Donate

Leading Lights accreditation

Leading Lights is SafeLives’ gold standard accreditation programme for community-based domestic abuse services

Leading Lights is SafeLives’ accreditation programme for frontline domestic abuse services.

Leading Lights is the mark of quality for domestic abuse services and is recognised by commissioners and funders across the UK and beyond.

The programme was launched in 2009 and has been updated and refreshed since to ensure it reflects current best practice within the sector. Since then a wide array of services have achieved accreditation, with over 130 accredited Leading Lights services across more than 50 organisations.

Leading Lights is:

  • Open to all community based, frontline domestic abuse services. Service Managers can apply Leading Lights standards to all elements of their service provision – not just the Idva service.
  • Evidence based. We have developed the Leading Lights standards through our knowledge of domestic abuse and through consultation with domestic abuse services.

 

Hear from Sarah Carnell, Head of Support Services at SATEDA about what Leading Lights accreditation means to them.

Benefits of the Leading Lights programme

The Leading Lights accreditation programme offers services, partner agencies and commissioners a set of standards for supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse, with an overall aim of ensuring that the service is operating safely, effectively and providing high quality support.

Leading Lights for commissioners

Leading Lights offers risk-led, evidence based principles for service providers, resulting in better, closer relationships and consistent, high quality standards across your area.

Leading Lights accreditation offers commissioners and other stakeholders reassurance that services are working to a good standard, and that they understand and work to mitigate and reduce risk.

It provides a shared understanding between commissioners and services of what ‘good’ looks like and how to ensure this is achieved.

Leading Lights for domestic abuse services

The benefits of Leading Lights for services are confirmed by the excellent feedback received by accredited services, with many highlighting the invaluable support given by their Leading Lights coaches.

Some of the other benefits for services are outlined below:

  • Evidence the quality of your service: enabling you to make a stronger case for funding and to become commissioning ready.
  • Support your service to provide the most effective response to keep victims safe.
  • Improve morale: support staff to gain knowledge and confidence in their roles.
  • Support partnership work: enabling you to develop a better relationship with commissioners.
  • Develop consistency across different functions and sites.

“The process has been challenging but extremely beneficial for the community team at (our service). We have found it to be a positive experience, being able to see the staff’s commitment with supporting survivors and have a great feeling of assurance knowing that we will be working to a standard recognised by SafeLives. (Our assessor) has been great throughout the whole process, talking us through each step and providing clarity and guidance where required.”

Testimonial from a Leading Lights accredited service

Additionally, services with Leading Lights accreditation will:

  • Receive a Leading Lights accreditation logo and certificate to use on all funding applications and materials.
  • Have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Leading Lights programme, influencing domestic abuse services and the wider domestic abuse sector.
  • Form part of a network of accredited services.
  • Have access to our monthly calls for Service Managers and workshops led by SafeLives.

“The accreditation process has been a valuable opportunity to learn, reflect and strengthen our practice, particularly in the nuanced and complex work of managing domestic abuse cases. Achieving accreditation affirms our commitment to delivering a high-quality, safety-focused and empowering service that meets the needs of our diverse community.”

Testimonial from a Leading Lights accredited service

Further information about Leading Lights

Find out more

Accredited Leading Lights services

There are more than 50 accredited Leading Lights services throughout Great Britain. This resource details each accredited service by geographic region

Leading Lights accreditation process

Information on the Leading Lights accreditation process including how the process works, eligibility, key criteria and standards, costs, and how to apply

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive our monthly newsletters about the latest training, events, research and fundraising initiatives at SafeLives. Together, we can end domestic abuse, for everyone, for good.

Sign up