At the start of the Pandemic, we at New Dawn New Day quickly had to completely overhaul how our service works. Our Women’s Centre has always been busy, bustling, and full of life, with appointments and groups taking place behind every door. With social contact limited and lots of new safety measures to consider, we switched to offering appointments and groupwork online and over the phone. We found that this approach worked very well with women who had previously faced barriers to working with us, often due to distance, childcare or mental health issues making it impossible to leave the house.
After restrictions were relaxed, we transitioned into a blended style of working to best suit the women using our service. We now offer appointments over the phone, via Zoom, walk and talks on the green space in front of our Centre, and in-person in one of our cosy meeting rooms. Empowering women to make their own choices in how they can access support has encouraged engagement with our service and trust in our Practitioners. It also means that women who have never used our service before can have an initial phone or Zoom session, to address any concerns or anxieties they may have, before making the choice to have an in-person appointment.
