Children & young people impacted by domestic abuse receive help & support grant of £55,000 from South Wales Freemasons

Seventy five local children from families where domestic abuse has been a factor, and where the families have chosen to stay together, will receive help and support thanks to a grant from South Wales Freemasons to the Calan Domestic Violence Services (DVS) charity.

The £55,000 grant will fund a Children and Young People’s worker for to support with the delivery of Calan’s Inspiring Families Programme (developed by Rockpool), which aims to develop trust and motivation in the non-abusive parent so they will have a clearer understanding of the impact that the abuse has had on the way they think.

The programme can strengthen and stabilise families and provides professionals with a robust framework to assess the parent’s behaviour, including any disguised compliance and the level of current risk as well as the likelihood of future risk.

The grant from South Wales Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

Michelle Whelan, Chief Executive of Calan DVS said:

“We’re very grateful to South Wales Freemasons for their generous grant, which will significantly enhance our ability to assist more children and young peopleimpacted by domestic abuse. Thanks to them we willcontinue to provide vital resources and support to children and families, helping them to overcome the challenges they face and to build safer, brighter futures.”

Robert Payne from South Wales Freemasons, said:

“I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Calan DVS with their hugely important programme helping children and families who have gone through domestic abuse.It’s hard to overestimate the corrosive effect of violence and abuse on the lives of children and helping a family to stay together while tackling the causes of that abuse can be life-changing.”

Photo L to R: Moyra Parfitt ( Calan DVS – Head of Operations), Robert Payne (South Wales Freemasons), Katrina Davies (Calan DVS – IRIS Advocate), Paul Bunyan (South Wales Freemasons), Neal Whitehead (South Wales Freemasons), Gareth Branch (Calan DVS – Project Manager), Stephen Palterman (Calan DVS – Children and Young Peoples Worker), Michelle Whelan (Calan DVS – Chief Executive)