Our History

In 1997, a group of women working in the domestic abuse sector were drawn together with a shared purpose to support other women and to provide the UK’s first domestic abuse pet fostering service thereby removing a further barrier to leaving.

Paws for Kids is a successful independent registered charity and from our Bolton office, the service has grown to deliver a number of high and medium risk domestic abuse services with our pet fostering extending throughout the northwest of England.

We remain a fully women led and run organisation with women representing 96% of our service users although we actively welcome referrals from men and the LGBTQI+ community.

Our main activities are:

• In the community whole family support, safety planning, support through legal processes, advice on sexual health and physical wellbeing. We provide help with food parcels, clothing and furniture essentials. We run group work using the CBT model focusing on self-worth and confidence.
• Outreach, supporting those in dispersed properties including bed and breakfast, hostels and those sofa surfing and street homeless.
• Young Persons project, supporting women 16-19 at high risk of homicide or serious injury.
• BAME project, for women isolated due to language barriers, those who have no recourse to public funds, those subject to trafficking, at risk of honour based violence, forced marriage and harmful practices.
• Counselling service, supporting people with their mental health and wellbeing through the trauma that comes from living in an abusive relationship.