By Hannah, Alana House Keyworker
Hi, my name is Hannah. I am a key worker and Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) at Alana House. I am one of three IDVAs in our Alana team, and together we bring specialist expertise in domestic abuse. We work closely with women to assess risk, understand their needs and develop safety plans, while also collaborating with other agencies to help increase safety for them and their families.
At Alana House, we support and empower women to share their worries, navigate challenges and heal from trauma around finances, jobs, self-worth, accommodation, sex work, family, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. Our team is often out in the community, providing outreach and support to women in courts, the Royal Berkshire Hospital as well as probation and police custody cells.
I love our day to day at Alana – we are a busy women’s centre holding various groups where women can come together. There’s a LOT of laughs over here, especially over chats and coffee in our Thursday café. And we take coffee orders from our wider PACT colleagues!
Without question my favourite part of my role and what we do at Alana is advocating for women’s voices to be heard in rooms where she, her needs and experiences are often minimised and disbelieved. To see a woman achieve safety, greater justice and have her legal rights adhered to from her own self-advocacy, is why women’s centres like ours are critical. I have so much respect for the women we walk alongside. I am equally proud to be working as part of an amazing team with great expertise in gendered, trauma-informed practice.
