Our Registered Charirty Number is 20072346
VISION
We believe in a world where women and children are treated as equals, respected, heard, valued and can live safely in their homes. Our vision is for communities where domestic abuse is condemned, where ending violence against women and children is everyone’s responsibility, where a legal system holds abusers to account and is accessible, fair and transparent, and where there is adequate state support for those who need it in order to be safe.
MISSION
Laois Domestic Abuse Service is a feminist organisation providing services to supports women and children subjected to domestic abuse and coercive control. We help support them to identify their needs, harness their resources and make changes they need to live a life free from domestic abuse.
We do this by providing practical support, emotional support, information and guidance. We do this through one-to-one support, legal accompaniment, referrals to other services, group support and specialised children’s support.
VALUES
Listening: we know that every woman’s story is unique, and she is uniquely placed to help herself. We listen carefully to what she has experienced and what she needs so we can provide the most appropriate and useful support to her. We seek and listen to her feedback on whether we are giving her the help she needs in the way that she needs it.
Empowerment: we know that every woman has the capacity to make the choices she needs, given the space and the support to do so.
Safety: we provide a space in which a woman will be respected, valued and cared for, and a support experience that is free from hurt, manipulation, judgment, rejection and abuse.
Hope: we believe that given the right support and resources, women can create safety for themselves and their children. We help women to seek and find hope for a life without abuse.
Feminism and Equality: We view domestic abuse from a feminist intersectional perspective, meaning that we work to change society so that women and men have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.
We recognise that domestic abuse is largely a problem of male violence against women and children. We recognise the systemic barriers that women encounter in terms of their social, political and economic power as the context in which domestic abuse occurs. We recognise the role that ethnicity, ability and other experiences play in women’s experiences of abuse and violence and their capacity to be safe and find appropriate support.
