our principles &
theory of change

Theory of Change
Thanks to generous funding from Esmée Fairbairn and Samworth Foundation, in 2020 we commissioned WSA Community Consultants to conduct a 3-year evaluation of our work.
Our Impact
Evidence of our outcomes is available in the following reports:
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MOPAC Rescue and Response Strategic Assessment August 2019 - click here to access the assessment
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70% R&R Abianda Engagement Rate
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see page 34 for a case study from a young woman we worked with
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“I have realised that being in a gang is not worth it, and definitely not what I deserve in life. I now know that I am worth so much more than that… I am not the same girl I was when I entered secure, I have honestly changed and changed for the better, I truly believe that I now have boundaries to keep myself safe. I am also still learning how to navigate myself away from negative influences, I just want to be given the chance to live a normal life with my family where I belong.”
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MOPAC Rescue and Response Strategic Assessment September 2020 - click here to access the assessment
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see page 32 for a case study from a young woman we worked with
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“this project sounds like it can change my life...I feel like I can talk to you and you care”
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MOPAC Rescue and Response Strategic Assessment 2021 - click here to access the assessment
You may also be interested in the Contextual Safeguarding Network's work on Rescue and Response - click here to access the 2019 evaluation

Our Principles
We believe that:
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Young women are experts on their own lives
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Young women have innate resources, competence and resilience
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People affected by a problem are best placed to find the solutions
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We must shift traditional power hierarchies in service delivery in order to enable young women's participation in solution-building
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We must support young women to have their voices heard in order that they can influence the design and delivery of services
We therefore adopt:
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Youth work principles
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Participation principles
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Solution-focused brief therapy techniques
Youth Work Principles
In our approach we:
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Work ‘alongside’ young women
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Start from where they are and are led by their “felt needs”
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Respect their empirical knowledge of their own lives
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Encourage them to develop a “critical consciousness” of their worlds, their experiences, and how they are affected by these
Participation Principles
In our approach we:
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Work in a non-hierarchical way
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Challenge unequal dynamics of power & oppression
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Tip the balance of power in favour of young women
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Ensure young women inform future practice and services
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Recognise that young women are best placed to identify issues and solutions
Solution-focused Brief Therapy Techniques
In our approach we:
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Work to the young woman’s ‘best hopes’ or desired outcomes
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Engage with competence
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Look for alternative narratives of her and her life where she has previously demonstrated competence
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Obtain detailed descriptions of what life will be like when changes are made
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Trust the young woman’s ‘version of events’
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Are interested in the young woman and not the problem
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Develop techniques to understand and strategise around big and sometimes ‘unmanageable’ feelings

