West Midlands needs assessment · Key finding
Culturally Aligned Support
Every Black woman interviewed for our West Midlands research said they would prefer support from services led by Black women.
“Although sexual violence is something that we can relate on as women, the treatment of black people and black women, it is something entirely different.”
Survivor S04, West Midlands needs assessment
The finding
Survivors and professionals both identified a need for more specialist services tailored to the cultural and racial needs of different communities across the West Midlands.
Racial matching between survivors and practitioners was seen as beneficial, although survivors were clear that it cannot replace specialist knowledge of sexual violence and abuse.
Survivors also described intercultural differences within broad racial categories, and many survivors, especially Black women, preferred support from someone who shared their ethnic identity.
Next steps
Our training for professionals brings this evidence into anti-racist, intersectional practice in domestic and sexual abuse services.
More findings
Source: Dias, Stretch and Abdulakadir (2025), Sexual Assault and Abuse Needs Assessment for Racialised Communities in the West Midlands, We Are Frieda CIC.