Women’s Aid’s training and education: a history
Training has been an integral part of Women’s Aid’s mission to end domestic abuse since the very beginning. From the early wave of 1970s feminism through to the present day, here’s how our training has evolved from a small, regional offering to the nationally recognised and accredited provider that it is today.
Early days: 1970s -1980s
Set up in Bristol in 1974, Women’s Aid was established at the heart of the women’s liberation movement. As a small network of refuges at the time, training was organised at a local level, with staff educating support groups on core issues such as equality and anti-racism, and any other specific training needs they had.
Our annual National Conference was formed around this time, which is where we began running informal training workshops. In 1987 we set up the first national domestic abuse helpline and established our first formal training programme for helpline volunteers.
Training starts to evolve: 1990s and early 2000s
The 1990s marked a period of change for Women’s Aid’s training. At a time when domestic abuse was becoming a greater political issue, training became much more closely linked with our political lobbying. We started to deliver training externally and on subject-specific areas, including:
- Commissioning a training programme for children’s workers on the back of the Children Act in 1989 and Child Support act in 1991.
- Working with London Lighthouse to deliver training on HIV/Aids.
- Training to the police – an essential part of our work which continues to this day.
- Training to the Royal College of Midwives.
With demand for training only increasing and still with no staff dedicated to training at the time, we eventually received funding for two training staff: a coordinator and administrator. This allowed us to start rolling out a national training programme with a focus on training refuge and outreach workers on issues such as legal protection, homelessness and housing law, welfare benefits and child contact.
In the days before email and with everything still on floppy discs, staff would travel across the country with flipcharts and bundles of photocopied materials they had spent hours printing and stapling together.
We developed a high standard of training during these years, but by the early 2000s it became clear we needed something more official. We got to work on an accredited training programme.
"We were very much a survivor-led organisation so involving them in what they thought was important was a big thing."
Women’s Aid’s National Training Centre is established: mid-2000s
Women’s Aid National Training Centre, as it was known for many years, was officially established in the mid-2000s. With funding from Comic Relief, manager Jacqui Kilburn and trainer Dr Bianca Petkova were able to develop and pilot an accredited qualification; it took around two years from start to finish.
The initial pilot included 13 units and 52 assignments per person and took place over the course of a year in an old hotel in Durham where Henry VIII had often stayed. Staff remember it being full of character and have many anecdotes to share about flickering lights and doors opening and closing on their own accord.
"It was a really lovely experience and we all knew each other really well by the end of it – we still keep in touch with some of those people today."
Our national qualification was eventually reduced to four units and we evolved the Certificate to Diploma level – the highest credit-based qualification for the sector – alongside introducing an Award in ‘tackling and preventing domestic abuse’ for the general public.
We started to deliver training internationally, with trainers working through the night to accommodate time zones and even travelling abroad to the likes of France, Serbia, Georgia and the Isles of Scilly.
Alongside our core qualifications, we have developed a diverse range of CPD courses and programmes for facilitators over the years. We continue to work closely with police forces, health services and local authorities, while also designing bespoke training for employers, legal teams, universities, schools, night economy staff and more.
Becoming Women’s Aid Training & Education
The coronavirus pandemic welcomed in a new hybrid era for Women’s Aid’s training team. With all of our training taking place in person up until that point, staff worked quickly to ensure a smooth transition online.
Within six months, we had started delivering 100% of training remotely, enabling more people to access our courses than ever before. It opened up an even larger international audience for us – from Australia to South Africa to South America.
With our growing portfolio and team of specialists, we have been able to significantly expand our reach within the sector and beyond. We rebranded to Women’s Aid Training & Education in 2024, which now includes our children and young people team who have trained thousands of teachers and young people to-date.
Our core feminist, survivor-led principles are the same as they always have been. But as culture, research and policy shifts, we recognise the need to evolve and adapt so that our training reflects the changing world we live in. It is why we redeveloped our Power of Change group programme after the pandemic and why DA Matters now includes coercive control.
While awareness of domestic abuse has increased over the past 50 years, we know there is much work to be done. We will continue to expand our training offering based on our members’ needs, increase access to training through the creation of more digital learning opportunities, and build on our corporate training. This will ensure we have the reach and impact needed to drive meaningful change across society and help end domestic abuse.
