Kingston Council has taken home Silver in the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards' Community Involvement category for its Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, co-produced with survivors.

This achievement highlights Kingston's commitment to tackling violence against women and girls and is a result of the extensive, collaborative effort being put into making the borough a safer place for everyone.

Rather than being designed solely by professionals, the strategy was entirely co-produced alongside survivors of abuse.

Members of the Kingston Women's Hub survivors' forum, part of local charity Voices of Hope, worked together with the council's Community Safety team to develop the policy.

This approach ensured that individuals with real, lived experience were given the opportunity to actively engage with professionals to help shape and improve local services and frontline responses.

Lived experience remained central right up to the final stage, with a survivor co-presenting the strategy to the LGC award judges.

The strategy outlines four key co-produced objectives designed to tackle abuse comprehensively: supporting survivors; supporting children and young people; holding perpetrators to account; and making ending violence against women and girls everyone's business.

Speaking about why they chose Kingston as their Silver Award winner, the LGC judges said: "This powerful initiative stands out for its ability to bring healing and policymaking together, ensuring that lived experience meaningfully shapes lasting change.

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"The survivor voice is evident throughout as a genuine driving force rather than a token gesture, giving those involved a real sense that meaningful change is possible.

"The project is deeply inspiring in how it grounds system change in compassion, credibility, and hope."

Kingston Council said: "Over the past year, the council and its partners have translated these strategic objectives into impactful actions.

"Notable achievements include continuing work with the Kingston Women's Hub survivors forum, supporting a youth-led community safety conference and introducing co-produced specialist resources and awareness training for frontline staff.

"Looking ahead to 2026-27, Kingston has set out commitments to strengthen this work even further by focusing on embedding trauma-informed practices borough-wide, ensuring safe accommodation pathways, and deepening collaborative work with the police to tackle violence against women and girls in public spaces."

It added: "The co-production of the strategy is just one element of Kingston's continuous, year-round partnership with survivors. The council regularly collaborates with the Kingston Survivors Forum, which meets to provide direct feedback on service improvement and design."

Councillor Sabah Hamed, Kingston Council's portfolio holder for adult social care and health, said: "We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to receive this national recognition from the LGC Awards.

"Winning Silver award in the Community Involvement category is a wonderful testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication of our teams, our voluntary sector partners, and most importantly, the brave survivors who made this co-produced strategy possible.

"Tackling violence against women and girls is one of our highest priorities, and while Kingston remains one of the safest boroughs in London, we know there is always more to be done.

"This award highlights the immense effort we are putting into this area and reinforces that true change is only possible when we listen to, value, and work side-by-side with people who have lived experience.

"We remain committed to ensuring every woman and girl in Kingston can live a life free from fear, violence, and abuse."

Kingston Council's leading work in this area was recognised recently when its community safety team was invited to the House of Lords Select Committee to share feedback on multi-agency working and collaboration, barriers to providing essential support and how well the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is supporting partnerships to protect adults and children.

upport available in Kingston

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, or harmful practices, free and confidential support is available, including:

• The Willow Centre: Run by Refuge, providing independent domestic violence caseworkers and advocates. Call the helpline on 020 8547 6046 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email [email protected].
• Kingston's One Stop Shop: A walk-in drop-in service providing access to solicitors, health visitors, and domestic abuse specialists. Open every Monday from 9.30am to 12.30pm at KingsGate Church, Clarence Street, Kingston.
• Kingston Women's Hub: Operated by Voices of Hope, offering weekly women-only groups, activities, and intensive care to empower women. Email [email protected].

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• In an emergency: Always dial 999. If it is not safe to speak on a mobile, press 55 when prompted to be transferred to the police.