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Leading Lights accreditation

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

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

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

The programme was launched in 2009 and many services have been offered coaching, workshops and assessment since that time, with over 50 gaining accreditation

Leading Lights is:

  • Open to all risk-led, community based domestic abuse services (e.g. outreach, floating support and Idva). 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

Benefits of the Leading Lights programme

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

Leading Lights for commissioners

As a commissioner, Leading Lights helps you to develop a shared set of principles with service providers and partners, resulting in better, closer relationships and consistent, high quality standards across your area. Other benefits of Leading Lights are outlined below.

  • Working with Leading Lights services ensures that families in your area receive the best service.
  • Working with your existing service providers and asking them to gain Leading Lights status guarantees the quality of their services.
  • Building your service specification around the Leading Lights quality standards ensures you commission quality services for local families.

Leading Lights for domestic abuse services

Leading Lights offers many benefits that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of 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. Other benefits for services are explained 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.
  • Give accredited services access to our monthly calls for Service Managers and access free training and workshops led by SafeLives’

“We have adopted the changes we have made for the accredited services across all our services and all staff have had refresher training to ensure the changes are adhered to. We have amended how we record our safeguarding process, and we are clearer on actions taken in our notes.”

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

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