Founded | 1971 |
---|---|
Founder | Erin Pizzey |
Type | Registered UK charity (number 277424) |
Focus | Domestic violence, violence against women and girls |
Location |
|
Coordinates | 51°30′01″N 0°07′34″W / 51.5001524°N 0.1262362°WCoordinates: 51°30′01″N 0°07′34″W / 51.5001524°N 0.1262362°W |
Origins | Chiswick women's shelter |
Area served
|
National |
Method | Provision of a national network of specialist domestic violence services for women and children |
Key people
|
Sandra Horley CBE, chief executive. |
Revenue
|
£11,372,947 |
Employees
|
173 |
Slogan | For women and children. Against domestic violence. |
Website | http://refuge.org.uk |
Formerly called
|
Chiswick Women's Aid (1971-1979), Chiswick Family Rescue (1979-1993) |
Refuge is a United Kingdom charity providing specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Refuge provides a national network of specialist services, including emergency refuge accommodation (refuges), community outreach, independent domestic violence advocacy (IDVAs), culturally specific services and a team of child support workers. Refuge also runs the Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline in partnership with Women's Aid.
Refuge opened the world’s first safe house for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, West London, in 1971. It is the largest domestic violence organisation in the United Kingdom.
On any given day, Refuge’s services support 3,000 women and children. The charity is committed to working towards a world where women and children can live in safety, free from fear.
Erin Pizzey opened the world’s first refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, west London, in 1971. In 1979 the organisation became a registered charity, changing its name from Chiswick Women’s Aid to Chiswick Family Rescue. In 1993, the charity changed its name to Refuge, reflecting its growing national status. This followed a funding crisis in 1992 when the charity faced closure, before Sandra Horley made a personal appeal to Diana, Princess of Wales who made a donation and several private visits to the charity's shelters, raising its profile.
In 1997 three of the charity's trustees resigned in a controversy over one of their number's links to a group associated with false memory syndrome.
In 2010 Refuge was awarded the internationally recognised ISO9001:2008 certificate by the British Standards Institute.BSI Group judged that Refuge operates a quality management system for its network of services which complies with the high standards of the ISO9001:2008 qualification.