Making your business a Safe Space – We Stand Together
Join the Safe Space Network and make your community a safer place by tackling issues of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
As part of the We Stand Together Project, Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Services (PARCS) is offering free training aimed at any business the public can go in to help make our community a safer place and tackle violence against women and girls.
We Stand Together is funded by the Home Office’s ‘Safer Streets 4’ programme, alongside Hampshire Office Police Crime Commissioner (OPCC) as part of the ‘Solent Stands Together’ programme that is working across Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham, Gosport and Isle of Wight.
The We Stand Together (Safe Space network) is a direct response to local feedback from women and girls who identified a need for safe places they can walk into, report issues and receive support when they are experiencing sexual violence and harassment in and around public spaces including visitor attractions, shopping areas, parks and hospitality hot spots.
In signing up, you will be joining a network of venues who want to make Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, and Southeast Hampshire a safer place to be for their customers, clients, staff, volunteers and the wider community. The onsite training focuses on how to respond to sexual violence/harassment in public spaces using the Bystander Intervention Model. While your workplace/venue may have already had similar training recently on the Bystander Model, PARCS are sexual violence/domestic abuse specialists and the We Stand Together training focuses on this aspect.
It is appreciated that certain venues may struggle to ensure their staff are able to access this training, whilst remaining operational and may require backfill staff to cover absence. The training is approximately 2.5 hours in duration. If this is a potential issue, there is accessible financial assistance available.
In signing up you will receive your welcome pack which will contain relevant information and documentation, on successful completion of the training your We Stand Together sticker for your business’s window will be posted out you along with We Stand Together badges for staff.
There will also be an online networking forum accessible for venues that have completed the training. This forum aims to create a space to network, share information and allow venues to support each other with bystander intervention queries. If you are interested in attending, these details will be provided once training is completed.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact Helin at PARCS on 07989731603 or helin-khan@family-action.org.uk, or email Julie.ponton@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
