About Us

Vesta - Specialist Family Support CIC was formerly known as Polish Domestic Violence Helpline (PDVH). PDVH supported Polish victims of domestic violence since 2014. We set up the first UK-wide helpline specifically for Polish people who experienced domestic abuse. It was founded by Ewa Wilcock, she developed it initially as a project within a local charity, Cheshire Without Abuse. National interest in the helpline grew quickly and in 2015 we registered as a charitable incorporated organisation and developed our services independently. Apart from the helpline, we offered telephone counselling and a domestic abuse recovery programme for Polish women, Gateway.

There was a growing demand for our services and we decided to change the way we operate to continue to provide invaluable support to Polish families. In September 2018 we registered Vesta - Specialist Family Support CIC which is our new name and new organisation. We extended our support offer to respond to the growing needs of our clients. We support families affected by domestic abuse through specialist courses for victims and perpetrators. We also focus on improving the parenting skills and the general well-being of Polish families, we offer a parenting course and counselling.

We offer competitive prices for our services and we are also looking at alternative ways of funding our projects.

We offer our services remotely across England and Wales.

Meet Our Directors

Ewa Wilcock

Managing Director

Ewa believes that Polish families should have equal access to specialist services.

She led the delivery of various projects specifically for Polish victims of domestic violence. She was the founder of the first UK-wide Polish domestic violence helpline and a Polish website with information about support available in the UK. She holds a qualification of an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate and worked as a specialist domestic violence worker for Cheshire Without Abuse. She adapted a domestic abuse awareness and recovery programme (Gateway) and a parenting course (The Nurturing Programme) to Polish and successfully delivered it to groups and individuals. Ewa is a sociologist by profession (MA) and a qualified interpreter (DPSI).

Ewa worked tirelessly to support victims, promote their rights and to raise awareness about domestic violence in Polish families living in the UK.

Iwona Nowakowska

Senior Family Support Specialist

Iwona ensures that our parenting and wellbeing services help our clients recover and grow.

Iwona is passionate about working with families with complex needs and recognising and addressing the Adverse Childhood Experiences. She is a facilitator of the Freedom Programme for victims of domestic abuse as well as accredited parenting programmes: Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities and The Nurturing Programme.

Iwona has over ten years of experience working directly with parents and children known to social services or Early Help teams in her local authority area.

Iwona is a psychotherapist in process of gaining qualifications, holds a Master's degree in Social Pedagogy, former director of Poles In Need - organisation supporting the Polish community in London.

Agnieszka Litke

Finance Manager

Agnieszka is our "financial brain", she keeps our finances in check and makes sure we comply with accounting standards.

Agnieszka is a qualified accountant. She runs a successful accountancy practice which provides a whole range of financial services to individuals and companies in three regional branches.

She is also a treasurer in a number of charitable organisations and actively supports their community initiatives.

Our vision

“Polish families, where everyone can have healthy relationship with each other, can feel safe and thrive in a nurturing environment”

Our values

Client focus

Compassion

Change

Representation

Integrity

Highlights from our work

as Polish Domestic Violence Helpline

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In 2017 we were the National Diversity Awards finalists in the gender category

We adapted locally run domestic abuse recovery programme GATEWAY to Polish and delivered it to Polish women in Cheshire, Wrexham, Staffordshire and Merseyside

"I didn't know what I could do in my situation and I was afraid to contact anyone. I feel better now after speaking to you, because I know what help is available to me here"

Over a thousand of people contacted our helpline. We provided them with information and signposting but most of all, we gave them hope for a better life.

We offered telephone counselling to almost a hundred Polish victims of domestic violence. They were not able to receive this support anywhere else.

We hosted a national conference in 2018 which drew together practitioners supporting Polish victims of domestic violence to advance understanding around the complexities of domestic abuse within the Polish community and different ways of responding to their needs.

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We worked with a national expert Sue Lukes to produce a guide for professionals working with Polish families affected by domestic abuse. It gives them knowledge and understanding of complex areas of housing entitlement of Polish and other European Economic Area (EEA) nationals in the context of domestic violence.

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We participated in many events and conferences organised by our partners - Poles in Need in London and Europia in Manchester.

We took part in a national campaign against domestic violence in Polish families living in the UK.

The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness of different types of abuse and to encourage Polish people to report it and seek help.