Women's Aid Armagh Down

What Women's Aid Armagh Down does

Women's Aid Armagh Down is a registered charity founded in 1983 (as Newry Women's Aid, rebranded to its current name in 2013) that provides trauma-informed support services for women, children, and young people affected by domestic abuse across two council areas in Northern Ireland: Newry, Mourne and Down, and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon. The organisation operates a hub-and-spoke service model anchored by an 11-bed refuge in Newry, supplemented by resource centres in Portadown and Armagh, a quarterly drop-in in Crossmaglen, and dedicated programmes delivered in schools, GP practices (IRIS), and hospitals (DASS). Its service portfolio spans emergency refuge accommodation, community-based floating support, children and young people's therapeutic programmes (Helping Hands, Transformers, Heading for Healthy Relationships, SAHRA), women's therapeutic programmes (Joint Tailored Framework, Insight, Amazing Mums), and the Wellbeing Programme launched in 2020. The flagship ELEOS Centre of Excellence is a three-phase, three-to-five-year capital project targeting £3 million to establish a dedicated early intervention trauma centre.

The organisation employs approximately 15 staff and is led by CEO Eileen Murphy OBE, who has served for over 20 years, supported by a board chaired by Niamh O Maolain. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, and the organisation operates as a non-profit dependent on a combination of statutory government funding, charitable trust and foundation grants (Garfield Weston Foundation, Pilgrim Trust, Community Ownership Fund, Comic Relief, National Lottery Community Fund), corporate partnerships (Terex Corporation), and individual donations including legacy giving. It is part of the Women's Aid Federation NI network of seven regional Women's Aid groups and has established research partnerships with Queen's University Belfast's Domestic Abuse Research Group.

The charity has demonstrated consistent growth in reach, with referrals increasing 72% over four years and 1,852 women referred to its services in 2023/24. Its DASS hospital service, delivered in partnership with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, has supported 500+ women and trained 3,000+ healthcare staff over five years. Marketing and awareness activities span an active social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube), email newsletters, community events (Together We Walk, Be the Change Conference), and targeted awareness campaigns (16 Days of Action, See Behind the Shine), with website resources translated into 16+ languages to extend accessibility across diverse beneficiary populations.

Name

Women's Aid Armagh Down

Legal name

Women's Aid Armagh Down

Website

https://womensaidarmaghdown.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women's Aid Armagh Down is a Northern Ireland registered charity, founded 1983, providing trauma-informed domestic abuse support services including refuge accommodation, community-based support, and therapeutic programmes for women, children, and young people across the Newry, Mourne, Down, Armagh, Banbridge, and Craigavon areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Abuse Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse support
• Refuge accommodation services
• Trauma-informed counselling
• Community welfare services
• Women's charitable services

Headquarters

HQ city

Newry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Statutory/Government Funding: Core funding from government bodies including Community Ownership Fund, Department for Levelling Up, Department of Education, and policing/community safety partnerships.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorship, charity partnerships, 'Buy a Brick' campaign, and legacy giving (bequests in wills).
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts including Garfield Weston Foundation (£50,000), Pilgrim Trust (£25,000), Community Ownership Fund (£360,000 capital/revenue), Comic Relief (Hear Her Voice project), and National Lottery Community Fund (Be Connect – Be Empowered project).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Women's Aid Armagh Down is a registered charity providing free, trauma-informed support services for women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse across the Newry, Mourne & Down and Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon council areas of Northern Ireland. Its core offerings include emergency refuge accommodation (11-bed refuge), community/floating support, dedicated children's and young people's therapeutic programmes, women's therapeutic programmes, the Wellbeing Programme, partnership services in GP practices, hospitals and schools, and the One Stop Shop drop-in advisory service. All services are delivered free of charge at the point of delivery and funded through government grants, charitable trusts, donations and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Women's Aid Armagh Down is a specialist charitable organization providing a comprehensive range of trauma-informed support services for women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse. The organization operates a hub-and-spoke model centered on refuge accommodation and community support services, supplemented by dedicated children and young people's programmes (Helping Hands, Transformers, Heading for Healthy Relationships, SAHRA), therapeutic programmes for women (Joint Tailored Framework, Insight, Amazing Mums), and the Wellbeing Programme launched in 2020. External partnership services include IRIS (GP practices), DASS (hospital settings), CHAMP (community schools engagement), and PPRP. The flagship ELEOS Centre initiative represents a major capital project for early intervention trauma support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refuge Accommodation Emergency accommodation for women and women with children experiencing domestic/sexual violence and abuse. The 11-bedroom refuge provides safe accommodation with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, free at the point of delivery.
• Community Support / Floating Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% increase in referrals over four years demonstrating growing trust and reach
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic, major and supporting.

