Addressing Wellbeing through Advocacy, Knowledge and Empowerment (AWAKE) at Boston Children’s Hospital provides free, confidential, empowerment-based supportive services for patients, their caregivers, and employees of Boston Children’s Hospital experiencing domestic violence.
Our expertise in domestic violence
Established in 1986, AWAKE is the first program within a pediatric hospital that is dedicated to serving the needs of survivors who have experienced domestic violence. We care for patients, caregivers, and employees of Boston Children’s Hospital and its satellite locations who are impacted in some way by domestic violence. Our goal is to empower survivors, provide connections, and advocate for them and their families to ensure safety.
We serve all survivors of domestic violence, regardless of age, economic status, religion, sexual orientation, and gender.
How we address domestic violence
AWAKE advocates for survivors of domestic violence by providing validation, supportive counseling, education about healthy relationships, and connection to resources within the hospital and the community.
We conduct risk assessments and ongoing safety planning to determine the needs of survivors experiencing violence or who have a trauma history in a coordinated and supportive way.
