Working with Bede House

This placement shaped the rest of my career
Danielle Cohen (2011)

Founded in 1938, Bede House is a Southwark charity whose aim is to help and support those who are affected by poverty, learning disability and domestic violence. For more than 20 years, the Clare and Bermondsey Trust has funded an annual graduate placement on one of Bede’s projects. Earlier this year, Rev’d Mark Smith visited Bede House to see the impact of its work and to discuss the ongoing relationship between Bede House and the College.

“It was a real delight to visit Bede House during Lent Term this year. Clare has a long-standing and special connection with Bede, and we provide flexible opportunities for Clare students to have placements there each year. This might be, for instance, getting an insight into Bede’s work supporting survivors of domestic abuse, or helping people in the local community with learning disabilities. Clare students have found these placements a great way to gain experience in the charitable sector, and to reflect on how their education and formation at Clare can equip them to serve and empower others in wider society.”
Rev'd Mark Smith

Clare Review learned about some of the core projects, by speaking to a few alumni who have worked with Bede House.

Starfish Domestic Abuse Project

This project works with Southwark residents who are affected by domestic violence, aiming to help clients and their children live free from fear. The main services are advocacy, counselling, art therapy for children and a weekly domestic abuse awareness program called the Freedom Program.

Danielle Cohen (2011) read Politics, Psychology, and Sociology at Clare. Her placement as a domestic violence caseworker resulted in her continuing to work full time at Bede, undertaking risk assessments, providing advice, support, advocacy and safety planning for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Danielle helped women to seek refuge (sometimes helping them to coordinate moves across the country), know their legal rights and access support through the civil and criminal courts, and access mental health services for themselves and their children and plan how to rebuild their lives after the abuse.
Danielle’s work at Bede House and exposure to a wide range of adjacent fields shaped the rest of her career. In 2017, she became a qualified children’s social worker, starting out in child protection in local authorities, to her more recent work as a Senior Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Practitioner and Social Worker.

"Bede work incredibly hard to maintain a service on limited resources. Funding for women's services is getting increasingly difficult to come by as the charity sector as a whole is struggling. Bede are hoping to raise £30k in the next year for this project, so if anyone at Clare wants to help them meet that goal it would make such a huge difference to them, and to the women of Southwark."
Danielle Cohen (2011)

Anna Hardy (2020) read Law at Clare. After graduation, she began volunteering with Bede in their Domestic Abuse Starfish Project and in January 2024, joined the team full-time as a paid Caseworker. Acting as an advocate for victims of domestic abuse, Anna provided clients with practical, emotional and legal support.

A typical day in the life for Anna involved conducting risk assessments for new clients, facilitating a weekly domestic abuse awareness programme and building trusting relationships with local residents. Every day, Anna could see first-hand the positive impact Bede had on the lives of her clients. Anna left the service at the end of June 2024 to begin the Bar Vocational Studies course in September.

Anna Hardy on Placement at Bede House

Learning Disabilities

This project resides at the Bede Centre, a welcoming place where people with learning disabilities can develop their skills, expand their circle of friends and help other people. Bede offers a wide range of opportunities and activities that enable people to make up their own individual timetable. The team offers a range of services such as the Bede Travel Buddy programme, supported volunteering and social, sporting and art activities.

Katrina Ramsey (2001) read History, and worked at Bede for six months after seeing a poster on a noticeboard outside her tutor’s room. After thinking this would be a pragmatic move into a first job after graduation, Katrina went on to describe her time at Bede as a ‘complete contrast to life at Clare’, as she undertook work in their service for adults with learning disabilities.

Alongside her main responsibilities, including travel training on public transport and facilitating social activities for the adults, Katrina’s key initiative was setting up ‘Outside’, a volunteering scheme where adults with learning disabilities volunteer with local older people to assist and accompany each other in a broad range of day-to-day activities- from gardening to changing lightbulbs and putting up curtains! Katrina’s work generated a two-way dynamic between the local community and members of Bede House, which is still successfully running 20 years later.

Katrina went on to work at the Greater London Authority, working on environmental grant programmes, tree planting projects and housing schemes. With Bede still fondly in her memory, Katrina became the Chair of Trustees for four years, with a further 8 as a trustee, gaining confidence and senior experience in leadership for her later career.

This December, Clare Choir sang a special Advent Concert at St Mary’s Rotherhithe (the parish church of Bede), to help raise money for the charity.

You can find out more about the charity and its valuable work at: www.bedehouse.org.uk

Katrina Ramsey , Clare News feature