About Our charity

We are a women-led and women-centred charity, creating transformative, lasting change in the Vale of Glamorgan Community in making sure domestic abuse, sexual violence, and any other form of violence against women, children and girls cannot, and will not, be excused.

Our mission is to give hope to all those affected by domestic abuse hope that life can be different.

Our charity began life under the name Vale of Glamorgan Women’s Aid back in 1993. It refocused in 2009, becoming Atal y Fro, to help people in communities throughout the Vale of Glamorgan access the support and services they need to break free of domestic abuse.

We are proud to be a feminist charity run by women for women. In 2023, we launched a new, future proof strategy laid out to reinforce our commitment to supporting survivors of domestic abuse, and in doing so became known as Vale Domestic Abuse Services (Vale DAS).

Today, we are a 30-strong group of trustees, colleagues and volunteers working together to support all those who may be preparing to leave their current situation, are ready to leave, are in crisis, or are working to rebuild their lives due to domestic abuse.

Our Purpose

Vale Domestic Abuse Services exists to provide hope to people impacted by domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence, and support them in rebuilding their lives.

We believe violence against women and girls is not inevitable, but a result of gender inequality in society. We believe men experience domestic abuse too and have barriers to disclosing and accessing support because of this gender inequality. We believe men have a vital role in eliminating domestic abuse.

Our main purpose is to make sure individuals, children, and young people in Vale communities impacted by domestic abuse:

Feel safer
Have improved understanding of themselves
Are informed, have increased knowledge and able to make informed choices
Have healthy relationships
Are well-connected and have a support network

We are also here to support our communities, partners, and other local service providers in:

Understanding the nature and impact of domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls
Staying informed of best practice when supporting those who have been subjected to domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls

Our COMMITMENTS

We believe true equity, diversity, and inclusion fosters a sense of belonging for everyone.

We will:

Value and respect every individual, celebrating their intersecting identities.
Ensure all policies, practices, and services reflect the diverse needs of individuals and communities.
Promote equality of opportunity, access, and outcomes while eliminating discrimination and harassment.
Make employment and volunteering opportunities accessible and inclusive.
Implement positive action measures to encourage applications from underrepresented groups while ensuring fairness in the selection process, based on skills and qualifications.
Provide a supportive environment tailored to individuals’ backgrounds and needs.
Train staff, volunteers, and trustees in equity, diversity and inclusion, focusing on cultural competency, anti-racism, and VAWDASV.
Establish regular feedback mechanisms with colleagues volunteers and survivors to ensure the ongoing relevance and responsiveness of our equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
Embed equity, diversity and inclusion into strategic decisions and daily operations.
Offer services that meet the diverse needs of survivors, removing barriers for marginalised groups.
Collaborate with organisations that support marginalised communities.
Regularly monitor and evaluate policies, ensuring they uphold equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Outcomes

During our last strategic cycle (2018 – 22) Vale Domestic Abuse Services supported:

Our Strategic Aims for this cycle are to:

Inspire

Our ambition is to inspire the Vale of Glamorgan community to discuss and challenge the root causes of domestic abuse, sexual violence and other forms of gendered abuse

Rebuild

Our ambition is to stand shoulder to shoulder with survivors while they rebuild their lives, listening to them use their voice telling their story and providing opportunities to connect with other survivors, make sense of their experiences and learn new skills and strategies.

Respond

Our ambition is to walk side by side with survivors and offer a trauma informed, needs led, strengths-based risk assured and inclusive service that responds and protects survivors and enables them to feel safe. 

Strengthen

Our ambition is to operate a flexible, agile charity that responds to survivors’ need.  Our charity is resourced, well governed, collaborative, and fit for purpose.  Our charity is transformative, innovative and centers the survivor voice in all its operations.

Download our Strategic Plan

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ValeDAS Strategic Plan (English)
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ValeDAS Strategic Plan (Welsh)
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