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Experience of
Domestic Abuse

We are passionate about working with people who have been affected by domestic abuse. Meeting people where they are at, and coming alongside them to help empower them, ensures that they can build their self-confidence and enter the future with hope.

As part of our aim to encourage and empower women, all of our hubs offer the ‘Own My Life’ course specifically created for women who have experienced domestic abuse. This is an innovative, creative and educational 12-week course that seeks to support women in regaining ownership of their lives whilst explaining key concepts in easy to understand terms.

Recognizing the unique needs of incarcerated women, Handcrafted was the first to collaborate with a local prison and Natalie, CEO of The Women’s Liberation Collective, to extend ‘Own My Life’ to women serving sentences. For the first time, incarcerated women were able to participate in this course within the community whilst on day release (ROTL).

Natalie said this about us: “Handcrafted creates hope-filled, joyful spaces to enable women to own their lives.  We love their open hearted support of women, their willingness to try new things, and the ways they meaningfully value our partnership to make the biggest difference to women’s lives”.

Building on this work, we are due to be working with Natalie to pioneer a version of ‘Own My Life’ tailored specifically for girls and young women.

Beyond this, every hub provides a safe, welcoming, and psychologically informed space specifically designed to support individuals affected by domestic abuse. Providing person-centred support, our aim is to provide a supportive environment where trainees can engage in activities - from woodworking and craft activities - that promote healing and self-expression. Our offering is carefully facilitated to help build confidence, foster emotional resilience, and encourage positive social connections. Alongside learning new skills, individuals benefit from opportunities to share experiences, receive peer support, and enjoy refreshments in a compassionate community setting dedicated to their recovery and empowerment.

Make a referral to one of our hubs by following this link.

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Testimonials

I work as a prolific offender coordinator within police and my role is to reduce re-offending, I work with offenders who have been within court and prison system for numerous years.

Handcrafted has been instrumental in providing training, skills and support to help these most chaotic offenders in the local community. To a lot of people going to work each day would be a normal part of life. The majority of the prolific offenders within the offender management unit have very little or in some cases no work experience.

Handcrafted have provided the opportunity to build their confidence, self-belief, working with others and learning a trade. They get a huge sense of achievement working on various projects within Handcrafted. The staff are always very supportive and Handcrafted has become a valuable partner agency.

Simon H, Durham Constabulary