An evaluative research study of a specialist refuge for women with intellectual disabilities

Beverley Lewis House based in London, UK, is the only refuge for women with intellectual disabilities in Europe and possibly the only one in the world. The service offers temporary and safe accommodation for any woman with intellectual disabilities who has experienced violence or abuse or who is at risk from abuse. After the service had been in operation for 4 years, an evaluative study was conducted to ascertain its strengths and weaknesses. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with all main stakeholders (e.g. service users, staff, managers and referrers). However, particular attention was paid to the views and experiences of the women with intellectual disabilities who lived there. The present paper describes some of the main findings of this evaluation and the significance of these results for other intellectual disability services which are considering developing similar specialist services.