AVA are market leaders in training on gender-based violence and abuse. Through the expert adaptation of the Canadian Community Group model, we have ensured our place as a specialist in the VAWG and children’s sectors.
Since 2010, we have been training professionals in coordinating and facilitating groups and providing continued post-training support to professionals through networking events, email and telephone support and consultation.
Over the past 10 years, the programme has evolved, been tested and evaluated and is now run as a social franchise model is known as the CODA (Children Overcoming Domestic Abuse) programme. We are the only organisation in the UK to be endorsed by the original Canadian authors, and the programme is recognised as good practice by NICE.
Our social franchise offer supports organisations to mobilise quickly, providing training and infrastructure resources to get these groundbreaking recovery groups established effectively and easily in their local area. We add resources to local systems by working with and preventing duplication and harnessing existing skills.
You can find more information on CODA licences, including fees and operational cost breakdown, in our FAQ.
CODA Programme Delivery/ Accredited Facilitator Training
As part of the CODA licence, we offer a 4-day training course for practitioners who will run the groups for women or children (facilitators) and addintional training for the person(s) who will be coordinating the group work programme locally (coordinators).
CODA-related materials and training are only available with a CODA licence.
If you have already been trained and are running CODA groups, we only require facilitators to be fully accredited by the second year of holding the licence and existing trained staff only need to undergo the refresher and check to obtain accreditation.
If you are interested in bringing CODA to your area and want to learn more about these groundbreaking recovery groups, please fill out this brief expression of interest form.
You can find more information on CODA training in our FAQ.
Who should be faciltors
The programme works best when a range of partner agencies in an area are trained and committed to working together on it. Partner agencies can include
- health visitors
- school nurses
- social services
- CAMHS
- Youth workers
- voluntary sector
- Specialist gender based violence services
- Education
- police
- probation service.
