History of Haven

Haven House was established in 1975 as a refuge supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse. In April 2014 three domestic abuse refuges in Sheffield merged to become a new, single organisation known as Sheffield Area Refuge and Support (SARAS).

As a result, the trustees took the decision to continue independently. This enabled us to develop our services and expand the reach to all children and young people in the city and the surrounding area.

Haven today is a well known and reputable charity. We have a highly skilled and dedicated team of staff and trustees, all of whom are specialist in their field. All our work is supported by a very valued team of volunteers. 

In addition to the services that we provide for the children and young people, we also work with other professional and individuals to build their skills and knowledge, so they are better able to understand and support the needs of the children and young people that they work with.

Back in 2014, our main programme was CandYP. It was developed as a result of the doctoral research carried out by Dr Jean Kidner, previous manager and children's worker with Haven. Her research, 'The Tale That Can Be Told' is accessible through Sheffield Hallam University PhD archives. Our practice later expanded to further incorporate the needs of the children and young people we work with to include group sessions and bespoke one-to-one support.

Today, CandYP is the foremost therapeutic programme used in Sheffield to support relationship building between child and parent after domestic abuse. It's a well-established and respected approach that professionals working with vulnerable children in this context already know and trust.

Over the years, Jean's work has benefited many children and young people and their families, and will continue to do so in the years ahead. Sadly, Jean passed away in January 2020 and will be missed by all at Haven. Without her research, we would not be delivering the therapeutic work that we do today.