This is us

What we do

We provide intensive & practical support to a socially isolated and vulnerable group of women involved in street prostitution.
Why we are needed

Women involved in street prostitution are likely to suffer physical deprivation – homelessness, lack of food and violence

– physical and sexual assaults, illness and injury – drug and alcohol abuse, isolation/ostracisation/social exclusion. An increase in risk-taking behaviour increases their risk of harm; this risk particularly impacts on their mental and emotional health. Not forgetting that all the above is on top of whatever life experiences led to prostitution in first place!

SWWOP’s remit is to support this group of women to look after themselves and to enable them to make informed choices about their lives.

How we help

SWWOP’s primary service is making contact with women involved in street prostitution and being a friendly face to offer non-judgmental and confidential support and information.

By working alongside this vulnerable group, providing street based outreach and drop-in sessions, SWWOP aims to directly improve their health and safety, and that of the wider population via ‘the punter’. Ultimately, breaking down any barriers for the women accessing services (stereotyping, prejudice, lack of training and education opportunities, etc).

Our evening mobile outreach service distributes, free condoms, a satellite needle exchange, hot drinks and sandwiches, ‘dodgy punter’ infomation, appointments for crisis intervention, access to Exit Support and lots of TLC. We also liaise closely with the police to improve the safety of the women.

Our five-days-a-week service provides support r.e. benefits entitlement, housing issues, court appearances, drug treatment support and an individual worker to create a realistic exit support package.

All issues arising from outreach sessions are dealt with the next day or if homeless that evening with out of hours homeless service.

A weekly drop-in inc. activities runs alongside an open advice session on Thursday afternoons. Women are also able to access sexual health screening, including provision of pregnancy testing at SWWOP, and we have a ‘fast link’ to Sexual Health Sheffield r.e. access to LARK (long-acting reversible contraceptives).

SWWOP works on an effective co-ordination of services to individual women, providing them with an individual worker, thus enabling one-to-one support. We also provide weekly food parcels and a ‘clothes swap’.

At a local level we facilitate sensitive negotiations between communities and agencies about the local effects of street prostitution, providing a line of communication to and from the women themselves. Our wider work focuses on representing the views and needs of the women to various multi-agency bodies (e.g. Safer Children’s Board) as well as contributing to policy development on a national level.

How you can help

At SWWOP we are grateful for any donation you can make – no matter how big or small. As you can see below, any amount you can offer can and will make a difference.

Education

Education is key in a number of ways with our outreach van, from food to sexual health as well housing and substance abuse. 

Health care

Donations and volunteers help provide the ladies with condoms as well as needle exchange and so much more. 

Housing

Helping and supporting getting ladies off the streets as well as support those that have been released from jail to not repeat. 

Substance abuse

We now have a team that can support women with these issues, supporting them to change 

Clothing

Would buy one pair of woolly gloves

transport
Would pay for return bus fares for one woman to attend our therapy and drop-in days with access to Acupuncture, Shiatsu, group discussions, healthy lunch & a chance to relax for a couple of hours
 
 
Food

Would provide sandwiches for two outreach sessions feeding on average 20 women!

Drinks
Would buy approximately 25 Pot Noodles or lots of cup-a-soups
 
Fuel
Would provide fuel for 6 outreach sessions
 
 
 
Sessions

Would pay for a worker to carry out an outreach session (3.5hrs). Providing upto 13 women with advice/info, clean works, condoms, crisis intervention and of course sandwiches, hot drinks and lots of TLC.

Newsletters

October 2023

Want to make a difference?

Help us raise money every little helps