We are the primary domestic abuse support service in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Our service has been informed that we will be losing 1/3 of our team, due to a financial deficit, this will have a significant impact on the community, the service, and our partners. This is a call to action, please sign our petition to stand in solidarity with the workers and the service users. What happens here has the potential to impact the entire VAWG sector, let’s make that impact positive.

Tower Hamlets SASS (Solace Support and Advocacy Service) is a crisis intervention service, which provides advice and support to people aged 16+ in Tower Hamlets who are currently experiencing domestic abuse. Several members of our team are located within the borough, for example: Royal London Hospital, DWP, Housing and MAST. Our core team provide support to service users who are referred by other avenues, such as MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference), Police, Schools, GP's and more.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing outlined the scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG), deeming it a ‘national emergency’ and setting out plans to address it. This highlights the importance and the need for appropriate funding within the borough that has one of the highest number of reported domestic abuse. We ask you to review this petition with care and empathy, ensuring that the residents of Tower Hamlets are put at the forefront of the conversation.

Our team are balloting to strike over significant and imminent redundancies, jeopardizing the critical support services provided to vulnerable residents, especially women, across the borough. Please see the link below, with the statement from the union currently representing workers of Tower Hamlets SASS:

https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/en/campaigns/solace-womens-aid-workers-fight-to-save-domestic-abuse-support-services-in-tower-hamlets/

Thank you!