• Southern Health and Social Care TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Domestic Abuse Safety & Support (DASS) service in Craigavon Area and Daisy Hill Hospitals. This ground-breaking service has supported over 500 women and trained 3,000+ staff over 5 years. First in Northern Ireland to establish this type of hospital-based domestic abuse support service.
• Queen's University BelfaststrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Domestic Abuse Research Group led by Dr Katrina McLaughlin. Joint symposium at European Conference on Domestic Violence in Barcelona. Partnership on intimate partner violence training for nursing and midwifery students.
• IRIS (Identification & Referral to Improve Safety)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local GP practices providing training and specialist support for identifying and referring domestic abuse patients. Based on 5 R's principle: Recognise, Respond, Risk, Refer, Record.
• Terex CorporationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner actively working with Women's Aid Armagh Down. Represented at capital investment launch event and Be the Change Conference. Platinum sponsor of major events. Corporate Social Responsibility engagement.
• Northern Ireland Housing ExecutivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for emergency housing referrals and One Stop Shop service provision. Women referred for emergency accommodation support.
• PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral pathway for domestic abuse victims. Partnership on One Stop Shop service delivery. Crime Prevention involvement in multi-agency approach.
• Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on 'Stand Up. Speak Out. Be the Change' campaign. Hosted Together We Walk event. Council designated Women's Aid as Charity of the Year. Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) funding.
• Newry, Mourne and Down District CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on 'Together We Walk' events for International Women's Day 2025. Council supports ELEOS project and community initiatives.
• Colm Meehan & Co. Ltd.majorOthersNewry-based contractor appointed to deliver Phase 1 of the ELEOS Centre redevelopment project at 5 Downshire Road.
• CHAMP Project PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerChanging Hearts and Minds Project engaging with schools, youth clubs, community groups, sporting clubs, and businesses to address violence against women and girls.
• Volunteer NowsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on 'Together We Walk' events hosting volunteering workshops for women in service.
• Women's Aid Federation NIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of network of seven Women's Aid groups across Northern Ireland supported by Women's Aid Federation NI. Collaborative on See, Hear, Act strategy for children and young people.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Refuge (UK): UK-wide charity operating the National Domestic Abuse Helpline and a network of refuges. Directly comparable as a specialist domestic abuse support organization with refuge and outreach services, but at substantially larger scale and broader UK footprint.
• Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne & Newtownabbey Women's Aid: Northern Ireland Women's Aid affiliate covering the ABCLN council area. Operates refuge and community support services under the same federation, making it a direct regional peer.
• Fermanagh & Omagh Women's Aid: Women's Aid affiliate covering rural Fermanagh and Omagh in NI. Comparable provider of refuge and domestic abuse support services within the same federation network.
• Foyle Women's Aid: Sister Women's Aid group covering the Derry/Londonderry area of Northern Ireland. Directly comparable as a regional domestic abuse charity delivering refuge, community support and children's services within the same Women's Aid Federation NI network.
• Belfast & Lisburn Women's Aid: Largest Women's Aid group in Northern Ireland, offering refuge, floating support and children's services across Belfast and Lisburn. Closely comparable service mix and funding model to Women's Aid Armagh Down.

Regional players

• Scottish Women's Aid: Federation of Women's Aid groups across Scotland delivering refuge, outreach and policy work. Directly comparable organizational model and service mix but operating in a different UK nation.

Others

• Nexus NI: Northern Ireland charity operating the 24-hour Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline that WAAD refers callers to. Closely comparable mission and is a key operational partner; included as a thematically adjacent service provider.
• Women's Aid Federation NI: Umbrella federation that supports the network of seven NI Women's Aid groups including WAAD. Not a direct competitor but the parent-like coordinating body and primary sector advocate relevant to WAAD's positioning.

Emerging players

• Men's Advisory Project: NI charity offering behavioural change programmes for perpetrators of domestic abuse. Comparable geographic focus and adjacent domestic abuse intervention work, though addressing perpetrators rather than survivors.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Aid Federation England: National umbrella organization for Women's Aid groups across England, providing federation-level coordination, policy advocacy and the Live Chat Helpline. Comparable mission and methodology though operating as a federation rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPuHiTkzSNV200OVFHZr_sg
• Facebookfacebook.com/womensaidarmaghdown
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-s-aid-armagh-down
• Instagraminstagram.com/womensaid_ad
• TikToktiktok.com/@womensaidarmaghdown

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women's Aid Armagh Down