Stella Project Mental Health Initiative
Developing effective responses to women
experiencing domestic and sexual violence, problematic substance
use and mental ill-health.
Overview
Research illustrates how experiences of violence against women
are linked to increased substance use and negative impacts on
mental health. With funding from the Department of Health, the
Stella Project is about to embark upon a three-year project to
carry out action research with selected violence against women
organisations, substance use and mental health agencies to develop,
implement and evaluate a model of integrated partnership working to
address the combined issues of domestic and sexual violence,
substance use and psychological distress.
Based in Bristol, Nottinghamshire and the London Borough of
Hounslow, the project focuses on:
- Policy and procedure development, training and
partnership working. The Stella Project will work with six
agencies in each of the three sites to develop more integrated
responses to survivors of violence against women and who are also
experiencing problematic substance use and psychological
distress.
- Good practice guidance. Following the
completion of the action research, good practice will be developed
and widely disseminated across the UK. A series of interactive and
innovative workshops will accompany the launch of the guidance
aimed at equipping practitioners with the knowledge and
understanding to implement the guidance.
- Online training course. A web-based training
course will developed in the third year of the project. The course
will address the overlapping issues and will be accessible to all
practitioners across the UK for free.
The Mental Health Initiative is being independently evaluated by
a team of researchers from the University of Middlesex. The team
will be led by Dr Miranda Horvath, based in the School of Health
and Social Sciences.
Year One (2010/11)
The first year of the Stella Project Mental Health Initiative
came to an end on May 31st 2011. It has been an incredible year
which has included setting up working groups in the three sites,
recruiting agencies from all three sectors in each area, completing
the first stage of the evaluation and developing comprehensive
action plans for taking forward the project in year two.
The success of the project's first year couldn't have been
achieved without the enthusiasm and input from all of the project
partners (who are listed in below in the 'related documents'
section).
To celebrate our first anniversary, Sane
Responses, AVA's toolkit on domestic violence and mental
health, is now on sale! Get your hard copy for just
£20/£15 (stat/vol). Download the order form here.
Related
documents
Full
project outline
Project
partners
Bi-annual
project update - December 2010
Bi-annual
project update - June 2011
Contact details
Jennifer Holly, Stella Project Mental Health Initiative
Coordinator, can be contacted on on 0207 5490 275 or
jennifer.holly@avaproject.org.uk.
