A local domestic abuse charity is celebrating this month after being recognised as an approved AIM training centre.

Glow, based in Stoke, provides support and guidance to women, men and children who have been impacted by domestic abuse across Staffordshire.

According to the Office for National Statistics, nearly 2 million people in the UK experience some form of domestic abuse each year. That's around 1.3 million women and 600,000 men.

Last year, Glow relaunched their volunteer training programme, which supports people - including those with lived experience of abuse - to become domestic abuse support volunteers. 

Glow is part of Honeycomb Group, based on London Road, Stoke (Honeycomb Group).

Volunteers help the charity in a variety of different ways including admin support, fundraising, outreach work and co-delivering Glow's recovery programmes alongside specialist staff in the charity's Recovery Hub.

Before working with staff and customers, all volunteers take part in Glow's volunteer training programme. This consists of eight training sessions that equip volunteers with the knowledge of domestic abuse and the skills needed to support people who have experienced it. 

New volunteers learn about the key legislation surrounding domestic abuse, the impact abuse has on victim-survivors and their children, the skills needed to support victim-survivors, the importance of risk assessments, safety planning and more.

Now, after a successful application, the charity has been approved as a recognised provider and had its bespoke volunteer training course accredited by national awarding organisation AIM Qualifications and Assessments group.

Volunteers already receive a certificate from Glow upon completion of their training course – now they will also receive a recognised Level 2 accreditation from AIM that can enhance their CV, support future employment opportunities and boost their confidence.

Volunteers will receive a Level 2 accreditation from AIM (Honeycomb Group).

Sarah Heath, Senior Domestic Abuse Practitioner, said: "We're really excited to have been approved as an AIM centre.

"At Glow we're so proud of our volunteer training. It equips new volunteers with all the skills they need to support us in lots of different ways, whether that's co-facilitating our group programmes or delivering support to our customers."

"We hope that this is something that will really help them as they develop in their careers."

Glow's next volunteer training course will start in September - to register interest visit their website.

READ MORE: Stoke community comes together to repair Bucknall's iconic City Farm after fire destroys shed and equipment

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.