Shelters in Denmark For Battered Women - European Commission

the two groups their female-oriented political engagement is of importance when hired or
recruited.
5.5. Intervention plans and follow-up work
According to our study more than 80 percent of the centres make intervention plans (or action
plans as they are called) together with the woman in terms of both the duration of the
stay and the time after, and they are almost all reviewed regularly. Although close to 90
percent of the respondents from our survey state that there is some kind of follow-up work
done at the crisis centre, these activities vary very much so, both in form and substance. The
most common activity is counselling either at the centre or at the woman’s home. Some
centres offer help to establish network contacts to other women who have previously stayed
at the centre, and also practical help in for instance getting settled in a new home is often
offered. Former users are sometimes invited on field trips, holidays or other activities at the
centre. Although most centres do offer some kind of follow-up, there is a general wish to
improve this important area, as it is a fact that almost half of the women stay at a centre
more than once (Behrens, 2004). Generally, it can be said that this area is short of resources.
The table below shows an overview of the reasons given for not carrying out follow-up
work.
Table 6: Reasons given by the centres for not agreeing on follow-up work.
Reasons for no agreement of follow-up work Number of incidence during 6 months
Shortage of resources at the crisis centre 100
The woman does not wish follow-up 254
The woman moves far away 163
Other public institutions supply help 198
Other volunteers supply help 27
In all 621
Behrens, 2004.
All the centres seem to communicate well and on a regular basis with other crisis centres.
Their contacts take place through meetings between the daily heads of the centres, there are
official forums for sharing experience, courses and seminars and then, of course, they stay
in contact whenever they must forward a woman to another centre on the grounds of lacking
space.
38