Amplifying Survivor Voices

We know that for survivors of domestic abuse and violence, engaging with public services can feel daunting. Your safety is our absolute priority. This project is designed by survivors, for survivors, to ensure you can share your views safely, without fear, and on your own terms.

Amplifying Survivor Voices is a safe, confidential, and survivor-led pathway to help us design housing services that truly understand and support you.

The Survivor Advisory Panel is for council tenants and Housing Association tenants living in Hillingdon who have experienced domestic abuse or violence.

Participating in this project, or choosing not to, will never affect your housing status, your tenancy, or the services you receive. You are always in control of what you share and when.

What is this project?

The council is moving away from traditional, public resident forums, which we know are not accessible to everyone. Instead, we are creating a Survivor Advisory Panel. This is a private, specialist-facilitated group where survivors can:

  • discuss safety, repairs, and support services
  • shape how the council responds to domestic abuse
  • help us create a blueprint for better, safer housing.

Meetings will be carried out with resident consultation at the forefront; they may be in person or on-line. We want you to tell us what works for you.

Why join the Survivor Advisory Panel (SAP)?

This is an opportunity to help shape the housing services that affect your everyday life. By joining us, you can help:

  • Influence policy: Directly tell us what needs to change in our housing policies and support pathways.
  • Improve safety: Help us understand what makes a home or an estate feel safe (or unsafe), so we can fix it.
  • Create lasting change: Your insights will directly lead to service improvements that make Hillingdon a safer place for all survivors.

Your safety is our priority

We understand that confidentiality is non-negotiable. To ensure you feel safe and in control at all times, we have changed how we work.

  • You are in control: You decide if, when, and how you share your experiences. There is no pressure.
  • External specialist support: All engagement is facilitated by a professional, external Specialist VAWG Partner. They are experts in trauma-informed practice and are independent of the council’s standard housing team. Your details are kept with them, not the council.
  • True anonymity: We are launching secure, encrypted digital tools (like anonymous forms) and offline options (like confidential drop-boxes) so you can share your views without ever being identified.
  • Safe spaces: Every interaction is designed to be trauma-informed, ensuring you are respected and safe.

Share your views anonymously

Not everyone will want to join the Survivor Advisory Panel.

All residents can share their views anonymously using our Amplifying Survivor Voices feedback cards and secure collection boxes in selected Hillingdon libraries. You do not need to have experienced domestic abuse to use the feedback boxes. We welcome ideas and feedback from all residents to help us understand how housing services can be safer, fairer and more responsive.

Feedback cards can be completed in your own time and returned confidentially using the collection boxes provided.

Where to find the feedback boxes

  • Botwell Green Library
  • Northwood Hills Library
  • Ruislip Manor Library
  • Uxbridge Library
  • West Drayton Library

Why we’re using library feedback boxes

We know that people prefer different ways of sharing feedback. The library feedback boxes provide an accessible and anonymous way for residents to contribute without attending meetings or completing an online form.

Every comment received will be reviewed and used to help inform service improvements and the work of the Survivor Advisory Panel.

Interested?

We would love to hear from you. We have funds available to support your participation, including assistance with transport, childcare, digital access, and wellbeing support to ensure you can join us comfortably.

If you are curious, or if you are interested in joining the Survivor Advisory Panel, please contact our independent project partner in complete confidence.

Everything you share with our partner is kept confidential and will not be shared with the council without your explicit, informed consent.

Connect in confidence with our specialist partner