Domestic abuse doesn’t end when someone leaves an abusive relationship. Survivors often face a long road to rebuilding their lives. For many, returning to work or education is one of the hardest steps.
Moving towards employment can be particularly challenging for people facing domestic abuse, mental health difficulties, housing insecurity or experience of the criminal justice system.
There can be practical barriers, from gaps in qualifications and employment history to lost identification documents; something that frequently happens when survivors flee abusive situations at short notice, alongside a lack of confidence and the ongoing impact of trauma.
Creating accessible pathways into volunteering, training and employment is therefore an important step in helping survivors and other vulnerable individuals regain confidence and plan for the future.
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This is the approach taken by Women’s Community Matters (WCM), a Barrow-in-Furness-based charity providing practical and emotional support to women through a range of services, including personal development courses, mentoring, peer support groups, legal advice, and a clothing and supplies bank.
Using funding from Re:vision, the charitable subsidiary of not-for-profit organisation Procure Plus, WCM established the Alternative Futures programme in September 2025, with the aim of supporting the women facing these complex barriers to employment.
The funding enabled WCM to appoint an experienced facilitator, Jane, to provide tailored employability support over a 12-month period and deliver a range of services from their multi-purpose centre.
This included confidence building and wellbeing activities, interview preparation, and practical assistance, such as obtaining replacement identification and qualification documents.
Although the women accessing the programme had a vast range of support needs, including neurodivergence, disability and experience of abuse and homelessness, Jane adapted her approach to reflect each woman’s individual circumstances and needs.
Over the course of the programme, Alternative Futures engaged 48 women and delivered a range of positive outcomes including:
- 20 women starting volunteering roles
- 6 women starting training courses
- 9 women actively seeking employment
- 34 women reporting increased confidence
- 18 women obtaining replacement documents
- 4 women entering employment
Behind those figures are success stories that demonstrate how the programme has helped women to pursue new opportunities and take steps towards their future goals.
One participant secured a place at her first-choice university, two women applied to begin teaching courses at a local college, two others completed a Level Two Food Hygiene course, and a participant-led Events Working Committee was also established, giving women the opportunity to develop teamwork, planning and enterprise skills.
As the Re:vision-funded project came to a close in September 2026, WCM identified a continuing need for employability support, particularly for women with experience of the criminal justice system and have since explored incorporating Jane’s work into its wider offer.
Rebecca Robson, Senior Officer at Women’s Community Matters, said: “It is brilliant to see the progress that these women have made, whether that be through securing a role at the end of the programme or growing in confidence.
“Every woman came to the programme with her own experiences and individual challenges, so it was important that we could offer flexible, person-centred support rather than a one-size-fits-all approach
“We’re incredibly proud of what the women have achieved and of the progress made throughout the programme and that Re:vision’s funding has allowed us to support them every step of the way.”
As part of its commitment to creating meaningful social impact beyond its core procurement work, Procure Plus provides funding through Re:vision to support initiatives that positively impact people’s lives.
Hannah Carty, Grant Funded Projects Coordinator at Procure Plus, said:
“Domestic abuse can leave women isolated and without the confidence to imagine what comes next. Getting back into work or training after that isn’t just about employability, it’s about rebuilding a sense of identity and independence.
“That’s why the approach taken through Alternative Futures is so valuable. By providing tailored, trauma-informed support around each woman’s individual circumstances, Women’s Community Matters has been able to help participants address those barriers and take achievable steps towards their own goals.
“Through Re:vision, we’re proud to support the essential work that Women’s Community Matters does – helping women to overcome the barriers that make employment, education and training harder to reach, and to move forward on their own terms.”
