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Working Group

Diverse Worlds

Diverse Worlds is a multi-agency group set up to explore recovery support, policy development and services provision for women from minoritised communities suffering abuse and harmful practices. The group meets periodically, and its current remit is to:

Reflect on the recommendations from the Thames Valley ‘BAMER’ Project Report 2020 , challenges and changes since publication.

Promote best practice and explore initiatives that will benefit victims and survivors from minoritised communities.

Escalate any issues that arise and feedback progress to local domestic abuse/VAWG partnership boards in each local area.

Its roots are in a temporary working group convened by Sundial (at that time called Oxford Against Cutting) to consider the additional barriers post-lockdown preventing women from minoritised communities reaching specialist services. This group included local stakeholders, Karma Nirvana and the National FGM Centre, with Sundial subsequently running a Thames Valley-wide poster campaign to raise awareness of support services.

Once set up, Diverse WORLDS (Women in Oxfordshire Recovering from Lockdown and Domestic Abuse) created Best Practice Guidance for group work, delivered training for members; and hosted brainstorming on initiatives to tackle barriers to services for victim/survivors from minoritised communities.

Since September 2024, Diverse Worlds has widened its remit and now covers the Thames Valley area. Members are also welcome from Surrey Heath, North East Hampshire and Farnham.

Contact us if your group would like to join us!

Diverse Worlds is currently hosted by Sundial, chaired by Vania Martins, Domestic Abuse Specialist and Coordinator, and Guest Co-Chair Jacqui Mukono, Director of Project Salama.