Maya Badham

Background

About Maya Badham

Collectively, I have over 10 years experience within the field of Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence, specialising in sexual abuse, trauma informed practice and the link between abuse of humans and animal cruelty, especially the use of companion animals as a tactic of coercive controlling behaviour. I completed an Undergraduate degree in History with a focus on feminist history and sexual violence and a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law focusing on sexual violence against the LGBTQ+ community. Alongside my degree programmes, I volunteered for the local Rape Crisis helpline and Citizen’s Advice Bureau. I was employed by Refuge in 2017 to co-create and run the new Young Adult Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) Service alongside the overall service manager and my counter-part colleague who did the same role as I in North Thames Valley. My core role as an ISVA was made up of providing specialist support to women, men and non-binary individuals aged 16-25 who have experienced any form of sexual violence, including sexual violence within the context of domestic abuse or Modern-Day Sex Slavery; ensuring competent risk assessment and subsequent development of bespoke safety plans to protect survivors and their children. I use a trauma informed, need led, strengths based, intersectional and anti-oppressive approach to supporting survivors. The ISVA role also involved advocating on survivor’s behalf in a multi-agency setting, ensuring that all survivors and any children received emotional support as well as assisting them in accessing and navigating the criminal and civil justice systems, health services including mental health support and substance misuse support, support with any housing issues, benefit issues or immigration issues as well as supporting them if they are in education or if their case was being heard at MARAC. I am a Level 4 qualified VAWDASV Trainer. I have held this post at Welsh Women’s Aid for 4 years over which time I have designed, developed, and delivered core training packs & materials (both accredited and non-accredited) on Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence in line with Welsh Women’s Aid strategic plan & the National Training Framework for member services & key stakeholders such as courts and police. I have developed and delivered training both digitally and through live face-to-face training as well as through e-learning.