Reviews

I only became aware of the charity ‘Safe and Sound Dorset’ when I tried to arrange contact with my daughter. I had not been able to arrange a face to face meeting with my daughter for over a year because she did not want me to see her living her lifestyle. However, I finally managed to meet with my daughter at the Art Café in Boscombe shortly actually on her 21st birthday. E asked me to meet her at the café because she had been meeting there recently and was given a meal and a drink. Then I met Safe and Sound Dorset manager and her dedicated team of carers. I remember feeling so welcome and so normal. One of the team wanted to ask me all about our experience so far, which was a little overwhelming at first. However, I managed not to have to say too much and answer questions that even I don’t have the answers to. The manager was open, nonjudgemental, caring, resourceful and great at listening, and offering words of support and encouragement. I can not express to you the lengths of despair and trauma this journey for us as a family has been, but finally I felt that ‘Safe and Sound’ allowed me to talk about the experience whilst safeguarding E. The Friday evening meal at the Art Café is the most wonderful idea. It allows isolated women to feel welcome, safe and cared for. It is often very dignified and we all eat together sharing stories and events of the past week. I have been to counselling before and have separated myself from E’s lifestyle in order to manage an effective coping strategy. However, meeting with E in a safe setting led by women who are aware of the challenges she faces on the streets has been priceless. It has made me less afraid and better able to manage risks for myself and my family. E has accessed the Friday evening meal and drink. E has also been provided with toiletries (, fresh sandwiches and a soft drink or water. The Art Café also gave E a breakfast every day for a while now and have enabled her to function with her basic needs being met. There have been several safeguarding incidents I have shared with the team and the relevant agencies and it always seems that the manager and her team is at hand to look for and locate E. Recently E had paramedics with her and I was with her son some distance away. I needed people to check on her safety and contacted the manager to see if she could see how serious the situation was. She contacted her team and they were able to provide support and comfort to E in a very difficult situation. I had also contacted social services but one person was on annual leave and the other did not leave the office. If it wasn’t for people like the manager and her team there would have been no one for E. Quite often services say people have to engage with services but that is easier said than done. ‘Safe and sound’ are the groundworkers meeting basic needs of providing food, warmth, and safety for vulnerable women on the streets. Perhaps it is because of this that women can be encouraged to engage with services. The rough sleepers team had eventually engaged with E and found her housing only this week. I had a call from social services who asked me to find E as quick as possible. It was the Safe and Sound Dorset team who had arranged to see E and took her to housing. I was told her social worker would not be available until a later time. The Safe and Sound team are flexible, work as outreach and fill the gap when social services can’t be available; after 5pm. E has been placed in housing, but there is no food provided and E has to wait for her money. So once again the team has contacted me and said that if E needs help with a shop a member of the team will do that. I went shopping for E and dropped her home to her new place and can help when I can but my priority is caring for her son. I love my daughter but she needs a lot of support. Unfortunately the addiction has divided the family and it is only myself that will continue to support E. I am and will always be eternally grateful for the support provided by ‘Safe and Sound Dorset’.