The survivor-led domestic abuse programme that’s changing lives

One of the biggest barriers preventing women from leaving abusive relationships is the way abuse erodes confidence, independence and opportunities. 

It’s something Women's Health Matters has seen time and again through its work with women across Leeds.

Many women attending Breathe Free and other services provided by the charity describe feeling isolated from education, employment and support networks. Some say they would have left sooner if they had the financial means to do so.

Breathe Free is the charity's pioneering 19-week peer support programme for women aged 16 and over who have experienced domestic violence and abuse (DVA), and complex trauma. 

The programme combines trauma-informed recovery with practical opportunities that help women rebuild confidence, develop skills and move towards independence.

One of the things that makes the programme unique is that it is co-delivered by a graduate of the programme in a paid role, ensuring lived experience remains at the heart of the service while creating meaningful employment opportunities for survivors.

The building blocks

The programme is delivered in three trauma-informed blocks. The first focuses on stabilisation, wellbeing, resilience, support networks and creativity for self-care. 

The second helps women understand the complexities and impact of DVA on women and families. 

The final block focuses on helping women move forward through education, volunteering, employment support and future planning.

Belinda Saywell, project lead for Breathe Free, said: “Stabilisation is the first phase of Breathe Free, something which came out of key learning as an organisation.

“To support trauma recovery in a meaningful way, we do stabilisation work first, so women can gain support and build skills to manage and speak about their emotions in preparation for the second block, which focuses on understanding all forms and complexities of DVA and its impact on women and their families.

“Another key part of stabilisation is safety planning. We need to feel safe to talk about our emotions.

“Stabilisation acts as a building block and gives women the ability to start building their toolkit.”

Staff believe partnerships and opportunities are central to helping women rebuild beyond abuse. Through organisations including Linking Leeds, Impact North, Leeds Arts University, Leeds Beckett University, LDVS Voices, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Smart Works and High-Speed Training, women can access counselling, training, volunteering opportunities, creative wellbeing activities and opportunities to influence future services.

From recovery to opportunity

Participants completing the programme can volunteer in roles including shaping the programme through creating resources, delivering training to social work students and supporting future developments. Women are also supported to access Smart Works Leeds for CV support, interview coaching and professional workwear, or apply to become a paid co-facilitator.

Co-facilitators receive training and supervision while delivering the programme alongside a member of the project team. For some women, this progression to volunteering and paid co-facilitator becomes the beginning of a new career.

Olivia is one of several women who has progressed to paid co-facilitator. She said: “It has really opened a lot of doors for me. It has had a very positive impact on my confidence. A lot of survivors do have mental health conditions. I personally found it hard to retain a job because of this.

“Breathe Free is trauma-informed so everything is based on a person-centred approach. They were very supportive of me. I felt safe.

“They are really key in supporting my career goals [to become] a domestic violence and abuse therapeutic counsellor. Also, they really listened to my ideas, implementing these on the course. It is always changing and evolving with survivors at the core.”

Inspirational survivors

Belinda said she is inspired by the women who attend the programme.

“It’s seeing a woman’s journey, seeing a woman grow, seeing see a woman’s confidence improve, like Olivia – co-facilitating, volunteering, making amazing achievements in her own life. We want them to achieve what they always had inside of them.”

Olivia said: “It makes me feel like I have turned my pain into a purpose. And it is not just this difficult, horrible experience I have overcome but it is being seen as someone who is valuable, an asset where I can help other women and make a positive change.

“It has also given me a sense of direction. I feel I want to continue to work with victims of domestic violence and abuse and sexual abuse, and I feel I am now able to do that.

“I have also found a sense of community within the women here. We uplift each other, we support each other and it is something I have found that is really valuable in my life. Now I don’t feel as lonely as I did before and I feel I am contributing.”

Changing future practice

Programme volunteers co-deliver domestic abuse training for social work students at Leeds Beckett University. Following the training delivered in year two of the project, all 36 students who attended reported feeling more confident to respond to domestic abuse. 

Students described the lived-experience element as “bringing the training to life”, helping them understand “the long-term impact of domestic abuse” and providing a deeper understanding of trauma-informed practice.

Belinda said: “We support women to deliver training to social work students; that is a really incredible opportunity for women. A lot of these women won’t have had positive relationships with their social workers. 

They can’t change their experiences, but what they can do is influence how they can support domestic abuse victims.”

Alongside the programme, Women's Health Matters also provides full-day training on Domestic Abuse Awareness for professionals, as well as the Impact of Child Removal. Both are co-designed and co-delivered by volunteers with lived experience.

Recognising women's strengths

Belinda believes recovery is about recognising women's existing strengths rather than focusing solely on their experiences of abuse. 

“Our motto is ‘It’s not only the injustice which drives us, it’s her hope for a better life’. We look beyond the abuse and see the whole person.

“What we are trying to get women to see is that they already have an amazing skillset, whether it’s their own values or different experiences they have had. We want women to recognise the best parts of themselves and focus on what they are already doing well.

“The final stage of Breathe Free focuses on moving forward. We talk about volunteering, education, goalsetting and employment. What every woman should do at the end of Breathe Free is move on to what feels right for them, making informed decisions and choices about the future they want to build.”

The future

Funding for the programme came from The National Lottery Community Fund and ends in March 2027. Belinda said work is underway to secure funding for a future programme that builds on the learning from Breathe Free.