is a reference guide for professionals working in the PRS including landlord professional bodies, local authorities (community safety teams, environmental health, private housing teams), private landlords and letting agents.

It is also a guide for specialist domestic abuse services who are ideally placed to be the lead service for delivering the initiatives set out this guide.

Private Rented Sector resources

 

7. Privately Owned Housing

Read here: WHA Privately Owned Housing

This toolkit highlights the challenges faced by victim/survivors living in privately owned housing (POH) and offers guidance for working with professionals in the POH sector at a national and local level. It may also be of interest to other stakeholders who are key to meeting the needs of homeowners experiencing domestic abuse, including estate agents, sales teams, family and property lawyers, family courts, mortgage advisers, mortgage lenders such as banks and building societies, regulatory bodies and policy makers.

 

8. Supported Housing - Homelessness Services

Read here: WHA Supported Housing - Homelessness Services

This toolkit sets out the role of supported and sheltered housing in providing accommodation for victim/survivors of domestic abuse. It particularly focuses on homelessness accommodation settings including shelters or hostels and supported housing. It offers guidance for housing providers and commissioners who are working to improve their response to domestic abuse in these settings and in line with Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) standards.

 

9. Mobile Advocacy

Read here: WHA Mobile Advocacy

Mobile advocacy is a form of community-based domestic abuse advocacy support that has a focus on getting survivors into stable housing as quickly as possible. This role is like other types of community-based, specialist domestic abuse provision such as resettlement, outreach or floating support.

This toolkit is a guide for commissioners, operational managers, domestic abuse practitioners and/or coordinators and any other stakeholders involved in funding local domestic service provision. It offers practical guidance and resources to set up a mobile advocacy service and assess the quality of existing services. 

Mobile advocacy resources

This component of the Whole Housing Approach is inspired by the work of Professor Cris Sullivan and her colleagues at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV). The following resources have been developed by the WSCADV and are part of their Domestic Violence Housing First approach and toolkit,

 

10. Co-located Housing Advocacy

Read here: WHA Co-located Housing Advocacy

Co-located housing advocates are employed by a specialist domestic abuse services and are usually based within local authority homelessness support services. They support victim/survivors who approach the local authority as homeless, and upskill local authority staff.

This toolkit is a guide for commissioners, operational managers, domestic abuse practitioners and/or coordinators and any other stakeholders involved in funding local domestic service provision. It offers practical guidance and resources to set up a co-located advocacy service in a local authority housing service and for assessing the quality of existing services. This toolkit can also be used as a reference for co-locating in another housing service such as a housing association or supported accommodation setting.

 

11. Flexible Funding

Read here: WHA Flexible Funding

Flexible funding is a designated funding pot that domestic abuse support workers can access quickly and easily to enable victim/survivors to achieve safe and stable housing.

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide guidance and materials to help organisations set up flexible funding in their area. It is intended for commissioners and service providers, including domestic abuse services, housing providers, and local authorities.

Flexible Funding resources

This component of the Whole Housing Approach is inspired by the work of Professor Cris Sullivan and her colleagues at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV). Flexible funding gives domestic abuse advocates / mobile advocates a tool to help survivors into stable housing as quickly as possible.

 

12. Housing First For Women

Read here: WHA Housing First For Women

This toolkit is a reference guide for local authorities, housing providers and specialist domestic abuse services who are interested in setting up a Housing First project for women experiencing homelessness and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). It includes key considerations and practical resources for planning, implementation and monitoring quality and effectiveness of a Housing First project.

Housing First For Women resources

 

13. Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance

Read here: WHA Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance

This toolkit is for housing providers and services, domestic abuse services and local commissioners. It provides an overview of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance’s (DAHA) accreditation process and offers guidance and resources for housing professionals to plan and implement DAHA accreditation across the organisation as part of the Whole Housing Approach (WHA). Obtaining accreditation not only enhances how housing providers interact with victim/survivors, it also strengthens the local area’s coordinated community response to domestic abuse.

If you’d like to find out more or are interested in signing up for accreditation, please contact daha_team@standingtogether.org.uk

 

14. Managed Reciprocals

Read here: WHA Managed Reciprocals

A managed housing reciprocal scheme enables individuals and families who are at risk of domestic abuse or violence and who have a social tenancy, to move to a safe area whilst retaining their tenancy. It is a formal collaboration between social housing providers that is coordinated by an independent agency.

This toolkit is a reference guide for local authorities, housing providers and specialist domestic abuse services who are interested in setting up a managed housing reciprocal scheme to support social tenants who need to relocate due to domestic abuse. It includes key considerations and practical resources for planning and implementation, as well as guidance on how to monitor the quality and effectiveness of a managed housing reciprocal scheme.

Managed reciprocals resources

 

15. Sanctuary Scheme

Read here: WHA Sanctuary Scheme

This toolkit is a guide for commissioners, operational managers, domestic abuse practitioners and/or coordinators, security installers and any other stakeholders involved in funding and delivering a local Sanctuary Scheme.  It offers practical guidance and resources to assist local areas and service providers to assess the quality of an existing scheme or establish a new scheme where none currently exist.

 

16. Perpetrator Management

Read here: WHA Perpetrator Management

The purpose of this toolkit is to outline the options available to housing providers in engaging with perpetrators and holding them to account. The safety of victim/survivors is central to working with perpetrators. The aim of working with perpetrators is to keep victim/survivors including children safe. Housing providers therefore need to check how their intervention is impacting on safety. If the victim/survivor is not involved, it is not possible to do this. 

Perpetrator management resources