Activities and results

Providing  adequate services to the victims

1.Providing  free hotline service

A state-wide free round-the-clock (24/7) telephone helpline was set up to advise the callers (mainly women who have experienced violence and persons close to them, but also professionals who need information about gender based and domestic violence).

The calls were received by the shelters’s staff members and volunteers to maximally use the existing competence. The persons answering the calls have undergone special training,

Result:

By the end of the project, victims of violence, the persons closest to them as well as professionals providing victim assistance had access to 24/7 free helpline service where those answering the calls provided them emotional support, information on accessing support services across Estonia, guidance on dealing with relevant central and local government agencies and service providers as well as basic legal counselling. Hotline 1492 workers were able to provide consultations and assistance in Estonian and also in Russian. During the project 2 500 calls were received.

2. Ensuring pychological and legal counselling at all shelters

The catalogue of services offered by women’s shelters was expanded with specialised legal and psychological counselling (incl counselling in Russian and services of a child psychologist) and offering the relevant services in all women’s shelters in order to enable the victims to escape violent relationships and provide them professional help and support to do this.

Result:

Victims of violence received in all shelters, at least on the minimum level, professional psychological and legal counselling to help them cope with the trauma and break away from the cycle of violence; the victims received assistance during the period of criminal prosecution. Legal counselling was available in all regions all over Estonia.

More than 6 200 hours of psychological councelling/psychotheraphy and more than 4 600 hours of legal councelling was provided to victims of violence.

3.Service description for shelters

A service description and common quality requirements were develped in order to guarantee a consistently high level of specialised help for abused women and their children in all women’s shelters.

Result:

The service description has made possible to provide unified high quality shelter services around Estonia. 

To increase competence among spetcialists and improve co-operation

4. Training for  hotline and shelters’ staff

Regular in-service training for the shelters’ and hotline 1492 staff, psychologists and lawyers cooperating with them was organised aimed at ensuring better teamwork and improved knowledge base to provide good quality assistance and support to victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence.

Result:

Eight 2-day trainings were organised during the project. More than 80 specialist participated in these trainings.

The shelters’ and hotline service staff as well as the psychologists and lawyers cooperating with them possess comprehensive knowledge to deal with victims of violence and are able to provide services tailored to the needs of the victim.

5.Regional training

Trainings were organised for members of the cooperation network (victim support workers, police officers, prosecutors, judges, social workers, child protection workers, medical professionals, professionals dealing with perpetrators, etc) in order to improve the efficiency of solving cases of violence in the legal system as well as the accessibility and quality of the help offered to victims in different Estonian counties.

Result:

Five one-day trainings were organized all over Estonia for different target groups of specialists who deal with victims of gender-based violence, total number of participants 172.

6. Cascade training model, women’s shelters

Trainings for trainers were organised to ensure the continuity for the benefit of new recruits to the shelters.

Result:

Six 2-day trainings were organised during the project. As result,  we have 17 trained trainers who can organize future trainings in their regions. Cascade training model ensures the continuity for the benefit of new recruits to the centres. 

7. Supervision for shelters and hotline staff

Regular supervision was organised of women’s shelters, the helpline 1492, the lawyers and psychologists who help victims in order to avoid burnouts of employees and guarantee good quality service to victims.

Result:

542 hours supervison was provided during the project.

Preventive measures were in place helping avoid burnout by shelters’ and hotline workers, effective teamwork and quality of service was ensured. 

8. Study tour to Norway

A 5-day study tour to Norway was organised for shelters’ and helpline staff, and the lawyers and psychologists who cooperate with us, in order to improve and harmonise the quality of the help offered to victims in shelters.

Result:

Professionals trained and familiar with the Norwegian experience of victim support, daily practices of Norwegian shelters and relevant parts of the victim service. 

Raising awareness among victims and the general public

9. Improving information dissemination

Homepages were created for all shelters. Information about available help on the homepages of shelters and via printed and electronic media was disseminated to help people identify and detect incidents of violence.

9.1 A website was developed for each women’s shelter so that persons in need of assistance can get an idea of the help available and living conditions in the shelters. Such websites also offer additional knowledge about violence to the public.

9.2 Existing websites of the EWSU and shelters were improved and updated which will ensure easy and up-to-date access to information and services provided on gender based domestic violence by the EWSU and other relevant organisations.

9.3 Information materials and guidelines in the form of information leaflets, posters and business cards providing information about the EWSU, contact information for women*s shelters and other options for helping victims in order to guarantee that the information reaches everyone who needs help were produced and disseminated.

Result:   Information was disseminated through websites. 

10. Translation of Norwegian documents and information materials

Norwegian information materials such as guidelines for helping children in women’s shelters were translated into Estonian.

Result: Materials prepared  and disseminated, Estonian victim support organizations are able to use Norwegian experience.

11. Annual conference for shelter staff and other stakeholders

Annual conferences that focus on various aspects of violence against women and domestic violence in connection with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November were organised in order to highlight the problem for the general public and promote an attitude of non-tolerance of violence, to  introduce the Norwegian experience in Estonia, to initiate discussions that concern the various aspects of violence and offer solutions, to involve various key actors and target groups (politicians, journalists, professionals who deal with victims of violence and perpetrators, etc.) in solving the problems.

Result:

Conferences were organized every year on 25^th of November. 

12. Evaluation

Omnibus surveys to find out the general awareness of aid possibilities for victims of domestic violence, including shelters and hotline were conducted in 2013 and 2016

A survey to identify service users’ satisfaction with shelters’ and hotline services  using electronic and paper questionnaires was conducted in 2014-2015.

Interviews with users of shelters’ services were administered in 2015 (20 women were intrerviewed by  reseacher Kadri Soo from the University of Tartu).        

Result:

Surveys prepared and conducted.

Awareness of shelter and hotline services has increased.

The survey  showed that service users were satisfied  with the help provided by shelters and the hotline.