Braintree Partners

CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) works with victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, providing independent, specialist support and promoting and representing their rights and needs.

CARA works with adults, young people and children of all genders from across Mid and North Essex and Uttlesford. We work from premises in Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Great Dunmow, Halstead and Harwich.

Kooth.com is commissioned to provide an online wellbeing platform which along with text based counselling also includes helpful articles, forums, activity centre, daily journal and messaging. We provide British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited services and Kooth is available to young people aged 11-18 in Essex. 

The service provides a free and non-judgemental place for children and young people to connect with others and know they are not alone. They have instant access to self-help materials, fully moderated discussion forums and tools such as online journals and goal trackers. They can also contribute written pieces of work reflecting their own experiences, as well as accessing drop-in or booked text-based counselling sessions with professional counsellors.

These are online services that offer anonymised support via online counsellors, available 365 days a year, 12pm -10pm on weekdays and 6pm-10pm on weekends. 

We provide free and confidential services to support people who are currently experiencing, or have previously experienced domestic abuse.

We are passionate about ensuring that every person has the opportunity to live their life free from domestic abuse.

Our staff and volunteers are trained to provide support at the highest possible standard, informed by the trauma the individual has experienced and led by their needs.  We provide immediate support and advice to promote safety and reduction in risk of harm and longer term support to promote emotional recovery and practical support wherever it is needed to enable planning for a safer future.

Community Support
We support people who are experiencing domestic abuse and don't feel able to or need to leave their home.  We are able to work with individuals in a community setting and can provide access to the same emotional and practical advice and support to promote safety and recovery for a safe and happy future.  We currently are able to offer services to individuals living in the local authority areas of Colchester, Tendring, Braintree, Chelmsford, Maldon and Uttlesford.

Refuge Accommodation
Our purpose-built accommodation provides a temporary home for up to 12 women and children who have reached crisis point. The flatlets are modern and well equipped.  Each new resident receives a practical “starter pack” when she arrives.  A key worker will support her and her family right from the beginning of their journey. When she leaves, we support her to begin her life’s next chapter.

Domestic abuse is rarely a single issue and many residents arrive needing specialist support to deal with substance misuse (drugs and alcohol). In our residential house, with nine flatlets, we provide professional, specialist support focused on the identified needs of women who are battling with this type of addiction to help them with their recovery journey.

Children & Young Persons Service
Children and young people are affected by domestic abuse too.  Our Children’s and Young People’s Team include Pre-school Practitioners, Creative Therapist and Children’s Support Workers.  We can provide a range of services including emotional support for children and young people, parenting support, family work, pre-school education, school holiday activities.  We also undertake some work in the community in partnership with local schools and other agencies.

Raising awareness of domestic abuse is a very important part of our work. In primary and secondary schools as well as in higher education, we talk to young people about healthy relationships and how to recognise the signs of abuse.

Through the Wilderness Foundation education and therapy programmes we help young people and adults reconnect to society and themselves through outdoor facilitation adventures, therapy and mentoring. Our programmes highlight the positive impact of wild nature on personal and social wellbeing, whilst developing stewardship for nature and wild places alongside volunteering opportunities.