South Tyneside domestic abuse charity secures funding boost of more than £280,000
A South Tyneside charity has received a massive funding boost.
Impact Family Services, a domestic abuse support service, has secured £281,948 from The National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund.
The funding boost will allow the organisation to support individuals of all ages living in South Tyneside who are victims of domestic abuse, family conflict, or intimate relationship abuse.
The charity states that South Tyneside has some of the highest rates of domestic abuse in the country, with 38.4 per 1,000 affected by it compared to the national average of 27.1 per 1,000 people.
In order to help people who have been affected by domestic abuse, Impact Family Services offers a range of specific projects for people of all ages.
Safe Hands
Targeted at children aged from five to 11-years-old, Safe Hands using therapeutic art techniques to allow youngsters to find their voice and verbalise their feelings and emotions in a safe environment.
The sessions are delivered by individuals who have extensive experience of working with children and young people who have been affected by domestic abuse and family trauma.
Since May 2025, the charity has also commenced with delivering ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences courses) with children aged 10 and 11-years-old who have been been identified as requiring more support following the therapeutic art course.
Positive Impact
Positive Impact sees Youth IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisers) deliver one-to-one support to young people aged from 12 to 17-years-old who have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse, intimate relationship abuse, or family trauma.
Impact Family Services’ IDVAs deliver these support sessions in schools, colleges, community centres, and the organisation’s offices depending on the needs of the individual accessing the support.
Over the course of the last year, Impact Family Services have supported 70 young people through Positive Impact, helping them to create coping strategies and safe exits when necessary.
Options
Options is the organisation’s adult (people aged 18 and over) support service, where IDVAs offer one-to-one caseworker support with individuals experiencing domestic abuse, violence, or trauma.
These individuals are supported to create their own safe exit plan, as well as identifying their own goals and needs.
The sessions offer individuals safe spaces where they can discuss a variety of individual experiences without judgement and are aimed at assisting people to firstly understand how they ended up in a negative relationship, create boundaries for future relationships and improve self-esteem and wellbeing.
You can find out more about Impact Family Services at: https://impactfs.co.uk/.